Beginning on May 16th, National Bike to Work Day, and lasting until the end of June, Business for Biking is a competition between local businesses to encourage as many employees as possible to bike to work. Participating businesses will pledge a certain amount to Bike Walk RVA based on each round-trip commute by bike completed by an employee.
Beginning on May 16th, National Bike to Work Day, and lasting until the end of June, Business for Biking is a competition between local businesses to encourage as many employees as possible to bike to work. Participating businesses will pledge a certain amount to Bike Walk RVA based on each round-trip commute by bike completed by an employee. Prizes will be given for leading bike commuters, and for the business with the greatest percentage of employees taking part in the program. Bike Walk RVA will use the donations to help “create safe and comfortable places to walk and bike through daily advocacy, education, and partnerships with government and community groups,” as stated on the Business for Biking website.
The competition originated as an idea between two business organizations in Richmond, The Frontier Project and Sportsbackers’ Bike Walk RVA program. These businesses are working to spread sustainability as well as create a safe biking infrastructure in Richmond by asking businesses around Richmond to join in on their fun. The Frontier Project strives to be “the most sustainable business consulting firm in the world”, says Becky Crump, the head of marketing and communications. Therefore, encouraging their employees to bike to work was an obvious step towards achieving this goal. In the beginning, they decided to team up with Bike Walk RVA by making a $5 donation for every round trip commute an employee completed. This idea grew into the competition that lives today.
As Richmond is known for its wide base of environmentally-conscious citizens and its extensive biking community, this project will be extremely beneficial. Business for Biking will help “take cars off the roads, and take green-house gases out of the environment,” says Becky Crump. Harrison Williams, a Richmond local, agrees. As a bike-commuter, Williams states the he not only bikes to “stay in shape,” but also because it’s “eco-friendly and doesn’t produce any emissions.” While biking to work, he encounters a “face-full of fumes” and aggravated drivers daily. A healthier environment and a community better educated about bikers would not only be beneficial for Richmond, but as Crump puts it, for “all walks of life.”
The incentives don’t stop there. New bikes by Giant Bicycles will be given to the male and female employees who make the most round-trip commutes during the contest. The business who obtains the highest percentage of employees biking to and from work will be rewarded with a new bike rack by SportsBackers, a “special blend of Blanchard’s coffee,” as well as free developmental workshops by the Frontier Project.
Registering your business for Business for Biking is made easy with the tools that are provided by the Frontier Project and Bike Walk RVA. A marketing package will be sent your way once you’ve registered, complete with a logo set, web graphics, social media graphics, print-ready banner graphics, a poster, and a suggested social media copy. Discounted printing through James River Press and a cycling workshop are also offered on May 21st at MeadWestvaco from 5:30-6:30.
To join this cause and enter your company into this environment and health-friendly competition, an easy sign-up can be found on this website: http://thefrontierproject.com/businessforbiking. Businesses of Richmond, get ready to hop on your bikes and cycle towards a more sustainable and healthy way to commute to work!
