Local teams recorded 1,800 active transportation trips during the Bike It, Walk It, Bus It Team Challenge, a county-wide competition led by the Safe and Active Genesee for Everyone (SAGE) coalition. From July 8 to August 4, team challenge participants walked, biked and took public transportation to and from destinations in an effort to demonstrate the ease of integrating physical activity into daily routines and creating a healthier Genesee County.
The winning teams – with the highest average number of trips taken by team members – were The Bookies (coworkers at University of Michigan – Flint’s Thompson Library), The Shelter of Flint and Flint Crepe Company. The Bookies logged 327 trips for an average of 40 trips per team member, The Shelter of Flint logged 648 trips with an average of 38 trips per team member, and The Flint Crepe Company logged 366 trips for an average of 37 trips per team member. The teams will celebrate with a victory lunch.
Margaret Reamer, the team leader for The Bookies, sent out weekly reminders to get her teammates to log their trips and use active transportation.
"The first email I sent had a subject line saying there were donuts at the circulation desk. We didn’t, but hey, it got them to open the email! Having a sense of humor really kept it going. It made it fun and silly. The reminders were just to give them a nudge," said Reamer, a leader in the university’s wellness program. "It’s really just trying to get folks to get up and move, and make healthy choices."
September 1, the initiative will continue in the form of an individual incentive program. Participants can log onto www.bikewalkbus.org to get started. Individuals can win monthly prizes such as bicycle helmets, gift cards to local businesses, bus passes and bicycle accessories.
SAGE is a community-based collaborative effort focused on creating safe and accessible pedestrian and bike-friendly environments for all residents. SAGE is funded by the Ruth Mott Foundation and facilitated by the Crim Fitness Foundation, in partnership with the Michigan Fitness Foundation. For more information, contact Theresa Roach, Active Living Associate at the Crim Fitness Foundation at troach@crim.org or 810-235-7894.
