Sitka Declares Independence from Fossil Fuels
One day a week, Sitka will declare it’s independence from fossil fuels this summer by participating in “Freedom from Fossil Fuel Fridays” or FFFF for short. FFFF is designed to get people to think about, and actually try, a transportation option other than driving by themselves…something they may not have tried before.
FFFF challenges the community of Sitka to get out of their car one day per week and to get to work, school, events, or even just go to lunch by walking, riding bikes, carpooling, riding the bus, or telecommuting instead. The idea is to get people to try a no-gas or shared-gas travel method, and make it a habit at least one day per week.
Why join in? Lots of reasons. Not only can Sitkans save money on gas, help the environment by emitting less CO2, and get some exercise and health benefits by participating in FFFF, they can also have a chance at monthly prizes! The FFFF project was started as a 1-month pilot project in 2008 by members of the Sitka Global Warming Group, Sustainable Sitka, and Sitka Bike Friendly Coalition in an effort to reduce CO2 emissions, improve health, and save people money. FFFF was so successful that the groups have expanded the program and decided to bring it back for most of the summer!
“One of the other goals we’d like to accomplish this year is to share the program, and the idea of the program, with other Alaska communities,” said Michelle Putz, a representative from the Sitka Global Warming Group. “We are already communicating and working with Ketchikan, Juneau, and Homer on other conservation projects. Why not add another one that takes very little work or money to organize, but has some great benefits?”
Several sponsors and cooperators have joined the original sponsors including The Ride (Sitka’s community bus program), Sitka Conservation Society, and Yellow Jersey Cycle Shop. The sponsors hope to entice new folks into trying out a new way to get around with prizes like gift certificates, bus passes, and energy efficient lightbulbs.
While “Friday” is in the title, the sponsors say they’ll enter folks into the drawing no matter what day of the week people try out a new travel option. So if Friday’s forecast is not so sunny, the sponsors say make it FFFT (Freedom from Fossil Fuel Tuesday or Thursday)…they still want to record your participation and your miles of no-gas/shared-gas travel.
Last year, 69 Sitkans participated in the 1-month program with a total of 674 miles of individual vehicle driving saved. Biking was the most popular method of transportation with 16 to 19 participants weekly logging a total of 284 miles of no-gas travel. Walking was second most popular with 12 to 19 participants weekly totaling 132 miles of no-gas travel. Carpooling and bus use had less participants, but really reduced the miles driven…while the average bicycle ride was 4.2 miles, the average carpool distance was almost 7 miles. Many people used two or more modes of no-gas or shared-gas travel, 31 total participants traveled 109 miles often by walking and then carpooling, walking to the bus, or some other travel combination. A few people worked from home and saved gas that way. The most interesting travel method was by kayak and bike…I’d sure like to know how they strapped the bike on the kayak!
The sponsors hope to bring in a lot of new no-gas/shared-gas commuters this year at least 1 day each week. The goal is to get over 100 participants this year and bring the no-gas/shared-gas miles up to 3,000 miles for the summer. Last years efforts resulted in about 659 pounds of CO2 reduced (at a 20 m.p.g. fuel efficiency). That’s roughly one pound of CO2 reduced for every one mile of no-gas/shared-gas travel. Add to that the cost savings of gas (gas was almost $5 per gallon last year when the program was going on), the health benefits of exercise and/or some shared time with friends/co-workers/community members, and the opportunity to win some great prizes, and the FFFF program really starts to look beneficial to everyone who gets involved!
People can get signed up by sending an email to SITKAFFFF@yahoo.com. Mile tracking and prize drawings are coordinated through the email site. Each week people participate, they’ll be added to the drawing for monthly prizes. The sponsors will report on the results after the formal project ends in September.
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