News Archive
Care to Clear the Air: Do Your Part During the Winter Inversion - 01/03/2011
The Care to Clear the Air campaign is a winter initiative inspired on the success of the summer Clear the Air Challenge . This seasonal effort promotes TravelWise behaviors that are winter-friendly. Participants commit to utilizing at least one of the following TravelWise strategies to help improve local air quality -
- Public transportation
- Carpooling/Rideshare
- Teleworking/e-Travel
The program runs January 2011. Once registered, participants will receive special assistance to make a winter-friendly TravelWise commute a snap. Through interactive community events, Yellow/Red air day text alerts and other tools, participants will find it easy to do their part to help clear the air during inversion season.
We all have a role to play. Want to track your impact? Just visit the Clear the Air Challenge Tracker to log your trips & miles saved, and watch as your efforts instantly translate into the money, emissions and energy saved. It's that easy!
Please note: The 2010 Clear the Air Challenge is over. However, you can track your personal impact through the online tracker. View team progress through the team view screen.
Utahns all over the state are committing to a new TravelWise New Year’s Resolution to help improve our air quality. Visit our New Year’s Resolution page to see what your friends and neighbors are doing. You’ll also see many community leaders who are rolling up their sleeves to help improve the air we breathe.
So ask yourself one question - Do you Care to Clear the Air?
Learn more at http://www.caretocleartheair.org/.
Bicycling, Brisk Walking Help Women Control Weight - 06/28/2010
Researchers Call for More Bike-Friendly Environments to Combat Obesity
Boston, MA-- Premenopausal women who make even small increases in the amount of time they spend bicycling or walking briskly every day decrease their risk of gaining weight, according to a new study by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH).
The study appears in the June 28, 2010 issue of the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.
For premenopausal women of any weight, riding a bicycle was effective in helping to maintain weight, and overweight and obese women appeared to benefit the most. The researchers found that among women who did not originally bicycle in 1989 but bicycled in 2005, even a small increase in bicycling time - as little as five minutes each day - helped to control weight. Among the walkers who had increased their daily activity by an average of 30 min/day over the years, only those who walked briskly (>=3 mph) were able to control their weight. Walking slowly (<3 mph) had no effect.
The results come from an examination of 18,414 premenopausal women, free from chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer, or cardiovascular disease, participating in the Brigham and Women's Hospital-based Nurses' Health Study II. This is an ongoing study in which participants respond to a questionnaire about their medical history, lifestyle and health-related behaviors every two years. In 1989 and 2005, participants reported on time spent engaging the previous year in various recreational activities.
Study results showed that women in the study gained an average of 9.3 kilograms (20.5 pounds) over the 16-year period. Even though women gain weight as they age, normal-weight women who were bicycling more than four hours a week in 2005, irrespective of their physical activity level in 1989, were 26% times less likely to gain more than five percent of their initial body weight. Overweight and obese women who were bicycling just two or three hours a week were 46% times less likely to gain weight.
According to the authors, it is the first study to look at the relationship between bicycling and weight control among women.
'This study shows that more bicycling predicts less weight gain,' said Rania Mekary, research associate in the HSPH Department of Nutrition.
'Small daily increments in bicycling helped women control their weight. But the more time women spent bicycling, the better. Women with excess weight appeared to benefit the most. This is encouraging for women with weight problems because they could substitute bicycling for slow walking or car driving,' said Mekary.
In the U.S., 66% of adults are overweight or obese, 16% of children and adolescents are overweight, and 34% of children and adolescents are at risk of becoming overweight. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Sports Medicine recommend that every adult accumulate 30 minutes or more of moderate-intensity activity on most, preferably all, days of the week to prevent obesity and improve health.
'Our study provides evidence that to combat obesity, the U.S. needs to have policies that not only endorse design guidelines for sidewalks, but also for separate and comfortable places to bicycle, such as cycle tracks between sidewalks and parked cars,' said Anne Lusk, research fellow in the HSPH Department of Nutrition.
When promoting physical activity to their patients, the authors encourage physicians to prescribe brisk walking, rather than just walking, but also bicycling. 'Bicycling may be more comfortable than brisk walking, especially for overweight women,' said Lusk.
Walter Willett, Chair of the HSPH Department of Nutrition, was senior author of the study.
Lusk is supported by a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award from the National Institutes for Health, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Mekary is supported by the National Institutes for Health.
Anne C. Lusk, Rania A. Mekary, Diane Feskanich, Walter C. Willett, Archives of Internal Medicine, June 28, 2010, vol. 170, no. 12.
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/2010-releases/bicycling-weight-control-womens-health.html
Boston, MA-- Premenopausal women who make even small increases in the amount of time they spend bicycling or walking briskly every day decrease their risk of gaining weight, according to a new study by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH).
The study appears in the June 28, 2010 issue of the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.
For premenopausal women of any weight, riding a bicycle was effective in helping to maintain weight, and overweight and obese women appeared to benefit the most. The researchers found that among women who did not originally bicycle in 1989 but bicycled in 2005, even a small increase in bicycling time - as little as five minutes each day - helped to control weight. Among the walkers who had increased their daily activity by an average of 30 min/day over the years, only those who walked briskly (>=3 mph) were able to control their weight. Walking slowly (<3 mph) had no effect.
The results come from an examination of 18,414 premenopausal women, free from chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer, or cardiovascular disease, participating in the Brigham and Women's Hospital-based Nurses' Health Study II. This is an ongoing study in which participants respond to a questionnaire about their medical history, lifestyle and health-related behaviors every two years. In 1989 and 2005, participants reported on time spent engaging the previous year in various recreational activities.
Study results showed that women in the study gained an average of 9.3 kilograms (20.5 pounds) over the 16-year period. Even though women gain weight as they age, normal-weight women who were bicycling more than four hours a week in 2005, irrespective of their physical activity level in 1989, were 26% times less likely to gain more than five percent of their initial body weight. Overweight and obese women who were bicycling just two or three hours a week were 46% times less likely to gain weight.
According to the authors, it is the first study to look at the relationship between bicycling and weight control among women.
'This study shows that more bicycling predicts less weight gain,' said Rania Mekary, research associate in the HSPH Department of Nutrition.
