by karing
Several challenges are ongoing in the Commute Greener app. For example join the global challenge from GSOPlay, and you will have the chance to get free music downloads, win concert tickets and other prizes from the digital concert hall of Gothenburg Symphony. The Volvo Group support sustainable transportation solutions and top ten winners in their challenge will be rewarded with great commuting gears. If you live in Gothenburg you can join the mat.se challenge and when you have 100 points you get 100 SEK in discount when shopping on line at mat.se.
If you think this is a great idea and a new user, follow these simple steps:
1. Download and install the app from App Store or Googgle Play and log in with you Facebook credentials (or create an account).
2. Set your commuting pattern in the “baseline wizard” that automatically starts after you installed the app, i.e. how and when you travelling and your home and work address (note: don’t forget to confirm your baseline).
3. Go to main menu and scroll down to “Challenges”, select a challenge, and join it!
4. Now start climbing the Leaderboard and compete in the challenges! Make improvements in your daily traveling and start collecting points. For example, you leave your car and take the bus one day, and you will get 16 points each way.
Further questions contact: support.CommuteGreener@volvo.com. For companies and organisations interesting in setting up your own challenge, please contact: CommuteGreener@volvo.com.
Get going and commute smarter!
/Karin
by Maria
In the past few weeks our Commute Greener team has been working on an exciting new project connected to an upcoming environmental event. Can you guess what event we have in mind? It’s the Earth Hour! This year it will be happening on Saturday, 23rd March between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. local time , so don’t forget to switch off your lights! This is done every year all over the world to make people reflect on the need of taking actions on climate change.
We propose that you take your actions straight away. Commute Greener application is a tool that can help you to contribute to a greener planet on a daily basis, by encouraging you to commute to work in more environmental ways.
On the occasion of Earth Hour we have created a special challenge that will be active for two weeks, between 18th March and 1st April. This time all active participants (with more than zero points) will have a chance to be rewarded for their efforts, since we’ll randomly choose winners between them. We really want you to encourage your friends, family and colleagues to join the challenge, not only for a good cause and fun, but also to increase everyone’s chances to win commuter gear! The entry goal starts already at 30 participants, and when there are more there will be more rewards. Furthermore, there are kids with special needs in Brazil that will get a better situation thanks to a bus ride. So please invite your fellow commuters, join the Earth Hour challenge and commute greener!
Download the free application from Apple Store for iPhones and Google Play for Androids. Or use it through facebook Appcenter. On your Commute Greener profile go to “Your challenges” in the upper right corner, click on the Earth Hour challenge and tick the “Join” option. Now start commuting greener and receive points for your improvements. Good luck!
To learn more about the Earth Hour please visit http://earthhour.org/ . If you would like to have a look at the global challenges created in the “I will if you will” spirit go to http://www.earthhour.org/iwill . If you would like to support WWF join our WWF challenge on Commute Greener and influence our contribution to its Swedish branch.
by karing
Do you know that it’s possible to join challenges in Commute Greener facebook app? A challenge is sponsored by a company or an organisation who want to reward you for your improvements to a greener everyday travelling. You get points for every improvement you make, points that you can redeem to nice prizes and offers from our sponsors. The WWF challenge is ongoing and this week we just re-started the global Volvo Group challenge and the local mat.se challenge.
Join the WWF challenge and you have the possibility to contribute to the organisations many initiative and actions against climate change. Be one of the first top ten in the Volvo Group challenge you can win prizes that make your daily commuting more comfortable. Or for you living in Gothenburg, Sweden, join the local mat.se challenge and get 100 SEK in discount when you by food from them. We will soon release new challenges, like us at Facebook and stay updated.
The application is free and can be downloaded from Apple Store for iPhones and Google play for Androids or you can fint it on on facebook Appcenter.
Are you a company or organisation who want to know more about challenges and valuable campaigns? Find more information at www.CommuteGreener.com or contact CommuteGreener@volvo.com.
Commute Greener!
Karin
by karing
Tomorrow Thursday February 14th on Valentine’s Day, the Commute Greener team will meet daily commuters in Gothenburg to spread love for the city, nature and for our planet. You can find more information about the event here.
We would like to encourage commuters to change their habits to more environmental friendly ones and influence them to start using the Commute Greener Facebook app. An app designed to give you alternative ways of commuting, you receive benefits, and it allows you to connect, compare and share your progress with friends and family.
In the app you collect points and get rewarded each time you change your travel habits for more sustainable ones. Points can be redeemed into various offers and prizes from companies and organizations that Commute Greener collaborate with, these include but are not limited to mat.se, WWF and Volvo Group. Why not join a challenge and try it out – it’s easy quick and fun!
The application is free and can be downloaded from Apple Store for iPhones and Google play for Androids G. It’s also available on facebook Appcenter.
We wish a Happy Valentine!
Commute Greener team
by magnus
Special thanks to Jessica Gold for this guest blog contribution!
Travelling to and from work in a good way is not just about saving time. The Transportation Research Group SAMOT at Karlstad University has together with researchers from the Netherlands and Japan developed a standardized method for examining everyday travel´s impact on people’s well-being. According SAMOT’s study everyday travel stands for 11-12 percent of human well-being. That’s a lot.
