"We've seen tremendous growth in participation this year due to high gas prices, the gas shortage and increasing interest in the Œgreening of corporate America," said Kevin Green, executive director of The Clean Air Campaign. "The PACE Awards provide us the opportunity to recognize the outstanding work being done throughout metro Atlanta that has positively impacted traffic and air quality."
At the ninth annual event, 11 awards were presented in five categories:
· The PACE Awards for overall employer programs were presented to four employers: VeenendaalCave, Inc. for small business; Solvay Pharmaceuticals, Inc. for medium business; Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. for large business; City of Atlanta Municipal Court for public sector (government) employer. Hines Interests Limited Partnership One Atlantic Center won the PACE Award for a property management company;
· The GDOT Commissioner's Award honored Tad Leithead of Cousins Properties for engaging community leaders to address regional transportation opportunities;
· The PACE Setter Award recognized Mary Ann Johnson of the City of Atlanta for her role in successfully implementing a telework program;
· The PACE Innovator Award honored Cox Enterprises, Inc. for encouraging employees to purchase fuel-efficient vehicles through its Executive Green Fleet program;
· Aetna, Inc. received the PACE Spotlight Award for excellence in a single program element - a highly successful telework
program;
· The PACE Starter Award was presented to Richard Wittschiebe Hand for getting 65 percent of its commuting workforce to choose alternatives to driving alone;
· Andy Smith of Rollins, Inc. was the recipient of the Commuter Champion Award for promoting commute alternatives to more than 40 of his peers and changing the policies of his employer.
"This year's winners are outstanding examples of the leadership and hard work that continue to produce practical traffic and air quality solutions in the metro Atlanta region," continued Green. "We're seeing measurable results and a strong vision for a better quality of life."
BACKGROUNDER
2008 PACE Award Winners
Program Highlights
PACE Award, Small Business: VeenendaalCave, Inc. (Fulton)
VeenendaalCave launched its commuter benefits program in March 2008 as part of its Green Initiative plan, which includes recycling, sustainability and clean commute goals. To reduce its environmental footprint, VeenendaalCave strategically located its office near a transit hub, provides transit and vanpool subsidies, began a pilot telework program and offers a cash incentive for purchasing a fuel-efficient personal vehicle. In the first five months of the program, the Green Initiative plan eliminated 450 commute trips!
Small Business Finalist: Utilities Protection Center
PACE Award, Medium Business: Solvay Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Cobb)
Solvay Pharmaceuticals became a Clean Air Campaign Partner in 2001 and has since tripled the number of programs available to employees. Currently, one in three employees participates in teleworking, flextime, carpooling or biking. And to encourage employees to stay onsite during their lunch hour, Solvay introduced an internal program called Perk Points. Biking or walking to lunch or errands earns points to trade in for company-provided incentives. Solvay also extends additional incentives to clean commuters, offering sports tickets, movie passes and gift cards to support employees who use a commute alternative.
Medium Business Finalists: Cousins Properties, Inc.; Mirant Corporation
PACE Award, Large Business: Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (Fulton)
Turner's office locations in downtown and midtown afford it the opportunity to offer extensive transit options for employees, but the company's commute options program does not stop there. In addition to free transit passes, Turner also offers $10 gas cards to carpoolers, subsidized vanpooling (there are 25 Turner vanpools on the road!) and an internal "Clean Air Commute" Web site with all of Turner's offerings. And when Turner set a goal to increase clean commuting by 15 percent in anticipation of the 14th Street Bridge construction, it¹s no wonder that it exceeded the goal with 25 percent participation.
Large Business Finalists: Assurant Solutions; The Coca-Cola Company Customer Service Operations
PACE Award, Public Sector: City of Atlanta Municipal Court (Fulton)
The City of Atlanta Municipal Court touts an impressive 90 percent participation rate in its commute options program. Additionally, 20 percent of employees use transit five days a week.The City of Atlanta Municipal Court also has impressive telework and flextime programs, which they formalized in order to be an example to other departments within the City of Atlanta. The Municipal Court has even received requests from other department heads to help pilot telework programs.