'Small daily increments in bicycling helped women control their weight. But the more time women spent bicycling, the better. Women with excess weight appeared to benefit the most. This is encouraging for women with weight problems because they could substitute bicycling for slow walking or car driving,' said Mekary.
In the U.S., 66% of adults are overweight or obese, 16% of children and adolescents are overweight, and 34% of children and adolescents are at risk of becoming overweight. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Sports Medicine recommend that every adult accumulate 30 minutes or more of moderate-intensity activity on most, preferably all, days of the week to prevent obesity and improve health.
'Our study provides evidence that to combat obesity, the U.S. needs to have policies that not only endorse design guidelines for sidewalks, but also for separate and comfortable places to bicycle, such as cycle tracks between sidewalks and parked cars,' said Anne Lusk, research fellow in the HSPH Department of Nutrition.
When promoting physical activity to their patients, the authors encourage physicians to prescribe brisk walking, rather than just walking, but also bicycling. 'Bicycling may be more comfortable than brisk walking, especially for overweight women,' said Lusk.
Walter Willett, Chair of the HSPH Department of Nutrition, was senior author of the study.
Lusk is supported by a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award from the National Institutes for Health, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Mekary is supported by the National Institutes for Health.
Anne C. Lusk, Rania A. Mekary, Diane Feskanich, Walter C. Willett, Archives of Internal Medicine, June 28, 2010, vol. 170, no. 12.
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/2010-releases/bicycling-weight-control-womens-health.html
Biking Minutes a Day May Ward off Weight Gain - 06/28/2010
Biking for as little as five minutes a day can help women minimize weight gain as they enter middle age, especially if they're overweight to begin with, a new study suggests.
The study followed more than 18,000 premenopausal women between the ages of 25 and 42 for 16 years. During that time, the women gained an average of about 20.5 pounds.
Women who started biking for just five minutes a day gained about 1.5 fewer pounds over the course of the study than similar women who didn't take up biking, the researchers found. Women who increased their daily biking by 30 minutes during the study kept even more weight off, gaining about 3.5 fewer pounds than those whose biking habits stayed the same.
'Bicycling is an answer to weight control,' says the lead author of the study, Dr. Anne Lusk, Ph.D., a research fellow in nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, in Boston. 'Walking is not necessarily an answer, unless the person is walking briskly.'
Indeed, Lusk and her colleagues found that women who increased the time they spent walking briskly by 30 minutes per day during the study gained about four pounds less than their peers who didn't increase their walking. (A 'brisk' pace is three miles per hour or more.) On the other hand, women who only walked slowly did not manage to prevent any weight gain.
Women who were overweight or obese at the start of the study experienced even better results than normal-weight women when they increased their daily physical activity. Overweight women who biked for 30 extra minutes per day over the course of the study gained about seven pounds less than those who didn't, for instance.
The findings should encourage overweight women to not give up on exercise, says Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, D.O., director of Women and Heart Disease at Lenox Hill Hospital, in New York City. 'People tend to say, 'I'm too fat. I can't do it. It's too difficult.' A study like this reminds them not to give up. Do something.'
The study appears this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Previous research has shown the weight benefits of daily walking, but few studies have focused specifically on biking and none have compared walking with biking.
'A lot of information on physical activity provided to women is very general, encouraging daily activity, but not specifically what kind,' says Keri Gans, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. 'This study encourages an activity that is not expensive and that almost all women can easily engage in. And if a woman is presently a walker, it's good to know that she must pick up her pace.'
Biking and walking are easier than many other forms of exercise to incorporate into everyday life, Lusk points out. '[They] can be a routine part of the day, so you can get your physical activity as a normal part of the day,' she says.
The study participants were all nurses and are part of a larger, national study on health and lifestyle that began in 1989. Women with physical problems that make regular exercise difficult were excluded from the current study, as were women who reported chronic health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, or cancer.
At the start of the study, half of the participants reported walking slowly, 39 percent said they walked briskly, and 48 percent said they biked (including working out on a stationary bike).
By 2005, the average physical activity had increased slightly but remained very low overall. Participants walked briskly for just one hour per week, on average, and biked for only about 18 minutes per week. Meanwhile they sat around the house for about 2.5 hours a day.
Current guidelines recommend that adults get at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise on most days of the week, a goal that many women in the study appear to be well below.
Individuals can't bear all of the blame for that inactivity, Lusk and her colleagues suggest. Their physical surroundings may also be partly responsible.
Although some cities and towns have encouraged walking and biking (by adding sidewalks and bike lanes, for instance), the U.S. remains a 'car-centric nation,' they write.
Nine percent of commuters in the U.S. walk to work and just 0.5 percent bike, according to data cited in the study. By contrast, in the Netherlands, where the roads are more bike-friendly, 22 percent of commuters walk to work and 27 percent bike.
'We need to provide the infrastructure or facilities so that more people could comfortably bicycle,' Lusk says. 'In the U.S., the emphasis has been on the walking environment and not on the bicycling environment.'
Amanda Gardner, Health.com
http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/06/28/study.biking.weight/index.html?hpt=T2
The study followed more than 18,000 premenopausal women between the ages of 25 and 42 for 16 years. During that time, the women gained an average of about 20.5 pounds.
Women who started biking for just five minutes a day gained about 1.5 fewer pounds over the course of the study than similar women who didn't take up biking, the researchers found. Women who increased their daily biking by 30 minutes during the study kept even more weight off, gaining about 3.5 fewer pounds than those whose biking habits stayed the same.
'Bicycling is an answer to weight control,' says the lead author of the study, Dr. Anne Lusk, Ph.D., a research fellow in nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, in Boston. 'Walking is not necessarily an answer, unless the person is walking briskly.'
Indeed, Lusk and her colleagues found that women who increased the time they spent walking briskly by 30 minutes per day during the study gained about four pounds less than their peers who didn't increase their walking. (A 'brisk' pace is three miles per hour or more.) On the other hand, women who only walked slowly did not manage to prevent any weight gain.
Women who were overweight or obese at the start of the study experienced even better results than normal-weight women when they increased their daily physical activity. Overweight women who biked for 30 extra minutes per day over the course of the study gained about seven pounds less than those who didn't, for instance.
