"Walking the Walk"

The Nature Conservancy's Massachusetts Chapter wins organization-wide Green Commute challenge

Boston, Massachusetts — October 23, 2008 — In late September, Peggy Pinney left her car in the driveway and used a combination of bus and walking to get to work. It took a little longer to make the six-mile commute, but Peggy, who is the office administrator for The Nature Conservancy’s Islands office on Martha’s Vineyard, was making the extra effort as part of an organization-wide “Green Commute Challenge.”

For one week, The Nature Conservancy invited offices and statewide Chapters to form teams for a friendly competition to see which group could log the highest percent of green commuting trips. From Belize to Boston, a record 1,270 Conservancy employees participated. When the results of 53,600 green commuted miles were tallied, the Massachusetts Chapter – with 46 staff in five offices across the state – achieved the best results with 66% green commutes. This was the fourth year of the challenge, and the Massachusetts staff has consistently turned in top results.

“Climate change is something that impacts us all,” said Wayne Klockner, Massachusetts State Director who spent the last year leading the Conservancy’s Global Climate Change team. “Individually and together, our actions can and will make a difference in the climate. The staff of the Massachusetts Chapter has always shown their commitment to the environment through leading by example.”

The Nature Conservancy has been working with policy makers, community members, businesses, scientists, industry leaders and others to slow the pace of climate change and help natural areas adjust to the impacts of climate change. The Conservancy is consistently striving to make steps, both big and small, towards reducing the organization's impacts on the climate. During Green Commute week, Conservancy staff collectively saved approximately 2,500 gallons of gas, which translates to 25 tons of carbon dioxide that were prevented from entering the atmosphere (based on 21.5 mpg average fuel economy).

Massachusetts Chapter office locations range from city to country, so staff used a variety of green commuting modes. In more rural locations, staff telecommuted, bicycled, carpooled or used a combination of bus and walking. In Boston, staff used mostly public transportation but also biked and telecommuted. “It was fun to do one more thing to reduce my carbon footprint,” said Pinney. “I plan to keep up with my green commuting!”

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. The Conservancy and its more than 1 million members have protected nearly 120 million acres worldwide. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.