Public Sector Finalist: DeKalb County School System
PACE Award, Property Management Company: Hines Interests Limited Partnership One Atlantic Center (Fulton)
Hines One Atlantic Center has an extensive commute options program that is strongly supported by the property management team. Hines partners with Midtown Transportation Solutions (MTS) and was one of the first property management teams in midtown to work with MTS to fulfill the goals of its "First Aid for the 14th" campaign. One Atlantic Center provides preferential carpool/vanpool parking spots, a bike rack, Zipcar access, onsite amenities, and they even hosted a tenant breakfast to highlight the benefits of teleworking. Hines One Atlantic Center is an Energy Star certified building.
Property Management Finalist: CB Richard Ellis
GDOT Commissioner's Award: Tad Leithead, Cousins Properties, Inc. (Cobb)
Tad Leithead has been involved in real estate and transportation development for the past 25 years. He has worked with numerous community improvement districts (CIDs), boards and state agencies to ensure that Atlanta embarks on the most efficient and innovative transportation projects. Additionally, Tad is responsible for the creation of Commuter Club, the first transportation management association (TMA) in the state of Georgia. Even within Cousins, Tad works tirelessly to make sure commuters can get around more easily. He supported HR in the development of a financial package that today provides subsidies for transit, carpooling and vanpooling.
PACE Setter: Mary Ann Johnson, City of Atlanta (Fulton)
The City of Atlanta became a Clean Air Campaign Partner in 1998, but when Mary Ann Johnson took the reins, the partnership was strengthened and renewed. Mary Ann and her staff go out of their way to make sure that all City of Atlanta employees stay in the know about commute options, available subsidies and events. She uses email, posters, mailbox drops and other outlets to get the message out. And Mary Ann worked to secure $70,000 to start a telework pilot and a $49 million grant to retrofit 900 vehicles.
PACE Setter Finalists: Dorothy Gordon, State of Georgia; Shari Lunsford,
Assurant Solutions
PACE Innovator: Cox Enterprises, Inc. (Fulton)
Cox Enterprises has a long history of working to improve Atlanta's air quality and reduce traffic congestion. In 2000, Cox set a goal to reduce the company's environmental footprint by 10 percent in 10 years. When the goal was met three years early, a new goal was immediately set: 20 percent by 2017.To meet the new goal, Cox launched the Executive Green Fleet Program. Currently, 400 Atlanta employees are eligible for a vehicle allowance every two to three years. Under the new program, the higher the MPG range of the new car, the more Cox will contribute. As a result of the new program, 60 percent of the vehicles in the fleet are already achieving 27 mpg or better.
PACE Innovator Finalist: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company
PACE Spotlight: Aetna Inc. (North Fulton)
PACE Setter: Mary Ann Johnson, City of Atlanta (Fulton)
The City of Atlanta became a Clean Air Campaign Partner in 1998, but when Mary Ann Johnson took the reins, the partnership was strengthened and renewed. Mary Ann and her staff go out of their way to make sure that all City of Atlanta employees stay in the know about commute options, available subsidies and events. She uses email, posters, mailbox drops and other outlets to get the message out. And Mary Ann worked to secure $70,000 to start a telework pilot and a $49 million grant to retrofit 900 vehicles.
PACE Setter Finalists: Dorothy Gordon, State of Georgia; Shari Lunsford,
Assurant Solutions
PACE Innovator: Cox Enterprises, Inc. (Fulton)
Cox Enterprises has a long history of working to improve Atlanta's air quality and reduce traffic congestion. In 2000, Cox set a goal to reduce the company's environmental footprint by 10 percent in 10 years. When the goal was met three years early, a new goal was immediately set: 20 percent by 2017.To meet the new goal, Cox launched the Executive Green Fleet Program. Currently, 400 Atlanta employees are eligible for a vehicle allowance every two to three years. Under the new program, the higher the MPG range of the new car, the more Cox will contribute. As a result of the new program, 60 percent of the vehicles in the fleet are already achieving 27 mpg or better.