The findings should encourage overweight women to not give up on exercise, says Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, D.O., director of Women and Heart Disease at Lenox Hill Hospital, in New York City. 'People tend to say, 'I'm too fat. I can't do it. It's too difficult.' A study like this reminds them not to give up. Do something.'
The study appears this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Previous research has shown the weight benefits of daily walking, but few studies have focused specifically on biking and none have compared walking with biking.
'A lot of information on physical activity provided to women is very general, encouraging daily activity, but not specifically what kind,' says Keri Gans, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. 'This study encourages an activity that is not expensive and that almost all women can easily engage in. And if a woman is presently a walker, it's good to know that she must pick up her pace.'
Biking and walking are easier than many other forms of exercise to incorporate into everyday life, Lusk points out. '[They] can be a routine part of the day, so you can get your physical activity as a normal part of the day,' she says.
The study participants were all nurses and are part of a larger, national study on health and lifestyle that began in 1989. Women with physical problems that make regular exercise difficult were excluded from the current study, as were women who reported chronic health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, or cancer.
At the start of the study, half of the participants reported walking slowly, 39 percent said they walked briskly, and 48 percent said they biked (including working out on a stationary bike).
By 2005, the average physical activity had increased slightly but remained very low overall. Participants walked briskly for just one hour per week, on average, and biked for only about 18 minutes per week. Meanwhile they sat around the house for about 2.5 hours a day.
Current guidelines recommend that adults get at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise on most days of the week, a goal that many women in the study appear to be well below.
Individuals can't bear all of the blame for that inactivity, Lusk and her colleagues suggest. Their physical surroundings may also be partly responsible.
Although some cities and towns have encouraged walking and biking (by adding sidewalks and bike lanes, for instance), the U.S. remains a 'car-centric nation,' they write.
Nine percent of commuters in the U.S. walk to work and just 0.5 percent bike, according to data cited in the study. By contrast, in the Netherlands, where the roads are more bike-friendly, 22 percent of commuters walk to work and 27 percent bike.
'We need to provide the infrastructure or facilities so that more people could comfortably bicycle,' Lusk says. 'In the U.S., the emphasis has been on the walking environment and not on the bicycling environment.'
Amanda Gardner, Health.com
http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/06/28/study.biking.weight/index.html?hpt=T2
Salt Lake City Receives National Award for City Livability - 06/17/2010
U.S. Conference of Mayors Recognizes Clear the Air Challenge Initiative
Salt Lake City has been honored with the 2010 Outstanding Achievement City Livability Award from the U.S. Conference of Mayors. One of five cities that were recognized by the organization, the award was given to Salt Lake City for the Clear the Air Challenge initiative which is aimed at improving city livability and the quality of urban life.
Established in 2009, the Clear the Air Challenge is a collaborative effort with local and state governments, businesses, faith-based organizations and non-profit groups. The program challenges residents to commit to 'Drive Less and Drive Smarter' using TravelWise strategies, such as biking, walking, utilizing public transit, teleworking and trip chaining. During the 2009 Clear the Air Challenge, 4500 drivers eliminated nearly 111,000 single-occupant vehicle car trips, saved over 1 million vehicle miles, and cut over 1.7 million pounds of motor vehicle emissions.
'We are excited to be recognized for our efforts to improve air quality in Salt Lake City as we continue to look at ways to improve the livability of Utah's Capital City,' said Mayor Ralph Becker. 'Improving our air quality is integral to our elevated quality of life. We are proud to share this award with our residents, who are so willing to do their part to clear the air.'
Following last year's success, the Clear the Air Challenge is now gearing up for its second campaign, which will run from July 1 to July 31, 2010. This summer's Challenge has loftier goals, aiming to eliminate 300,000 vehicle trips, 2 million vehicle miles, and cut 3.4 million pounds of emissions.
To register for the Challenge and find more information visit http://www.cleartheairchallenge.org.
utahpulse.com
http://utahpulse.com/featured_article/salt-lake-city-receives-national-award-city-livability
Salt Lake City has been honored with the 2010 Outstanding Achievement City Livability Award from the U.S. Conference of Mayors. One of five cities that were recognized by the organization, the award was given to Salt Lake City for the Clear the Air Challenge initiative which is aimed at improving city livability and the quality of urban life.
Established in 2009, the Clear the Air Challenge is a collaborative effort with local and state governments, businesses, faith-based organizations and non-profit groups. The program challenges residents to commit to 'Drive Less and Drive Smarter' using TravelWise strategies, such as biking, walking, utilizing public transit, teleworking and trip chaining. During the 2009 Clear the Air Challenge, 4500 drivers eliminated nearly 111,000 single-occupant vehicle car trips, saved over 1 million vehicle miles, and cut over 1.7 million pounds of motor vehicle emissions.
'We are excited to be recognized for our efforts to improve air quality in Salt Lake City as we continue to look at ways to improve the livability of Utah's Capital City,' said Mayor Ralph Becker. 'Improving our air quality is integral to our elevated quality of life. We are proud to share this award with our residents, who are so willing to do their part to clear the air.'
Following last year's success, the Clear the Air Challenge is now gearing up for its second campaign, which will run from July 1 to July 31, 2010. This summer's Challenge has loftier goals, aiming to eliminate 300,000 vehicle trips, 2 million vehicle miles, and cut 3.4 million pounds of emissions.
To register for the Challenge and find more information visit http://www.cleartheairchallenge.org.
utahpulse.com
http://utahpulse.com/featured_article/salt-lake-city-receives-national-award-city-livability
Local Leaders Kick Off Clear the Air Challenge - 06/15/2010
Video Courtesy of KSL.com
Two mayors and one governor are joining forces in hopes of making a big difference when it comes to one of Utah's biggest problems: air pollution.
Those three top leaders on Tuesday kicked off the 2010 Clear the Air Challenge.
The goal of the Clear the Air Challenge is to decrease the number of miles people drive by taking the train, walking, riding your bike or carpooling.
The challenge takes place takes place from July 1 to July 31.
