In an effort to encourage awareness for green commuting, the Big Green Commute is an organizational challenge encouraging the adoption of eco-friendly travel to and from work. For several years, ZGF Architects has sponsored an internal competition among its six offices (Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, New York, Washington, DC and Vancouver, BC) to see who has the greenest commute. This competition, dubbed the Big Green Commute (BGC), has evolved over the years into a week-long effort that now includes other DC firms and organizations.
How does the challenge work?
Each employee records his/her commute to, and from, the office. Scorecards are kept and points are awarded to 'green' commutes, ranging from 10 (Walking and Biking) to 00 (no response).
What are the rules?
- An office's entire staff is factored into scoring, regardless of individual participation.
- An office's final score is determined by total point score divided by the total number of the staff’s eligible commutes.
- An office's total point score is the sum of points accumulated each week, as calculated by the 'green' scoring matrix.
- Multi-modal commuters must estimate how much of their commute (by mileage) is in each mode.
- Participants must enter the mileage of their daily commute in the survey.
- The base number of eligible commutes is determined by total staff x2 commutes per day x5 commuting days.
- Out of office survey responses will be deducted from the office’s number of eligible commutes.
- Commuters who do not respond to the survey will receive zero points for each commute.
- Remember, the goal of the Big Green Commute is to encourage change through positive behavior, so no public shaming!
What green options are available?
Need ideas on eco-friendly (and cost friendly) transit? We've got you covered. Visit goDCgo.com for a comprehensive list of car-free transportation options in the District.
Cash in on maximum BGC points by participating in National Bike to Work Day on Friday, May 19. Capital Bikeshare is a great option, with over 470 stations in the Washington, DC area.
**Don’t wait to register- go now! This year’s Big Green Commute challenge will be held May 15-19. For more information, visit the Big Green Commute website.
