RIDESHARE ‘SUPERHEROES’ ACCLAIMED AT AWARDS CEREMONY
CHICAGO – "Breathe Easy Man," northeastern Illinois’ official environmental superhero, shared the limelight with many mere mortals at the 7th annual Partners for Clean Air recognition ceremony at LeMeridien Hotel.
The blue-and-yellow-clad "Breathe Easy Man" joined emcee Tammie Souza, NBC Channel 5 meteorologist, and keynote speaker Renee Cipriano, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency director, in honoring local governments and businesses for their efforts to improve air quality.
Cipriano said that Partners for Clean Air has grown from 15 charter members in 1995 to include more than 300 businesses, organizations and local governments that take voluntary actions to reduce air pollution. "We estimate that your voluntary efforts on Ozone Action Days and throughout the summer months have resulted in a reduction of at least 20 tons per day of volatile organic compounds that contribute to ozone formation," she said.
Noting that the metropolitan area has not violated federal health standards for ozone for three years, Cipriano said the state later this spring will ask the U.S. EPA to declare Chicagoland an ozone standards attainment area, which would be six years ahead of schedule.
Souza said that while it’s hard to get people to embrace new ideas, her TV station endeavors to do so through its website (NBC5.com) and by focusing on ozone awareness during weather segments. She added that "Breathe Easy Man" had visited the set last summer as another way to draw attention to measures that reduce air pollution.
The clean air awards were granted in four categories: Employer Rideshare Awards for Excellence; Partners for Clean Air Awards; University of Illinois at Chicago Engineering Projects Award; and Alternative Fuel Program Awards.
Employer Rideshare Awards for Excellence were granted to the Northwest Metro Transportation Management Association, nominated by the Chicago Area Transportation Study (CATS); Fermi National Laboratory, nominated by Pace; Hewitt Associates, nominated by Metra; and Northwestern University, nominated by the CTA.
· Northwest Metro TMA, with technical assistance from the Fish Transportation group, CATS’ Rideshare Services and Pace, has been exploring ridesharing opportunities with Automated Data Processing and the Daily Herald, two major employers located in the vicinity of Arlington Heights Rd. and the Northwest Tollway.
· Fermilab has initiated an employee vanpool program that includes employee presentations, an intranet website and a self-produced video highlighting the benefits, and offering preferred parking for vanpools.
· Hewitt Associates offers shuttle bus service to nearby Metra stations for its nearly 7,000 employees at three campuses. The firm also promotes an extensive ridesharing program, provides a "Guaranteed Ride Home" program for ridesharers and public transit users, and allows employees to set aside pre-tax dollars to pay public transit costs through its participation in the Travel Reimbursement Incentive Program (TRIP).
· Northwestern University has enrolled several hundred employees in the RTA/CTA Transit Benefits Program.
Award winners in the other categories were as follows:
· Partners for Clean Air Awards – Fellowes Manufacturing Inc. (industry category); Argonne National Laboratory (government); Plano Metals, Inc. (small business); and Montrose Cemetery Co. (non-profit agency).
· UIC Engineering Projects Award – "Gasoline Fuel Oxygenate Replacement via Biomass-Ethanol Production."
· Alternative Fuel Program Awards – F.J. Kerrigan Plumbing and Village of Palatine, Illinois Green Fleets Program; Advance Presort Services, Hollub Heating Inc., Lansing Cleaners, Peoples Energy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Village of Northbrook, Village of Lake Zurich, Allen Wagner and Gary Gullet, Illinois Alternative Fuels Rebate Program; and Chicago Transit Authority, Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, Underwriters Laboratories, Village of Downers Grove and Village of Oak Park, Illinois Green Fleets and Alternate Fuels Rebate Programs.
Now starring in a series of radio ads airing during morning and evening drive times, "Breathe Easy Man" strives to reduce air pollution by promoting programs such as Rideshare.
CATS has operated a voluntary regional rideshare program since 1980, assisting more than 300 employers and 30,000 individuals in the formation of car- and vanpools. Information on the program is available on the CATS’ "Share the Drive" hotline: 1-800-920-RIDE.
The Chicago Area Transportation Study is the Metropolitan Planning Organization designated by state and local officials to administer the urban transportation planning process for the northeastern Illinois region. The area served by CATS includes Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties, plus a portion of Kendall County.