Thank you for participating! Stay tuned for future challenge info!
Our collective efforts this past fall made a big difference!
Between October 1 and November 15, 2025, our U of U participants logged 28,000 total trips for a total of 419,000 miles via methods other than single-occupancy vehicles. Together we saved a cumulative $200,000, kept 156.6 tons of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and burned an estimated 7.8 million calories. We accomplished this with 9,184 trips by public transit, 5,121 trips saved by telework, 4,124 trips by bicycle, 2,475 walks and even 2,386 trips by scooter.
Thank you to all who participated! Your work highlights how we can each contribute to big change by changing small behaviors. Congratulations, also, to our many prize winners. Our U Clear the Air team was pleased to put some faces to the many change-makers participating in the challenge.
The U Clear the Air Challenge is a six-week competition that gives you the chance to reduce vehicle emissions by choosing sustainable methods of transportation, including riding public transit, biking, teleworking, walking and more. By driving less, we improve our air quality, increase health and wellness, reduce traffic congestion, and save money on fuel costs. Participants that log their trips can win prizes such as an electric bike, AirPods, Utah sports game tickets, giftcards and more.
Why is this important?
Across the Wasatch Front, air pollution is reaching alarmingly unhealthy levels. Prolonged summer and winter inversions can lead to high pollutant levels that create significant health and air quality concerns. Transportation emissions are responsible for nearly 50% of the pollutants that make up our poor air quality. This means that the vehicle emissions we produce are hazardous to our health and the health of our community. The U is committed to climate action, and driving less is important to achieve our climate goals and targets.
If all drivers living along the Wasatch Front were to park their cars just one day per week, vehicle emissions would be reduced by 6,500 tons per year.
