October 23, 2023
Valley commuters and organizations were recognized for their efforts in improving our air quality at the 36th annual Clean Air Campaign Awards ceremony on October 20th. The event, held at the Omni Tempe Hotel at ASU in Tempe, AZ, honored the efforts of eco-friendly commuters who chose alternative modes of transportation, such as carpooling, bicycling, or using public transit instead of making single-occupancy vehicle trips.
Sixteen awards were presented to individuals and employers from across the Valley. Winners include:
Outstanding Transportation Coordinator – More than 500 Employees – Ramy Dawood, LAZ Parking (Bank of America)
Once the return to office was slowly implemented following the pandemic, Ramy worked with the bank communication team to promote their Travel Reduction Program in their bi-weekly newsletter, which has over 5,000 viewers. He helped orchestrate the return to the office and educated new associates/participants on how to utilize and grow the program for six Bank of America locations and over 7,000 bank employees across Maricopa County.
Within one year, he added 12 vanpool groups and 93 carpool groups, issued roughly 800 bus and light rail passes, and created a robust electric vehicle charging schedule for more than 100 associates at the Buckeye and Chandler campuses.
Marketing & Events – Events with more than $250 budget – SRP
Last fall, SRP incorporated gamification into their sustainability programs by challenging all employees to participate in the Fall Sustainability Challenge. Employees completed various sustainability activities to earn entries into three raffles. The challenge was a success with 342 employees actively participating and more than 1,500 raffle entries.
Champion Commuter – Vanpool – Ron Tremain, Mayo Clinic Vanpool
Ron Tremain has been a vanpool driver for the Mayo Clinic for over ten years. His vanpool group, which includes seven riders, has been together for 11 years and travels 64 miles daily, five days a week, from Mesa to the Mayo Clinic campus at 56th Street and Mayo Blvd. in Phoenix. In the past year, they’ve commuted 16,640 miles, while also saving money on gas and vehicle wear and tear.
MAG Livable Communities – Cities of Goodyear, Avondale & Surprise
WeRIDE microtransit launched in Avondale and Goodyear in November 2022. WeRIDE offers accessible, inexpensive, and on-demand shared rides in passenger vans along specific zones to support transportation needs of the area. In April 2023, the city of Surprise joined the WeRIDE family. By mid-August, the three cities delivered more than 27,000 trips to West Valley residents and visitors, achieving a customer rating of 4.9 stars out of 5.
Click here for a complete list of 2023 Clean Air Champions