Drive Less Challenge Winners!

Did you drive less? Walk, bike, or carpool more? Inspired by the Drive Less Challenge, Tom Fenstermacher, overall winner of the Drive Less Challenge in the Los Altos and Los Altos Hills area, radically changed his daily commute to San Francisco. Instead of driving both ways from here to there, Tom took his bike to the train and the train to work. Tom logged 839 green miles. Great job Tom!

From April 22 through May 5, more than 70 people from Los Altos and Los Altos Hills participated in the Drive Less Challenge, a regional effort to shift people from solo driving to greener choices such as walking, biking, carpooling and public transit. In our first year with a targeted push to get folks in our area to take the challenge, participants logged a total of nearly 9,000 green miles, saving more than 5,400 lbs of CO2, a greenhouse gas, from entering the atmosphere. Several participants said the challenge motivated them to change their behavior to greener modes of travel.

And the winners from Los Altos/Hills are…

OVERALL – out of all participants in the 9 participating communities on the Peninsula, Los Altos/Hills:

1. Rich Hill was #1 in green miles by bike with 374 miles by bike. Los Altos made a good showing by bike with Brian Matsuo placing in the top three in the region, with 338 miles traveled by bike.

2. Tom Festermacher was #1 in total green miles by train. Tom radically changed his commute forgoing the drive up I-280 every day and for a bike ride to the train and a train ride to the city. During the challenge, he travelled a total of 765 miles by train.

3. Gary Hedden placed second overall in number of green shopping trips. Gary took 26 green trips of which 17 were for shopping and errands. Biking and carpooling were Gary’s main modes of travel during the challenge.

4. Dylan and Marvin Weitz placed on the leader board as the third and fourth most improved versus their baseline. Biking was their main mode of green travel.

WITHIN LOS ALTOS/HILLS:

1. Most green miles (top 5): All for a total of more than 2,600 green miles, saving more than 1,500 lbs of CO2.
   

2. Tom Fenstermacher – 839 miles

3. Mary Fran Miller – 548 miles

4. Brian Matsuo – 416 miles

5. Sue Young – 413 miles

6. Gary Segar – 412 miles

7. Most green miles walking: Brian Matsuo, 31 miles

8. Most green miles by bike, Rich Hill, 374 miles

9. Most green miles by small electric vehicle, John McBirney, 16 miles

10. Most green miles by bus, Sue Young, 60 miles

11. Most green miles by train, Tom Fenstermacher, 765 miles

12. Most green miles by carpool: Mary Fran Miller, 494 miles

13. Most green trips: Gary Seager, 34 trips in two weeks

14. Most green shopping trips: Gary Hedden, 17 trips

15. Greenest travel: tie: Chris Hvlaka and Marvin Weitz, using only biking and walking

16. Most improved versus baseline: Marvin Weitz and Dylan Weitz

PRIZE WINNERS FROM OUR BIKE, WALK, WIN! PARTY:

1. Overall winner: Tom Fenstermacher won a portrait sitting at Sheldon of Los Altos (value $275)

2. More than 275 lbs of CO2 avoided: Brian Matsuo won lunch at Rick’s Café plus 2 $10 coupons to Bicycle Outfitter

3. Sue Young won a gift certificate to Andiamo Salon (value $60)

4. Rich Hill won a gift certificate to Chain Reaction Bicycles (valued at $29.99)

5. Greatest number of green trips: Gary Segar is the winner of a gift bag from Peet’s Coffee & Tea ($30 value) plus two $20 Bicycle Outfitter gift cards

6. Over 200 lbs CO2 avoided club: Mary Fran Miller won a $50 gift certificate to Alabasta, CycleGuy 2011 John won a $29.99 gift certificate to Chain Reaction Bicycles and Steve Folkman won 2 $10 gift certificates to Bicycle Outfitter.

7. Best blog story: Mike Gospe won a $40 gift certificate to Sumo Sushi Boat Restaurant.

8. Honorable mention went to several middle and elementary school students for their participation in the challenge as well as to groups from Oak Avenue elementary and Almond Elementary.

Great job participants! And many thanks to all of our sponsors!