New Rochelle is the winner of the state’s first Green Cities Commuter Challenge, the state has announced.
The voluntary competition asked employees of three Westchester cities ”” Yonkers, White Plains and New Rochelle ”” to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions created through commuting.
The cities in fall 2016 conducted surveys on employee driving habits and then spent the past year promoting “green commuter” habits, such as ridesharing or biking. In all three cities combined, city employees who either carpool or use alternative modes of transportation increased from 15 percent to 23 percent in the first year.
New Rochelle won the competition by increasing its number of green commuters from 96 to 186, out of 600 employees. Out of 850 White Plains city employees, the number of green commuters jumped from 128 to 196. Yonkers went from 281 green commuters in its 1,875-person workforce to 394 total.
The state is providing $300,000 to fund the initiative, which is being co-managed by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and New York State Department of Transportation. The second year of the competition is underway.