'Fifty percent of the air pollution that we have in this valley and this state come from the tailpipes of our automobiles and the trucks and the vehicles that we drive,' Gov. Gary Herbert said.
Tuesday Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker joined forces with Herbert and Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon to launch a collaborative effort to get residents involved in the fight to reduce vehicle emissions.
'One of the top issues I hear about every year, especially in the winter time, is our air quality,' Corroon said.
The challenge aims to get Utahns to drive less and drive smarter.
As a result of last year's highly successful challenge, Utahns eliminated more than 100,000 car trips, saved over 1 million miles and cut 1.7 million pounds of emissions.
The 2010 Clear the Air Challenge is expanding its reach across Utah to engage 10,000 participants to eliminate a total of 300,000 vehicle trips and save 2,000,000 vehicle miles, resulting in a reduction of 3.4 million pounds of emissions.
'It'll make an enormous difference in the amount of pollution that's going into the air,' said Becker. 'It'll obviously improve our health benefits, improve our quality of life. We'll be able to see our beautiful mountains more and we'll be saving energy.'
The campaign is hosting a website where people can take the challenge and find tips. It's asking people to make a personal commitment to drive less this summer.
'It really puts the responsibility where it belongs first, which is on us,' Becker said.
Participants can choose from three pledge levels: gold, silver or bronze.
Businesses are also asked to challenge employees to reduce the number of trips they make in their personal vehicles and encouraging employees to create carpools or telecommute.
The challenge has expanded to include an option for businesses and community organizations to sign up as groups and track trips saved in one lump sum.
'It can make the difference,' Corroon said. 'Everybody can do their part and do a little extra work to help clean the air.'
Additional changes to the 2010 challenge include revisions to the online individual trip tracker that make it faster and easier for participants to record their daily data. Many prizes -- including a $500 gift card to Overstock.com, club soccer tickets and a lunch with Mayor Becker -- will be offered to participants
By John Daley, KSL
http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=11181642
2010 Clear the Air Challenge Kicks Off - 06/15/2010
Win Prizes, Reduce Pollution by Ditching Car: 2010 Clear the Air Challenge Launched
Amy K. Stewart
SALT LAKE CITY -- By simply walking or biking to work, carpooling and better mapping of errands around town, Utahns can not only reduce pollution, but also win prizes.
The 2010 Clear the Air Challenge begins July 1, and runs through July 31. Residents are encouraged to drive less and drive smarter to reduce vehicle emissions and improve air quality.
Participants can choose from three pledge levels for the number of trips saved each week: Gold, for 20 trips; silver, for 10 trips; and bronze, for five trips.
An online trip tracker allows residents to record daily data. Prizes include a $500 gift card to Overstock.com, club soccer tickets and a lunch with the Salt Lake City mayor.
Go to www.cleartheairchallenge.org to register and to find more information.
This is the second year of the challenge. During a six-week period in 2009, Utahns eliminated more than 100,000 car trips, saved more than 1 million miles and cut 1.7 million pounds of emissions.
Launching the clean air program this morning during a media event at the Salt Lake City Intermodal Hub downtown, Gov. Gary Herbert, Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker and Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon, praised the program and encouraged residents and businesses to top last year's efforts.
Last year, more than 3,400 people reduced their vehicle miles through the Clear the Air Challenge, Herbert said. Last year was a success, but we're going to do even better in 2010.
The Deseret News
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700040495/Ditch-car-win-prizes.html
Amy K. Stewart
SALT LAKE CITY -- By simply walking or biking to work, carpooling and better mapping of errands around town, Utahns can not only reduce pollution, but also win prizes.
The 2010 Clear the Air Challenge begins July 1, and runs through July 31. Residents are encouraged to drive less and drive smarter to reduce vehicle emissions and improve air quality.
Participants can choose from three pledge levels for the number of trips saved each week: Gold, for 20 trips; silver, for 10 trips; and bronze, for five trips.
An online trip tracker allows residents to record daily data. Prizes include a $500 gift card to Overstock.com, club soccer tickets and a lunch with the Salt Lake City mayor.
Go to www.cleartheairchallenge.org to register and to find more information.
This is the second year of the challenge. During a six-week period in 2009, Utahns eliminated more than 100,000 car trips, saved more than 1 million miles and cut 1.7 million pounds of emissions.
Launching the clean air program this morning during a media event at the Salt Lake City Intermodal Hub downtown, Gov. Gary Herbert, Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker and Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon, praised the program and encouraged residents and businesses to top last year's efforts.
Last year, more than 3,400 people reduced their vehicle miles through the Clear the Air Challenge, Herbert said. Last year was a success, but we're going to do even better in 2010.
The Deseret News
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700040495/Ditch-car-win-prizes.html
Working at Home Makes for Happy Employees - 06/05/2010
The quickest way to get happier, more productive employees may be to send them home, according to a new BYU study.
Employees who work flexible hours from home at least once a week experience less burnout and can work longer with less work-life conflict than traditional 8-to-5 office dwellers, said lead study author E. Jeffrey Hill, a professor in the School of Family Life.
'When you have that sense of autonomy ... in where or when you're going to work, then the natural outgrowth of that is job satisfaction,' Hill said. 'When you add flex time to flex place, the benefits are dramatic.'
Of the more than 24,000 IBM employees Hill studied, those on a set office schedule reached burnout at 38 hours, while telecommuters with a flexible schedule went nearly 57 hours before reaching work-life conflict.
Hill can personally attest to results like these, having been one of the first telecommuters at IBM in the early '90s.
A morning person, Hill would roll out of bed at 5 a.m. and crank out two productive hours before his kids woke up. Then he'd spend time with them, take them to school and even go jogging before he'd clock in again at 9, fresh and ready to go.
Hill came to BYU 11 years ago but has followed up with his research at IBM regarding how to make it a more family-friendly company. The study is based on IBM's 2007 global employee survey and will be published in the June issue of the Journal of Family Psychology, with co-authors Jenet Erickson and Erin Holmes, both BYU professors; and Maria Ferris, a retired IBM researcher.
'The evidence is clear that IBM has more productive employees and spends less on real estate, so it's a win-win,' Hill said. 'In a down economy where you don't have money to invest in infrastructure, (telecommuting) is very valuable.'
