Employee Daniel Gravenor built an office bike for year-round use by his co-workers.
It’s something most people do every day, five days a week: commute to and from work.
Nowadays, the mass of humanity engaged in this regular routine encounter more scrutiny, analysis and advice than ever before.
So called ‘active and green’ commuting is a mainstay of the environmental movement; a measurement of the social responsibility of companies and individuals. Finding out how their employees get to work and back home again, is the kind of information being sought by employers wanting to help workers commute wisely.
Creating a more commuter friendly and active workplace has long been the goal of Green Action Centre. It’s why the non-profit hub for greener living in Manitoba is once again offering its popular series of training workshops for Workplace Commuting Ambassadors.
Workshops are geared towards individuals who want to support their co-workers to bike, bus, walk or carpool to work. Workplaces are encouraged to send either the individual responsible for human resources, sustainability, or a champion in their organization who will take the lead on Active and Green commuting options.
The workshops will increase knowledge, answer questions and grow a workplace’s toolkit of resources for sustainability. Three workshops are being offered:
I: TOOLS AND HANDS-ON TRAINING
Wednesday, March 11th, 2015, 1:00-4:00pm
Become a Commuting Ambassador at your workplace! Get the tools and guidance to support your co-workers to get the most out of their commutes. From a basic primer on different types of bike infrastructure to transit tools, such as Navigo, BUStxt and transit apps, to understanding carpooling vs carsharing.
II: BASELINE COMMUTING SURVEYS
Wednesday, March 25th, 2015, 1:00-4:00pm
Understanding how your co-workers currently get around will help inform your next steps. This workshop will help you understand the purpose and benefits of employee commuting surveys to determine existing travel habits and what programs, policies or incentives could have the biggest impact on commuting choices at your workplace.
III: BEHAVIOUR CHANGE
Wednesday, April 8th, 2015, 1:00-4:00pm
Do you want to sing the praises of creative commuting with your co-workers but no one seems to be listening? Explore the many facets of behaviour change from a social marketing, transitions and systems perspective. Walk away with some strategies you can apply to create a more commuter friendly and active workplace.
All workshops are held in the EcoCentre boardroom, located at 303 Portage Avenue, on the third floor. Registration is now open. Simply email beth@greenactioncentre.ca or call 204-925-3772.
You can learn more about active and green transportation on the Green Action Centre website. Green Action Centre is celebrating 30 years as a non-profit hub for greener living in Manitoba.
