Queen’s commuters can help reduce their impact on the environment by joining the annual Commuter Challenge, taking place June 4-10.

Created as a friendly competition among Canadian cities, the Commuter Challenge aims to encourage Canadians to find eco-friendly ways to make their commute, and challenges you to walk, cycle, and carpool your way to work.

Participants are asked to record their sustainable travel at commuterchallenge.ca, where they will be able to track their reduced carbon emissions, view their calories burned, and visualize their fuel savings.

“The average Queen’s commuter can reduce carbon emissions by a ton simply by choosing an alternative form of transportation for their daily commute,” Sustainability Manager Aaron Ball says. “So anyone we can convince to change that, even part-time, has a large effect

During last year’s campaign, the Queen’s community logged the highest number of participants in Kingston with 173. Mr. Ball hopes that Queen’s will continue the trend in 2017 with more community members taking up the challenge.

A roll-in-breakfast is being hosted by AMS Bikes and Boards outside the John Deutsch University Centre (corner of University Avenue and Union Street) on June 6, 7:30-9:30 am.

For cyclists concerned about theft, a secure bike parking facility is available for use, providing a more secure parking environment along with access to basic maintenance tools.

Your heart will thank you for the changes you make as well.

The Commuter Challenge is also a great way to put your time towards the Queen’s ‘Get Your 150’ campaign, which promotes individuals to log 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every week.

To participate in the Commuter Challenge, visit commuterchallenge.ca and register with Queen’s under the employee section.