On my way to work this morning… WWF staff take the Commuter Challenge

WWF

By Stephanie Morgan
Communications Intern
In case you’re curious about the Commuter Challenge, it’s a movement to encourage use of public transit, bikes, carpooling, and other green methods of transportation.  How do we at WWF get involved? We bike, walk, ride the subway or bus… and we like it!
Some commutes are long:  “I read two newspapers and caught up on my overnight email while in transit, all while listening to Adele’s new album.”
Some are short:  “People walking their dogs… a few joggers… a Lenka song comes on… much more suitable cadence for walking… la la la… trouble will find you no matter where you go.. oh… oh… two teenagers holding hands… sweet… Shakira blasts in my ears… waka waka eh eh… already a year since the World Cup… I miss football… fine, soccer… ahora vamos por todo, y todos vamos por ellos… and… I am there! Exactly 20 minutes!”
Some are even shorter:  “13 steps down the hallway from bedroom to home office.”
Some are quick: “While riding my bike it felt good to whiz along and feel the sun on my face and the breeze on my cheeks.”
Some are slow and sweet: “A quiet walk through Victoria Park and, if I am lucky, a hug from my little boy.”
Many involve interesting animals:
“As I made my way to the bus, I danced around beautiful little snails crossing the pavement after last night’s storm.”
“I pet three dogs (a charming Burmese Mountain Dog, a delightful Schnauzer and an adorable ‘uniquely bred’ mix) before even reaching the subway.”
“I saw some duck butts bobbing shamelessly in the Sturgeon River.”
“The usual daily dose of ornithological surprises (today ’twas chimney swifts doin’ their oh so low aerial tangos near an old building).”


No matter how we trek to and fro, we have hope that we can make a difference:
“I’m a subway rider, it is a footprint decision, a green step. Canucks?!  Bruins?!  Who?!  I am one of the few WWFers to have witnessed the Leafs last Stanley Cup, in the late Cenozic of 1967.  Yes, it did happen; no, it is not an urban legend.  But our odds of beating climate change by 2050 may be better than a Toronto repeat.”