As part of the annual Commuter Challenge – being held June 5-11 – commuters are encouraged to leave their cars at home and either walk, cycle or take the bus to work.

Queen’s, once again, is taking part in the national weeklong competition and is encouraging participants to log their travels at commuterchallenge.ca. From there, participants can see the greenhouse gas emissions they’ve avoided, the calories they’ve burned, and track how well the university, Kingston and the province are doing as well.

“The Commuter Challenge helps raise awareness to how easy it can be to use an alternative form of transportation,” says Aaron Ball, Sustainability Manager. “Whether it’s walking, cycling, using public transport or carpooling, we hope the event gets people to reconsider how they get to work.”

Queen’s has traditionally led the way in the challenge as the city’s largest participating group. Kingston has also won its size category a number of times.

Mr. Ball says that when it comes to our environmental impact every little bit of support counts.

“At Queen’s the average commuter produces 2-3 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year, so anyone we can convince to change that, even part-time, has a large effect,” he says.

The university is holding a “roll-in breakfast” co-hosted by the Sustainability Office and the Alma Mater Society, Tuesday from 7:30-9:30 am at University and Union, passing out coffee and snacks.

Earlier this year Queen’s released its Climate Action Plan (CAP) with a goal of reducing the university’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 35 per cent from 2008 levels by 2020, and by 70 per cent by 2030. The CAP also sets out Queen’s aspiration for climate-neutrality, or net-zero emissions, by 2040.

In May the university unveiled a new name – CAPit – and visual identity for a $10.7-million energy performance contract with Honeywell, an international energy services company. The project aims to achieve a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 2,800 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide.