Car Free Day

Car Free Day 2022 – Wed June 1st                             

Many thanks to the 91 people who worked to reduce Jefferson County’s Carbon Footprint by reducing their driving on June 1st!

Results

• 91 people across Jefferson County chose a less car-dependent way of getting around and reduced their driving by a total of 1195 miles for Car Free Day on June 1, 2022.
• Employees and students from more than 13 organizations participated along with others in the community.
• The range of ages participating was impressive, from 3 to 75 years old.
• The range of miles saved was from 1 to 130 miles per person.
• But perhaps the best news for our county’s environment were the responses on how the Car Free Day event will impact participants’ commuting in the future. 58% said they are very likely will do it again, and 26% said they are likely to do it again.

• What would make it easier to do this more often (number of responses in parentheses):
  1. Own an electric bike (2)
  2. Better shoulders/paths for bikes (11)
  3. Better weather (many!)
  4. Better incentives (1)
  5. More frequent buses (6)
  6. If could count on getting on bus with bike (Sequim route) (1)
  7. “I think finding creating a workable pu and drop off schedule with teachers in the area would make commuting this way easier.” (1)
  8. The need to run errands at lunch (1)
  9. Later start time (2)
  10. Dedicated shelter and protected bike storage (1)
  11. Closer bus stop (1)

Archive of Original Webpage

Below is the information used for Car Free Day, which may be used in future years!

You may have heard of Students for Sustainability’s 2019 Car Free Day, Bike to Work Days, Transit’s Dump the Pump, or other activities to promote more sustainable ways of transportation. A variety of organizations in Jefferson County are partnering together to combine these all into one Car Free Day 2022!

What is it?

Your chance to try less car-dependent ways to get to school, work, or to run errands on June 1st, and win prizes!

Why?

Jefferson County Greenhouse Gas Emissions – 2018

The City/County Climate Action Committee (CAC) updated its greenhouse gas inventory recently and found that transportation emissions are 66% of our community emissions. The CAC has identified reducing miles driven in single occupancy vehicles to be a key solution to reduce these emissions, and doing so will take all of us! The Car Free Day is an opportunity to try something new, and have the opportunity to win prizes!

What are Some Alternative Ways to Get To Work/School/Etc.?

Here are some ways to consider. And with many of these, you will discover added benefits – more exercise, meeting new people, etc.

• Carpool with a fellow employee or student. Does someone  you work with or go to school with commute along the same route you do? Even carpooling for part of a drive can help reduce our community’s miles driven.
• Try Transit! Check out Jefferson Transit‘s schedules to explore how you can get where you need to go. Jefferson Transit has also created a  new point to point schedule which lists stops throughout the Tri-Area and Port Townsend to assist with trip planning. You can also view your transit options by going to google maps and putting in your start and end location and time.
• Bike or Walk to work. Have you been wanting to try biking or walking to school or work, to to run your errands? Now is your chance! You can find a variety of great bike resources  and walk maps on jeffersoncan.org.
• Skip the Trip! Can you telecommute so a trip is eliminated? That counts too!

Prizes

All who participate (see right column for how to participate), will be entered into a drawing for prizes. The prizes kindly donated to this event include:

• 6 Passes to Port Townsend Marine Science Center
• Gift Certificate to La Cocina Port Townsend
• 2 Gift Bags from Silverwater Cafe
• Finnriver Gift Bag with Cider, Stemware and Wines (must be over 21 to win!)
• Quimper Mercantile Gift Certificates
• Recyclery Gift Certificate for Free Basic Tune-up
• Movie theater passes and ice cream gift certificates from an anonymous donor
• Dinner Certificate to Spirits Bar and Grill at the Old Alcohol Plant
• Jefferson Transit Goodie Bags
• Port Townsend Food Coop Hat and Thermos
• Free Bike Tuneup from Bulldog Bicycles
• Jefferson PUD Goodie Bags

Friendly Competitions

Besides the raffle for prizes, a few of our local organizations are challenging each other to see who has greatest percentage of employees/students participate, and who has the greatest reduction in emissions (scaled based on the number of employees)! The City of Port Townsend will challenge Jefferson County employees, and a competition between schools is pending.

How to Participate

Participating is easy – on June 1st, commute (to work, school, errand running) in any way other than in a car alone (some driving, like to a Park and Ride, is ok, as is carpooling),  using some of the options above, or maybe you have another way! Anything other than driving the whole way in a car by yourself counts.  So if you carpool with a friend in your car, you and your friend can both enter! (For students, having a parent drive you to school doesn’t count, unless there is more than one student in the car.)

To enter, all that is needed is to fill out this google form after commuting on June 1.  This will not only enter you for the prize drawings, it will help us collect up information on the success of the event, and to better understand the challenges and opportunities to reduce miles driven in our community. The form must be submitted by June 6th at noon to be entered into the prize drawings.

For more information or to get involved

Contact us regarding the car free day  at carfreeday@l2020.org.