With that in mind, RideSpring sets up specific password-protected Web sites for companies where employees can post and find ride information and subsequently win individual monthly prizes, such as $300 toward REI purchases or $400 toward Apple goodies, simply by using alternative means of commuting. In addition, RideSpring compiles trip-reduction statistics on a daily basis so that business owners can evaluate the effectiveness of their programs.

"[RideSpring uses] a formula that essentially gives us the number of commuting miles saved, gas saved and reduction of CO2 emissions. This allows us to tell our employees how much they are helping the environment so that they can continue to use the RideSpring program," explains Mark Parnes, assistant general counsel and green team member at the Palo Alto, Calif., office of the law firm Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. The firm has seen a positive response to its RideSpring incentive program.

Transportation alternatives
To get started with a green commuting program, companies can do their own workplace commuting evaluations. "Companies can do workplace transportation audits to look at what infrastructure and policies are in place now and see where changes can be made to help develop green commuting action plans," says Jessie Klassen, coordinator of workplace transportation for Resource Conservation Manitoba, a nonprofit center for applied sustainability based in Manitoba, Canada.

According to Klassen, who helps businesses develop such green commuting plans, one of the principal reasons that commuters shy away from greener modes of transportation is the inconvenience of not having accessibility to a car during the day.

This problem is being addressed by Zipcar, which merged with Flexcar in October 2007. The company provides low-emission, fuel-efficient vehicles that can be conveniently parked near any business and ready for whoever is signed up and holds an access card. Companies that sign up can have employee rules in place for using the "instant car" for which they are charged an hourly rate, which includes gas, insurance and maintenance. Such easy access to a car can provide peace of mind for those employees who are uncomfortable about not having an available vehicle in case of an emergency, such as a call from their child's school.

Slowly but surely, companies are making efforts to entice their workforce to make the switch to alternative transportation. Even communities are jumping on board. For example, Boulder, Colo., features the annual Bike to Work Day Business Challenge, pitting businesses in different size categories against one another to see who can have the most employees pedal their way to work. Meanwhile, in Central Oklahoma, there is also a Bike to Work Day; in Santa Barbara, Calif., there's Bike to Work Week; and according to the League of American Bicyclists, May is National Bike Month, with biking events scheduled in various states throughout the month.

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