That's not news to Staci Boswell, an IT analyst for ARUP Laboratories. She says she gets much more done at home without the distractions and meetings at the office.
Besides, working from home twice a week means less time spent in a two-hour commute from Stansbury Park to downtown Salt Lake City and more time at home with her 10-month-old daughter.
'I love telecommuting, and I think more companies should offer it,' she said. 'It provides a lot of cost savings and makes for happier, less-stressed employees.'
Companies that offer telecommuting also find they need more precise goals and evaluation processes, Hill said, since they have to shift from a face-time culture to a results-oriented culture.
'The underlying trait is that there's trust,' Hill said. 'When there's trust, people perform better. They give more of themselves to the job, and they're more successful.'
Sara Israelsen-Hartley, Deseret News
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700037507/Working-at-home-makes-for-happy-employees-BYU-study-says.html
Employees who work flexible hours from home at least once a week experience less burnout and can work longer with less work-life conflict than traditional 8-to-5 office dwellers, said lead study author E. Jeffrey Hill, a professor in the School of Family Life.
'When you have that sense of autonomy ... in where or when you're going to work, then the natural outgrowth of that is job satisfaction,' Hill said. 'When you add flex time to flex place, the benefits are dramatic.'
Of the more than 24,000 IBM employees Hill studied, those on a set office schedule reached burnout at 38 hours, while telecommuters with a flexible schedule went nearly 57 hours before reaching work-life conflict.
Hill can personally attest to results like these, having been one of the first telecommuters at IBM in the early '90s.
A morning person, Hill would roll out of bed at 5 a.m. and crank out two productive hours before his kids woke up. Then he'd spend time with them, take them to school and even go jogging before he'd clock in again at 9, fresh and ready to go.
Hill came to BYU 11 years ago but has followed up with his research at IBM regarding how to make it a more family-friendly company. The study is based on IBM's 2007 global employee survey and will be published in the June issue of the Journal of Family Psychology, with co-authors Jenet Erickson and Erin Holmes, both BYU professors; and Maria Ferris, a retired IBM researcher.
'The evidence is clear that IBM has more productive employees and spends less on real estate, so it's a win-win,' Hill said. 'In a down economy where you don't have money to invest in infrastructure, (telecommuting) is very valuable.'
That's not news to Staci Boswell, an IT analyst for ARUP Laboratories. She says she gets much more done at home without the distractions and meetings at the office.
Besides, working from home twice a week means less time spent in a two-hour commute from Stansbury Park to downtown Salt Lake City and more time at home with her 10-month-old daughter.
'I love telecommuting, and I think more companies should offer it,' she said. 'It provides a lot of cost savings and makes for happier, less-stressed employees.'
Companies that offer telecommuting also find they need more precise goals and evaluation processes, Hill said, since they have to shift from a face-time culture to a results-oriented culture.
'The underlying trait is that there's trust,' Hill said. 'When there's trust, people perform better. They give more of themselves to the job, and they're more successful.'
Sara Israelsen-Hartley, Deseret News
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700037507/Working-at-home-makes-for-happy-employees-BYU-study-says.html
Robots Bring Telepresence to Stay-At-Home Workers - 05/11/2010
Dallas Goecker works full time at robotics firm Willow Garage in Menlo Park, California. But he has only been in his office three times in the last year.
Mr Goecker does not need to be there in person - he lives thousands of miles away in Indiana - because his robot is there every day, acting as his eyes, ears and feet.
His Texai robot is equipped with a screen at head height, video cameras, speakers, a microphone and wheels, enabling its pilot to be in two places at once. Mr Goecker controls the robot remotely and can attend meetings, drop by colleagues' cubicles for a chat or just hang out in the company cafe.
Most people just know me as the Texai, Mr Goecker said. I am there physically, I can see them, they can see me. I can approach them, chat in the corridor. If I was just using video chat on a computer, they would always have to come up to me, as it were.
Several companies and start-ups are investigating the potential of telepresence robots to give a new mobile twist to the fast-growing videoconferencing market.
Their research has been given fresh impetus by the Icelandic volcano which closed the skies above Europe and sent thousands of executives hurrying to telepresence suites to conduct urgent meetings.
Willow Garage has been conducting field tests with 25 of its Texai robots. Although production plans are at an early stage, one multi-national customer is in talks to buy 100 of them, according to product director Sanford Dickert.
A few miles away in Mountain View, Anybots is close to launching its own model at less than $20,000 each. The company will be building on the success of the prototype QA robot. The 5 feet 7 inches (160cm) tall humanoid machine weighs 30 pounds (13 kilograms) and comes equipped with two cameras and microphones, a computer screen and a versatile motorised wheel system.
The operator controls it over a wireless network using an ordinary computer, loaded with Anybots software - rather like playing a computer game. When you want to be at your desk you simply switch on the robot by remote.
Trevor Blackwell, founder of Anybots, said: It is the two-second commute that people have been talking about for years. For regular people to telecommute into their job, it basically has to come down below the price of a car. That is just happening now.
Advances in technology have finally made the deployment of robots into the workplace a marketable proposition. The adoption of reliable wireless networks in the office, better, faster video streaming and more powerful computer chips mean that the robots can act as mobile video chat portals, controlled over the internet.
Videoconferencing has seen a surge in interest in recent weeks as the volcanic cloud forced stranded business travellers to turn to remote chat. The sector has seen a flurry of acquisitions and is a key growth area as companies seek to cut business travel costs and their carbon footprint.
Global sales of video conferencing equipment and software reached $1.5 billion in 2009 and Gartner analysts have predicted that video telepresence could be stinging the travel industry for US$3.5 billion every year by 2012, replacing 2.1 million airline seats annually.
Videoconferencing company Polycom, based in the US, said it had seen use of its technology reach an all time high during the closure of European airspace last month.
Mike Swade, vice president of global accounts at Polycom, said: Flying around the world for a meeting is no longer necessary or efficient.
RoboDynamics, based in Santa Monica, has had its telepresence robot TiLR in the field since 2008. Its developers found that having a robot physically representing a remote worker in the office led to a boost in communication. Not only was the remote worker able much more easily to initiate conversations but the very presence of the robot gliding past reminded colleagues to ask the remote team member a question or inform him of something.
