Here’s the “Official” Announcement of This Year’s Commuter Challenge:

GET MORE OUT OF YOUR COMMUTE!  THE GETDOWNTOWN COMMUTER CHALLENGE PROMOTES THE BENEFITS OF A SUSTAINABLE COMMUTE

It’s time to sign up for getDowntown’s increasingly popular Commuter Challenge! For the month of May, getDowntown sponsors a series of events that encourage Ann Arbor employees to use sustainable transportation to get to work. Events this year include a transit-themed Movie Night at Arbor Brewing Company (May 6th), Bike to Work Day (May 15th), Downtown Fitness Walks with Vie Spa and Fitness, the Commuter Challenge Competition, and a number of other activities and prize-drawings. The complete event list of Commuter Challenge events, awards and prizes is available at http://www.getdowntown.org/programs/commuter/

The most popular activity is the Commuter Challenge Competition itself, where Ann Arbor organizations compete to see who can log the most sustainable commutes.  Sign up for the Challenge started in March 2009.  As of April 1, 2009, 63 organizations have already signed up to take the Challenge!  Last year over 100 organizations competed in the Challenge, including Google Ann Arbor, The University of Michigan Atmospheric Oceanic & Space Sciences, Arbor Brewing Company and the City of Ann Arbor.  Janet Netz, a partner and principal at ApplEcon, says that she has continued to walk to work 3-4 days a week since last year’s Commuter Challenge, and Eduardo Galvan of Survey Sciences Group has since been regularly riding the bus at least three days a week.  The view all of the Commuter Challenge success stories, please visit http://blog.getdowntown.org/commuter-challenge-central/cc-success-stories/

As part of the Commuter Challenge, employees from area organizations have signed on to be Commuter Challenge Ambassadors. These employees will help promote The Commuter Challenge within their organization and to the larger community. Ambassadors include Conan Smith, Washtenaw County Commissioner, Kristen Cuhran of the Fair Housing Center of Southeastern Michigan, Dave Brenner of the UM School of Natural Resources, and many more. Photos of the Ambassadors and more information can be found at http://www.getdowntown.org/programs/commuter/2009Ambassadors.html

The 2009 Commuter Challenge is sponsored by the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority, the Ann Arbor Area Chamber of Commerce, the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority, University of Michigan Parking and Transportation Services, Quinn Evans Architects, Thomson Reuters, Zingerman’s Deli, Miller Canfield, and VG Kids.

The getDowntown Program (www.getdowntown.org) encourages and assists downtown commuters in the use and development of sustainable transportation options. The Program is a partnership between the Ann Arbor Area Chamber of Commerce, the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority, the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority, and the City of the Ann Arbor.

2009 Commuter Challenge Events

All information available online at www.getdowntown.org

All Month: Commuter Challenge
Organizations are invited to compete with similar-sized organizations to see who can log the most sustainable commutes.  Employees will earn a point for every sustainable commute they log on the getDowntown Commuter Challenge website and will be able to turn in those points at the end of the month for prizes such as coffee gift cards, gift certificates to downtown businesses, UM gear and more! This year there will be daily prize drawings, as well as organizational prizes for winners!

May 1: Media Tour Event: How Michigan gets to Work
See how local employees get to work and learn more about sustainable transportation. Contact getDowntown for more details.

May 1-9: Transit is Terrific Week
Celebrate public Transportation! Events include film night at the Arbor Brewing Company, featuring Kontroll, a 2003 Hungarian comedy-thriller set in the Budapest subway system, on Wednesday, May 6.  During this week, downtown businesses will be offering discounts to people who show their bus transfer or go!pass.

May 10-16: I Like Bikes Week
Get your bike on! Events include a Bike Scavenger Hunt on May 10th and the popular Bike to Work Day on Friday, May 15th

May 17-23: Walking is Wonderful Week
Enjoy the fantastic spring weather by walking to work! And take a midday downtown walk with our co-sponsor, Vie: Fitness & Spa.  Vie will lead a series of noon fitness walks downtown during this week.

May 24-30: Let’s Share Week
Carpooling, vanpooling and Zipcars are great! There will be opportunities this week to learn about the newest way to carshare in Ann Arbor, Zipcar!

2009 Commuter Challenge Prizes and Awards

Daily Prize Drawings: Every weekday in May is a chance to win a prize!  Employees who log a sustainable commute will be eligible for wonderful prizes from downtown businesses.  A complete listing of prizes can be found at http://www.getdowntown.org/programs/commuter/Commuter_Challenge_Weekly_Prize_Drawings.html

Other prizes include prizes for organizations, Super Commuter Prizes and more! All Prize information can be found here: http://www.getdowntown.org/programs/commuter/prizes.html

Commuter-Friendly Organization: The winning organization in each organizational category will receive a “Commuter-Friendly Organization” Award from getDowntown.

Green Hero Award: This year, getDowntown is introducing a special new component of the Commuter Challenge. The Green Hero Award will be awarded in recognition of an organization (or in special circumstances, an individual) who goes above and beyond the call of ordinary greening and enacts truly effective, inventive, and forward-looking policies, procedures, or technologies.

2009 Commuter Challenge Ambassadors

Already walking the walk? May is the time to share your enthusiasm & get your friends, neighbors, & colleagues pumped up too!  Sign up to be a Walk, Bike or Bus Ambassador during The Commuter Challenge. More information here: http://www.getdowntown.org/programs/commuter/Ambassador.html

Here’s another organization who has been very involved in the Commuter Challenge for the last two years.  The Whole Brain Group is located in downtown Ann Arbor:

The Whole Brain Group

The Whole Brain Group is a web application development company dedicated to helping its clients work smarter and greener.

Located in downtown Ann Arbor, the company applies its philosophy of Integrated Thinking to the development of balanced and sustainable software systems, growing and adapting these systems along with a clientʼs evolving needs.

The Whole Brain Group is 100% woman-owned. For more information visit: www.thewholebraingroup.com

Good luck to all those participants in the Commuter Challenge, we’re excited to be part of this program for the 2nd year in a row

You can check out all of the organizations signed up for the Commuter Challenge by clicking here.

a fairycab stops at Le Dog in downtown Ann Arbor

While many people have been debating the merits of Pedicabs, one group has taken matters into their own (tiny) hands.

Starting today, the Ann Arbor Fairies Guild will be offering free Fairycab rides to any fairy who’s too tired to fly.

According to brrigg (the only fairy that would actually speak to us) these cabs will be drawn by tiny peagusus’ and will be available from 10am-3am daily.  “The cab will stop at all the important destinations, like candy shops, late night fairy balls, and places where mischief is required,” brrigg said.    For an extra penny, the Fairycab will fly right to your (fairy) door as long as it’s in downtown Ann Arbor.

Like most new transportation services, some still question if the new fairycab service will be viable.  According to a note tacked on the fairy door at Peaceable Kingdom, one fairy wonders if there are enough fairies downtown to support the service.  “We need more fairy density!” said the unnamed resident.

getDowntown will continue to monitor the situation and see if the Fairies Guild might open up their service to downtown workers and residents.