Duke Recognized for Sustainable Commute Contest

Last year’s Unpark Yourself Challenge commuting contest helped faculty, staff and graduate students cut emissions, and it has gained recognition from the Southeast Chapter of the Association for Commuter Transportation.

Duke Parking and Transportation was named the 2015 winner of the “Outstanding Transportation Demand Management Program” in a ceremony last month. The category honors a company, college, organization or individual that has developed and implemented a program that results in changing commuting behavior.

The prize was awarded to Duke after nearly 2,000 faculty, staff and grad students competed in the Unpark Yourself Challenge by answering trivia questions, staying active on social media and taking on challenges that encouraged sustainable behavior like riding a bike or bus to work.

“A lot of people worked really hard on the campaign, so it’s always nice to get recognition,” said Alison Carpenter, manager of Duke’s transportation demand management program. “It’s nice to know the hard work makes us stand out.”

Between March 16 and April 12, 2015, 122 teams of faculty, staff and graduate students competed in Unpark Yourself. Some highlights from the campaign included:

• 4,293 alternative commutes logged
• 1,230 emissions calculations using Duke’s Carbon Calculator
• 978 posts, comments, likes and shares on the Sustainable Duke Facebook page
• 1,739 commuting challenges accepted
• 1,931 campus sustainability quizzes taken 

In addition to the 2015 Unpark Yourself Challenge, Duke offers a variety of sustainable commuting options year-round. Find out more information on the Parking and Transportation website.