Personal video chat technology such as Skype has been growing steadily in popularity among business users and consumers. Skype has grabbed 12 per cent of all international calls with its free voice- and video-calling accounts.
This week Skype extended its global reach by rolling out new monthly calling subscription plans for more than 170 countries. The company is also testing a group-video service that will allow people in up to five locations to chat at the same time.
Willow Garage uses Skype as the video conference platform for the Texai. But its programmers have boosted the performance of the wireless router in the Texai to ensure that the signal is not interrupted.
Business is conducted not just in formal meetings, but in casual interactions and a remote presence allows you to fully participate, said Mr Dickert.
Across a table in a robot testing room Mr Goecker - or rather the live screen image of him attached to the Texai - is a seamless part of the conversation. He pans and tilts the screen to follow who is speaking.
While some doubt that most employers and workers are ready to have remotely controlled robots trundling around, Willow Garage is working out the etiquette of human-robot interaction in the workplace. Texai robots, unlike some other telepresence machines, do not have the ability to record video, so employees do not worry about being under surveillance.
In addition the Texai's webcam has a see and be seen protocol - the pilot cannot just watch through the webcam without showing their corresponding webcam image on the screen.
Mr Goecker said: It changes the social dynamic, piloting a Texai robot. I am present, everybody treats me as present. Most people now just recognise the robot as a person - me. And that means there is a huge difference to the value of the work that I can do while sitting here 2,000 miles away.
The only thing I really can't do is shake someone's hand when I meet them. Oh, and go up stairs.
Mike Harvey, Technology Correspondent, Times Online
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article7123020.ece
Mr Goecker does not need to be there in person - he lives thousands of miles away in Indiana - because his robot is there every day, acting as his eyes, ears and feet.
His Texai robot is equipped with a screen at head height, video cameras, speakers, a microphone and wheels, enabling its pilot to be in two places at once. Mr Goecker controls the robot remotely and can attend meetings, drop by colleagues' cubicles for a chat or just hang out in the company cafe.
Most people just know me as the Texai, Mr Goecker said. I am there physically, I can see them, they can see me. I can approach them, chat in the corridor. If I was just using video chat on a computer, they would always have to come up to me, as it were.
Several companies and start-ups are investigating the potential of telepresence robots to give a new mobile twist to the fast-growing videoconferencing market.
Their research has been given fresh impetus by the Icelandic volcano which closed the skies above Europe and sent thousands of executives hurrying to telepresence suites to conduct urgent meetings.
Willow Garage has been conducting field tests with 25 of its Texai robots. Although production plans are at an early stage, one multi-national customer is in talks to buy 100 of them, according to product director Sanford Dickert.
A few miles away in Mountain View, Anybots is close to launching its own model at less than $20,000 each. The company will be building on the success of the prototype QA robot. The 5 feet 7 inches (160cm) tall humanoid machine weighs 30 pounds (13 kilograms) and comes equipped with two cameras and microphones, a computer screen and a versatile motorised wheel system.
The operator controls it over a wireless network using an ordinary computer, loaded with Anybots software - rather like playing a computer game. When you want to be at your desk you simply switch on the robot by remote.
Trevor Blackwell, founder of Anybots, said: It is the two-second commute that people have been talking about for years. For regular people to telecommute into their job, it basically has to come down below the price of a car. That is just happening now.
Advances in technology have finally made the deployment of robots into the workplace a marketable proposition. The adoption of reliable wireless networks in the office, better, faster video streaming and more powerful computer chips mean that the robots can act as mobile video chat portals, controlled over the internet.
Videoconferencing has seen a surge in interest in recent weeks as the volcanic cloud forced stranded business travellers to turn to remote chat. The sector has seen a flurry of acquisitions and is a key growth area as companies seek to cut business travel costs and their carbon footprint.
Global sales of video conferencing equipment and software reached $1.5 billion in 2009 and Gartner analysts have predicted that video telepresence could be stinging the travel industry for US$3.5 billion every year by 2012, replacing 2.1 million airline seats annually.
Videoconferencing company Polycom, based in the US, said it had seen use of its technology reach an all time high during the closure of European airspace last month.
Mike Swade, vice president of global accounts at Polycom, said: Flying around the world for a meeting is no longer necessary or efficient.
RoboDynamics, based in Santa Monica, has had its telepresence robot TiLR in the field since 2008. Its developers found that having a robot physically representing a remote worker in the office led to a boost in communication. Not only was the remote worker able much more easily to initiate conversations but the very presence of the robot gliding past reminded colleagues to ask the remote team member a question or inform him of something.
Personal video chat technology such as Skype has been growing steadily in popularity among business users and consumers. Skype has grabbed 12 per cent of all international calls with its free voice- and video-calling accounts.
This week Skype extended its global reach by rolling out new monthly calling subscription plans for more than 170 countries. The company is also testing a group-video service that will allow people in up to five locations to chat at the same time.
Willow Garage uses Skype as the video conference platform for the Texai. But its programmers have boosted the performance of the wireless router in the Texai to ensure that the signal is not interrupted.
Business is conducted not just in formal meetings, but in casual interactions and a remote presence allows you to fully participate, said Mr Dickert.
Across a table in a robot testing room Mr Goecker - or rather the live screen image of him attached to the Texai - is a seamless part of the conversation. He pans and tilts the screen to follow who is speaking.
While some doubt that most employers and workers are ready to have remotely controlled robots trundling around, Willow Garage is working out the etiquette of human-robot interaction in the workplace. Texai robots, unlike some other telepresence machines, do not have the ability to record video, so employees do not worry about being under surveillance.
In addition the Texai's webcam has a see and be seen protocol - the pilot cannot just watch through the webcam without showing their corresponding webcam image on the screen.
Mr Goecker said: It changes the social dynamic, piloting a Texai robot. I am present, everybody treats me as present. Most people now just recognise the robot as a person - me. And that means there is a huge difference to the value of the work that I can do while sitting here 2,000 miles away.