PACE Innovator Finalist: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company
PACE Spotlight: Aetna Inc. (North Fulton)
Aetna's telework program was launched in the early 1990s to retain talent and has since emerged as a key business strategy. More than 28 percent of all Aetna employees telework at some level, but in Atlanta, it¹s a staggering 52 percent of employees. Aetna's telework program is part of the company's larger "Getting Greener" campaign, aimed at growing its environmental culture. The company has dedicated time and money to its telework program, and maybe most importantly, has support and sponsorship at the executive level.
PACE Spotlight Finalists: Cox Enterprises, Inc.; Melissa Libby & Associates
PACE Starter: Richard Wittschiebe Hand (Fulton)
Although Richard Wittschiebe Hand¹s commute options program is barely a year old, the company already boasts that more than 65 percent of its workforce uses a clean commute. Besides offering a slew of options to its employees (it is located near a transit station) and monetary incentives ($52.50/month to anyone who uses a clean commute), RWH is committed to creating a green corporate culture. It provided employees the opportunity to purchase rain barrels at wholesale pricing and initiated bi-weekly brown-bag luncheons focused on a variety of sustainability topics.
PACE Starter Award Finalist: Colonial Properties Trust
Commuter Champion Award: Andy Smith of Rollins, Inc. (Fulton)
It's hard to say enough about Andy Smith. As a vanpooler, Andy was so energized by his positive commute experience, he began a recruiting mission. He has single-handedly signed up 30 vanpoolers, started numerous carpools, helped 11 people start riding transit, and after three years of persistence, recently convinced his company to offer discounted MARTA passes and pre-tax payroll deductions for vanpoolers and transit riders. He took his passion even further by helping his company establish commute options programs at other locations in Georgia and even the West Coast. In 2008 alone, Andy's recruits will eliminate 1.02 tons of pollution, reduce close to 600,000 vehicle miles traveled and save approximately $40,000 in commuting costs.
Each day, these programs reduce 1.2 million miles of vehicle travel and keep 600 tons of pollution out of the air we breathe. For more information, call 1-877-CLEANAIR (1-877-253-2624) or visit CleanAirCampaign.com.
PACE Spotlight Finalists: Cox Enterprises, Inc.; Melissa Libby & Associates
PACE Starter: Richard Wittschiebe Hand (Fulton)
Although Richard Wittschiebe Hand¹s commute options program is barely a year old, the company already boasts that more than 65 percent of its workforce uses a clean commute. Besides offering a slew of options to its employees (it is located near a transit station) and monetary incentives ($52.50/month to anyone who uses a clean commute), RWH is committed to creating a green corporate culture. It provided employees the opportunity to purchase rain barrels at wholesale pricing and initiated bi-weekly brown-bag luncheons focused on a variety of sustainability topics.
PACE Starter Award Finalist: Colonial Properties Trust
Commuter Champion Award: Andy Smith of Rollins, Inc. (Fulton)
It's hard to say enough about Andy Smith. As a vanpooler, Andy was so energized by his positive commute experience, he began a recruiting mission. He has single-handedly signed up 30 vanpoolers, started numerous carpools, helped 11 people start riding transit, and after three years of persistence, recently convinced his company to offer discounted MARTA passes and pre-tax payroll deductions for vanpoolers and transit riders. He took his passion even further by helping his company establish commute options programs at other locations in Georgia and even the West Coast. In 2008 alone, Andy's recruits will eliminate 1.02 tons of pollution, reduce close to 600,000 vehicle miles traveled and save approximately $40,000 in commuting costs.
Each day, these programs reduce 1.2 million miles of vehicle travel and keep 600 tons of pollution out of the air we breathe. For more information, call 1-877-CLEANAIR (1-877-253-2624) or visit CleanAirCampaign.com.
