Congratulations to the Sustainable Award Winners!

At GVF's Fall Partner Breakfast yesterday morning, we were proud to award
* one college
* one municipality
* one developer
* one state agency
* one national park
* two retailers
* four engineering firms
* six corporate businesses
with the second annual GVF Sustainable Awards!

In its second year, the Sustainable Awards recognize different organizations for their outstanding achievements in implementing programs that provide and promote commuting alternatives for their employees and its community, thus reducing congestion and improving air quality throughout the region.

That means that 17 area companies and organizations are making a real difference in reducing single occupancy vehicles on our roadways, and improving the quality of life for employees and residents alike! Take a look on what some of these companies are doing:
• Actively participates in GVF’s Climate Change Task Force
• Display or include commuter information and/or provide transit schedules in that worksite or on the intranet.
• Disseminate traffic alerts to employees
• Host commuter events at your worksite
• Host on-site vanpool or carpool formation meetings
• Implementation of a company sustainability plan
• Install bike racks or other storage bicycles
• Member of GVF
• Participate in the Emergency Ride Home Program, which can be offered through GVF
• Place alternative commute information in new hire packets
• Recycling Program
• Regularly promote commute options at the worksite via memo postings, email, Intranet or other employee communication
• Ridesharing or carpool matching, either in-house or through an outside organization
• Use Alternative Fuel Vehicles
• Company participates in the Air Quality Partnership (AQP) by raising the AQP on action alert day
Offer a flextime policy, such as telecommuting and/or compressed workweek
• Offer onsite amenities such as food service, dry cleaner, ATM/bank
• One or more than one representatives are signed up for EnviroFlash, which sends an electronic receive alert on air quality action days
• Participate in GVF’s Bike to Work Challenge, which occurs April – September (see www.gvfbiketowork.com for details)
• Provide a commuting subsidy to employees
• Provide a site specific innovative service or program to improve employee commutation and reduce traffic congestion
• Provide preferential parking for vanpoolers or carpoolers
• Provide preferential parking if employee drives an alternative fuel vehicle
• Provide pretax payroll deductions for commuting cost for employees
• Provide showers and/or lockers for bicycles
• Sell transit passes on site
• Assessed and tracked company
• Offer a telecommuting or compressed workweek program that reduces commute trips by at least 6 %.
• Offers a subsidized shuttle operations or provide an employer sponsored shuttle
• Offers to pay at least $30 per month towards a transit pass (or full cost of a pass if it is less than $30) to each employee who commutes using transit
• Offers to pay at least $30 per month towards vanpool pass (or full cost of a pass if it is less than $30) to each employee who commutes in a vanpool
• Office is accessible to public transit (should it be required that they have to know that employees are taking it)
• Provide at least $30 per month to each employee who chooses to receive cash in lieu of a parking space

Check out pictures from yesterday's event here!

Bryan Havir, Assitant Cheltenham Township Manager said it best -- “Being green is good for everyone. An organization that cares enough to be green cares about its employees."

Congratulations again to our winners and if you're interested in learning more about the Sustainable Awards and how you can implement some of these changes, contact GVF today!

Posted in: Carissa Bobenchik,events,gvf,local,partners