Champions

What Is a Clean Air NY Champion?

A Clean Air NY Champion is any employer who wants to go beyond the usual activities undertaken by organizations within Clean Air NY. Champions agree not only to distribute air-quality information to employees on Air Quality Action Days but to act further to help their employees and the public change their travel behaviors through everyday choices.

My Organization Is Already Part of Clean Air NY. Why Become a Champion?

In addition to exemplifying good corporate citizenship, a Clean Air NY Champion receives greater recognition and publicity within the New York metro region than other employers within Clean Air NY. Also, your organization will receive customized support and individual attention from Clean Air NY and your local transportation management association (TMA) to help develop and to implement the promotion of Clean Air NY. Clean Air NY will provide you:

• An assessment and recommendation of potential activities or efforts that will benefit your organization, employees, the community and the environment and will help everyone make smarter choices to improve air quality.
• Assistance in implementing the recommended outreach efforts.
• A connection to local TMAs to further assist your organization in establishing employer-specific transportation measures.
• Public acknowledgement of your organization's efforts and recognition as a "Clean Air NY Champion" on our Web site and in outreach materials distributed in the region.

What Does a Clean Air NY Champion Do?

Clean Air NY Champions launch extra efforts to spread the Clean Air NY message. Clean Air NY and your local TMA work with Champions to create tailored programs, which may include:

• Lunch-In Days. These are employer-hosted lunches on Air Quality Action Days that help reduce the number of people driving during the lunch hour.
• Telecommuting. We can help you develop a telecommuting policy that enables employees to work at home on Air Quality Action Days.
• Incentive Programs. These activities reward your employees for taking steps to improve air quality. Your organization could provide a gift certificate to an athletic-goods store to the department with the most people who walk or bike to work. We'll help you set up the right program for your organization.
• Carpool or Vanpool Program. Your local TMA can help you develop a carpool and/or vanpool program or could offer subsidies to employees sharing rides.
• Onsite Car Sharing (available in many locations). When employers partner with a local car sharing provider (we can help with this), their employees gain access to a vehicle when they need one, should they decide to take transit or to share a ride to work. Car sharing provides a sense of security to employees who want to take transit, but need to run errands or go to meetings during the day.

In addition, all Champions must help publicize Clean Air NY within and outside their organization. For example, you could:

• Post information about Clean Air NY and your affiliation with the program on your organization's intranet site or public Internet site.
• Distribute a press release about your affiliation with Clean Air NY (we can help you write the release).
• Support Clean Air NY financially by sponsoring ads, events or other activities.
• Provide Clean Air NY information in new hire and employee benefits packets.

Interested in Becoming a Champion?

Contact us at info@CleanAirNY.org for any questions and for a meeting to discuss the opportunity.