The Greater Redmond Transportation Management Association (GRTMA), with help from Redmond Town Center, Microsoft, and REI put on the first ever EcoCommuting Fair Wednesday, August 22, 2007 at Redmond Town Center.
The event was a big hit, as hundreds and hundreds gathered for the fair, occurring in conjunction with GRTMA’s Tour de Redmond Summer Bicycle Commuter Challenge Awards Ceremony and Redmond Town Center’s Summer Concert Series.
Kids check out the local Audubon Chapter
at the EcoCommuting fair.
Most importantly, the fair showcased all the great options available to Redmond employees and residents to help reduce our eco-footprint. Over 20 government agencies, green businesses, and local environmental and transportation non-profits had booths at the event, displaying a plethora of knowledge and dedication to their causes (For a full list of fair attendees, click here). Booths included everything from a local bike shop, Bike Works, which specializes in teaching kids how to fix, maintain, and ride bicycles, to a local Biodiesel seller, Dr. Dan’s Alternative Fuelwerks, who were on hand with a biodiesel Volvo and a bottle of fresh biodiesel that you could actually taste.
Segways, a biodiesel Volvo, and a Metro bus were among the many interesting sites at the
EcoCommuting Fair.
All these organizations came together to highlight emphatically that an alternative commute is good for the environment and your health, it’s fun, and it’s a trend that is gaining popularity every day as people realize the countless benefits.
Throughout the Center Street Plaza of Redmond Town Center, factoids were displayed explaining the different affects commuting has on the environment. For example, did you know that cars and trucks are so toxic that children living near high-travel areas have been found 6-8 times more likely to develop all types of cancer? Or, that millions of gallons of motor oil drip into Puget Sound waterways every year causing problems for salmon, Orcas, humans, and other sea life? These facts helped reinforce that your decision of how to get to work affects much more than just the traffic.
Tour de Redmond award winner Alex Brown
of Astronics enjoys his hand-made cruiser.
The EcoCommuting Fair was also highlighted by GRTMA’s Tour de Redmond Awards Ceremony, where the best of the best bicycle commuters in Redmond were awarded trophies and prizes for their achievements (see the complete list of winners here). This year, 362 bicyclists and 18 company teams road more than 82,000 miles and 4,600 days during the two-month competition. In case you’re wondering, that’s nearly a combined 4 trips around the world! And in the spirit of the day, it was also noted that these bicyclists prevented thousands of pounds of pollution from entering our atmosphere (To see more pictures from the Tour de Redmond Awards Ceremony click here).
Tour de Redmond in the news: The Seattle Times and the Seattle PI NWSource. Read the Special Tour de Redmond 2007 Eastside Express Newsletter.
From the massive turnout for the EcoCommuting Fair and Tour de Redmond Awards Ceremony, it is clear that the employees and residents of Redmond are ready for a change.
Members of the “Vapor Intruders” bicycle team
from Golder Associates enjoy their trophy and prizes
at the Tour de Redmond Awards Ceremony. |