The only thing I really can't do is shake someone's hand when I meet them. Oh, and go up stairs.
Mike Harvey, Technology Correspondent, Times Online
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article7123020.ece
Utah Cyclists Urged to Pick Up Pace in Quest for Funding - 04/16/2010
Bike summit State making strides, but could do more.
Utahns increasingly are catching the vision of active transportation and their political leaders are starting to respond, participants in a statewide biking summit said Friday.
Now it's just a matter of organizing and pressing for more of the state's transportation dollars to improve biking and walking conditions, experts said.
Utah is middle of the road -- 29th among states -- when it comes to per-person spending on bikeways and pedestrian upgrades, said Jeff Miller, president of the Alliance for Biking & Walking and a speaker at the Salt Lake City Main Library event. That's $1.27 per person.
Still, he said, his nationwide advocacy group's research of the 50 states finds that traditionally car-conscious Utahns are choosing more active paths to work. Only 0.6 percent of Utah workers ride a bike to work, he said, but they represent a 96 percent jump since 1990.
Walkers are making greater strides. Statewide 9.2 percent of working Utahns walk to their jobs, according to the group's study. That's a 31 percent boost since 1990 -- the biggest such gain in the nation.
President Barack Obama's Transportation Department recently declared cyclists equal to motorists in transportation priorities. That doesn't mean the country won't keep expanding highways, Miller said, but it gives hope for better funding for safe cycling routes if local and statewide groups organize and make themselves heard.
We're citizens, he said. We're taxpayers. We're people, too, and people need choices.
The best way to increase bike safety is to get more cyclists on the streets, Miller said. A European study found that tripling the number of cyclists cut the total number of fatal accidents -- not just the per-person rate -- in half.
Motorists start noticing cyclists, he said.
First, though, cities and states have to make more-reluctant cyclists feel comfortable.
Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker opened the Utah Bike Summit by reiterating his city's commitment to the effort. The capital added 38 miles of bike lanes in 2009 during difficult economic times, he said, and will not let up this year.
It's integral to having a high-quality community, Becker said, because better biking access improves not only personal health and safety but also the valley's air quality.
Becker said it will take many years of investments, but ultimately he would like to see Salt Lake City's bikeways approximate those in Vienna, where there are separate bike signals at interchanges and dedicated bike detours during road construction.
The result is that a third of Viennese commuters use bikes, the mayor said, while another third use mass transit. That really should be what we're about as a community.
Utah cities also should consider taking up a national trend of open Sundays or other times when certain streets are dedicated only to cycling, said Tara McKee, editor of Cycle & Style (cycleandstyle.com), a Utah-based women's cycling website. The events bring out thousands in larger cities, she said, and often include aging women who otherwise might be afraid of trying to cycle again.
These programs can be baby steps, McKee said, to make people feel comfortable.
The summit continues today at the library and is free to the public. It's the second annual summit, though last year's event, proposed by Salt Lake City Councilman Luke Garrott, was limited to the city. This year the sponsors branched out to attract a statewide audience, and 200 have registered so far.
By Brandon Loomis The Salt Lake Tribune
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_14900554
Utahns increasingly are catching the vision of active transportation and their political leaders are starting to respond, participants in a statewide biking summit said Friday.
Now it's just a matter of organizing and pressing for more of the state's transportation dollars to improve biking and walking conditions, experts said.
Utah is middle of the road -- 29th among states -- when it comes to per-person spending on bikeways and pedestrian upgrades, said Jeff Miller, president of the Alliance for Biking & Walking and a speaker at the Salt Lake City Main Library event. That's $1.27 per person.
Still, he said, his nationwide advocacy group's research of the 50 states finds that traditionally car-conscious Utahns are choosing more active paths to work. Only 0.6 percent of Utah workers ride a bike to work, he said, but they represent a 96 percent jump since 1990.
Walkers are making greater strides. Statewide 9.2 percent of working Utahns walk to their jobs, according to the group's study. That's a 31 percent boost since 1990 -- the biggest such gain in the nation.
President Barack Obama's Transportation Department recently declared cyclists equal to motorists in transportation priorities. That doesn't mean the country won't keep expanding highways, Miller said, but it gives hope for better funding for safe cycling routes if local and statewide groups organize and make themselves heard.
We're citizens, he said. We're taxpayers. We're people, too, and people need choices.
The best way to increase bike safety is to get more cyclists on the streets, Miller said. A European study found that tripling the number of cyclists cut the total number of fatal accidents -- not just the per-person rate -- in half.
Motorists start noticing cyclists, he said.
First, though, cities and states have to make more-reluctant cyclists feel comfortable.
Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker opened the Utah Bike Summit by reiterating his city's commitment to the effort. The capital added 38 miles of bike lanes in 2009 during difficult economic times, he said, and will not let up this year.
It's integral to having a high-quality community, Becker said, because better biking access improves not only personal health and safety but also the valley's air quality.
Becker said it will take many years of investments, but ultimately he would like to see Salt Lake City's bikeways approximate those in Vienna, where there are separate bike signals at interchanges and dedicated bike detours during road construction.
The result is that a third of Viennese commuters use bikes, the mayor said, while another third use mass transit. That really should be what we're about as a community.
Utah cities also should consider taking up a national trend of open Sundays or other times when certain streets are dedicated only to cycling, said Tara McKee, editor of Cycle & Style (cycleandstyle.com), a Utah-based women's cycling website. The events bring out thousands in larger cities, she said, and often include aging women who otherwise might be afraid of trying to cycle again.
These programs can be baby steps, McKee said, to make people feel comfortable.
The summit continues today at the library and is free to the public. It's the second annual summit, though last year's event, proposed by Salt Lake City Councilman Luke Garrott, was limited to the city. This year the sponsors branched out to attract a statewide audience, and 200 have registered so far.
By Brandon Loomis The Salt Lake Tribune
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_14900554
Utah Motorist Urges Changing Driving Habits - 04/14/2010
State should encourage less driving
The Utah Department of Transportation plans to spend $4 billion to expand and upgrade some of the major highways in northern Utah this summer. UDOT officials are warning motorists away from busy construction areas and recommending staggered work schedules, working from home and riding buses or trains. We think those are fine suggestions; they're so sensible, in fact, that if more people adopted them permanently we might not need ever more and bigger roads. And our air quality just might improve, too.