How we enjoy everyday travel is more important to how we feel than, say, salary or if we are living together with someone. The study show s that the people who walk or cycle to work experience greater happiness and general well-being than those who are traveling by car or public transport. Moreover, the people who talks with someone else during the trip are happier than people who do not.
For more info visit, SAMOT and/or [in Swedish] an GP news article.
Again thanks to Jessica Gold
Happy health, well-being & Commute Greener!
by magnus
Today I got the opportunity to attend a great session, maybe I was even meeting a future Nobel Prize winner (it has happened before). Even more important than the prize is the discussion on putting a price to what we all value so much: Nature. It is far too often overlooked, but we have a special interest and know that what gets measured gets done.
Putting the right value to nature’s services. It is a quest and lots of bottom-up innovation is still needed to make it happen in everyday life. Top-down policy may do its part and judging on the new World Bank report it is a more hot topic than ever. -Will the COP18 deliver? Instead of waiting and keep asking we can all contribute and get on the right way.
Gretchen Daily (yes we have talked about her earlier) is certainly a positive person and this morning her speech was vibrant with energy and engagement. However, she does not neglect the challenges we face. As a professor at Stanford University she know what she is talking about and her pioneering work is quantifying and valuing natural capital. Have a look! InVEST is a policy and calculation tool that bring macro-level understanding to both global and local conditions and can comprehend both complex and simple factor analysis for valuation on nature capital.
It was great to meet today as well as to get encouraging support for Commute Greener!
Tags:
4 degrees,
bottom-up innovation,
climate change,
climate friendly policy,
COP18,
Doha,
environment,
Environment Prize,
Gretchen Daily,
natural capital,
progressive,
science,
Stanford University,
sustainable development Posted in:
News |
by magnus
Thanks to Liene Vanaga and Pavel Rodin.
Usually strange things happen in the last days in October in many places. While we feel for those in trouble by storms we act with positive actions for sustainable development. At the same time lots of people are dressing up, making pumpkins and try to scare each other. And you may not know if those ghosts, zombies, witches and other strange creatures are real or not.
Guess what we met today on our way to work?
At Lindholmen Science Park in Sweden people who commute greener were greeted and others were tricked!
Sometimes these Halloween creatures are more inspiring than horrible and scary. Our one definitely wants to inspire you to change your behaviour at least for one day and chose public transport or biking instead of driving car. This is a chance to get a lot of positive emotions, meet people and experience beautiful autumn days or the season that surround you currently. At the same time you will take care of the environment.
To see the progress and share experiences you can always note journeys, as an organization with a dedicated community, or with rewards via our new Facebook application!
Now, make your own green-minded pumpkin and join our competition! Share it by sending a picture to CommuteGreener@volvo.com or upload on www.facebook.com/CommuteGreener
The most creative one will get some nice surprise from us - Everything is possible!
Just try it and Commute Greener!
by karing
Finally it’s successfully launched – the Commute Greener Facebook app! The application got a total makeover. Besides a complete new look and feel, the usage does increase engagement with “gamification” innovations. The idea is to collect points and badges by making improvements in your commuting behavior and to compete with your friends to be a Top Performer – Bicycle Hero, Public Star or why not the overall winner of the Leaderboard?
The Commute Greener Facebook is optimized for iPhone, Android, Firefox, IE9 or equivalent.
Welcome to have fun with you Facebook friends and contribute to a sustainable future - try it out!
I don’t know why, but this reminds about Roxy Music’s hit from the seventies… Let’s stick together!
Commute Greener!
/Karin
by karing
Yesterday Volvo Group announced that Gretchen Daily, professor at Stanford University in California, is awarded Volvo Environment Prize 2012. And of course we we congratulate Gretchen to her progressive efforts on putting a price on Mother nature! She is convinced that the only way to create long-term welfare is to quantify the value of ecosystems. 
“….the problem is that so much of the ecosystems and the services we get from them are, in principle, valued at zero. We need to work pragmatically to fix this. If we can demonstrate economically the enormous benefits of pollination by insects or natural protections against climate change and floods, then investments in nature will become part of everyday life. We’re talking about 21st-century environmental protection.”
Do you know that you now can be awarded and get real-life benefits when you Commute Greener? We are convinced that all your steps towards sustainable future should be awarded. Enjoy the benefits, you are worth it! I am happy if you share your experience, comments or just feedback at Facebook. Is it a good idea to be awarded if you Commute Greener??
It will be even more easier and more enjoyable to Commute Greener since the new Commute Greener Facebook app soon will be launched…. Like us, stay updated and join the new Commute Greener movement!
Happy Tuesday and Commute Greener!
/Karin
Tags:
CO2,
Commute Greener Facebook app,
Commute Greener movement,
Commute Greener!,
commuting,
ecosystem,
environment,
Environment Prize 2012,
environmental protection,
sustainable development,
sustainable future,
Volvo,
Volvo Environment Prize Posted in:
News |
by karing
A posting from guest blogger Jessica Gold, Sustainergies
I saw this picture of an interesting ad posted on Internet the other day. I think its brilliant content is in line with Eldridge Cleaver’s quote from 1968: “you’re either part of the solution or you’re part of the problem”. Breaking free from an unsustainable system is the core of Commute Greener – we have a long way to go, and your steps counts!
Jessica Gold
