November 4, 2009

Arlington Earns Two Regional Environmental Awards

The City of Arlington has earned two environmental awards from the North Texas Clean Air Coalition. The awards recognize the city’s efforts to improve air quality through voluntary workplace initiatives as part of the NTCAC Working for Clean Air Program. The awards were presented Oct. 22.

According to NTCAC Chairman Cathy Altman, the Working for Clean Air program is in its sixth year of publicly recognizing North Texas’ outstanding workplaces for development of internal programs that “improve the quality of air, our quality of life and the health of our community.”

About the Awards:

TryParkingIt.Com Employer of the Year Award
The City of Arlington implemented a voluntary trip reduction game which encouraged employees to track commuting alternatives. With the Carbon Counts Game, employees avoided trips through drive-thru windows and biked or carpooled to work and off-site meetings. At the conclusion of the game, more than 500 trips were reduced by telephone conference calls, walking or carpooling to meetings. The City also sponsored two Bike to Work Days, and several departments participated in Green Bag Lunch programs. The game was launched on Earth Day and ended in October. More than 200 City of Arlington employees participated.

Climate Champion Award
The City of Arlington earned high points for participation in several voluntary clean air activities sponsored by the NTCAC. Some of these activities included the promotion of commuter benefits on the employee intranet page, which was called “Going Green at Work.” Employees also calculated their carbon footprints and took advantage of flexible work schedules on ozone alert days. Other activities included the implementation of a workplace recycling program and public education efforts that promoted the use of energy-efficient or compact fluorescent light bulbs.