DEQ Employees Put the Brakes on Driving Alone

 

Roughly one-third of the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) work force made a commitment on Earth Day to drastically cut air pollution by carpooling or taking alternative transportation to get to the office.

In doing so, DEQ employees collectively reduced air pollution in a single day about the equivalent of the emissions an average automobile produces in six months.

And the evidence was in the nearly empty parking lots.

“I’m impressed but not surprised,” said Rick Sprott, executive director of DEQ. “Our employees are dedicated to improving the environment. They put into action what they preach.”

Sprott challenged employees to Choose Clean Air by ditching their vehicles for a day or riding in with a friend. Commuters were treated to bagels and Sprott sweetened the stakes with a competition between the three DEQ buildings. Building 1, where Division of Air Quality and Drinking Water are located, won the contest due to 51 dedicated souls who participated in the challenge. The majority of them carpooled or rode the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) bus.

For some, it’s a matter of habit. Almost daily, Brandon Smart, webmaster for DEQ, commutes from Ogden to Salt Lake by bus. “When I ride the bus I come to work less stress than when I drive,” he said.

Jeff Studenka, an environmental scientist for Water Quality, was one of the biggest cheerleaders in the group by gently persuading his co-workers to participate.

“I felt it was not only a fun way for DEQ employees to participate and compete,” Studenka said, “but also to help set an example to others who may now be considering reducing their carbon footprint as well.”

Although the Cannon Health Building, where the Division of Water Quality and Solid and Hazardous Waste, didn’t win it drew a close second to winning the prize – a ‘Fat Boy’ ice cream treat to be delivered by Sprott and Deputy Director Bill Sinclair. Over half of the 46 participants who commuted to the Cannon building rode the bus.

As for Building 2, where the administration offices and the Division of Environmental Response and Remediation and Division of Radiation Control are located, about half of the 39 employees who participated came to the office by bus or carpooled. However, some also rode their bikes or scooter to work.

“Trip reduction is something we want all employees to practice,” Sprott said, “every day, not just on Earth Day.”