Such measures are unavoidable to get the road work done. But a larger exigency is the threat to health and longevity from the stew of pollutants vehicles produce. We should be in long-term emergency mode to solve that problem.
One of the largest and most costly projects is the Interstate 15 expansion through 24 miles of Utah County with a price tag of $1.7 billion. The expectation is that, by adding at least two new lanes in each direction, plus auxiliary lanes between interchanges around Lehi, Provo-Orem and Springville, UDOT will relieve some very nasty congestion.
Surely such a project should make the ride through the county much quicker and smoother. But, considering how quickly the expanded I-15 through Davis County clogged back up, the project probably won't solve the problem for long.
The reality is that adding more roads and more freeway lanes encourages more drivers to drive more often and farther. Make it easier to drive and more people will do it. There is less incentive for employers to try telecommuting, and less motivation for motorists to carpool or use mass transit. More lanes simply feed the one-person, one-car mentality that keeps adding more pollutants to our already unhealthy air as the county adds 100,000 new residents.
UDOT uses education to encourage people to stay off the highways while crews are working. The same tactic, employed by state agencies and elected officials, might keep the converted off permanently. UDOT's Heather Barney says the goal is to reduce I-15 traffic by 20 percent in Utah County, and the agency will probably meet that goal by persuading motorists that driving less is in their own best interests. If UDOT can convince Utahns of that fact during a three-year construction project, why can't our governor, health department, legislators and other policy makers persuade drivers to make it an on-going practice?
Cleaning up the unhealthy air along the Wasatch Front is in everyone's best interests.
The Salt Lake Tribune
http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_14884656
The Utah Department of Transportation plans to spend $4 billion to expand and upgrade some of the major highways in northern Utah this summer. UDOT officials are warning motorists away from busy construction areas and recommending staggered work schedules, working from home and riding buses or trains. We think those are fine suggestions; they're so sensible, in fact, that if more people adopted them permanently we might not need ever more and bigger roads. And our air quality just might improve, too.
Such measures are unavoidable to get the road work done. But a larger exigency is the threat to health and longevity from the stew of pollutants vehicles produce. We should be in long-term emergency mode to solve that problem.
One of the largest and most costly projects is the Interstate 15 expansion through 24 miles of Utah County with a price tag of $1.7 billion. The expectation is that, by adding at least two new lanes in each direction, plus auxiliary lanes between interchanges around Lehi, Provo-Orem and Springville, UDOT will relieve some very nasty congestion.
Surely such a project should make the ride through the county much quicker and smoother. But, considering how quickly the expanded I-15 through Davis County clogged back up, the project probably won't solve the problem for long.
The reality is that adding more roads and more freeway lanes encourages more drivers to drive more often and farther. Make it easier to drive and more people will do it. There is less incentive for employers to try telecommuting, and less motivation for motorists to carpool or use mass transit. More lanes simply feed the one-person, one-car mentality that keeps adding more pollutants to our already unhealthy air as the county adds 100,000 new residents.
UDOT uses education to encourage people to stay off the highways while crews are working. The same tactic, employed by state agencies and elected officials, might keep the converted off permanently. UDOT's Heather Barney says the goal is to reduce I-15 traffic by 20 percent in Utah County, and the agency will probably meet that goal by persuading motorists that driving less is in their own best interests. If UDOT can convince Utahns of that fact during a three-year construction project, why can't our governor, health department, legislators and other policy makers persuade drivers to make it an on-going practice?
Cleaning up the unhealthy air along the Wasatch Front is in everyone's best interests.
The Salt Lake Tribune
http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_14884656
UTA Free Fare Day - 02/12/2010
UTA announced that passengers will ride free on all buses, trains and TRAX lightrail cars on February 12, 2010. The free fare day will hopefully encourage individuals to try public transit and see how easy and convenient it is.
Daybreak TravelWise Fair - 09/25/2009
September 25, 2009
4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Linear Park: Daybreak Rim Way and Kestrel Rise Road
Bring your family, neighbors and fellow commuters to the Daybreak TravelWise Fair for an afternoon of fun and awesome giveaways. Grab some useful information and meet with community organizations and businesses to learn more about ridesharing, carpooling, teleworking and a ton of other effective strategies and programs that can help make your daily travel a little easier.
The TravelWise program encourages Daybreak residents to:
Reduce emissions
Improve air quality
Conserve energy
Reduce automobile congestion
Make safe and healthy transportation decisions.
http://travelwise.utah.gov/partners_org.php
4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Linear Park: Daybreak Rim Way and Kestrel Rise Road
Bring your family, neighbors and fellow commuters to the Daybreak TravelWise Fair for an afternoon of fun and awesome giveaways. Grab some useful information and meet with community organizations and businesses to learn more about ridesharing, carpooling, teleworking and a ton of other effective strategies and programs that can help make your daily travel a little easier.
The TravelWise program encourages Daybreak residents to:
Reduce emissions
Improve air quality
Conserve energy
Reduce automobile congestion
Make safe and healthy transportation decisions.
http://travelwise.utah.gov/partners_org.php
Clear the Air School Challenge Launches - 08/24/2009
TravelWise has unveiled a new tool to help students learn about the impacts of their transportation choices. Similar to the Clear the Air Challenge calculator, the school version was created specifically for classes to use in conjunction with the TravelWise curriculum.
http://cleartheairchallenge.org/student_reg.php
http://cleartheairchallenge.org/student_reg.php
Regional Council to Develop Plan for Green Infrastructure - 08/21/2009
SALT LAKE CITY -- The Wasatch Front Regional Council wants Top of Utah communities to think green when it comes to development.
But at what costs, was the immediate concern of Davis and Weber County commissioners.
At a WFRC meeting Thursday in Salt Lake City, state officials authorized the council to contract with a local nonprofit organization to develop a plan for green infrastructure in the Top of Utah.
WFRC will work with the Center for Greenspace Design to complete two phases of a regional plan promoting environmentally friendly construction as communities plan for their future.
Green infrastructure is a network of connected open space and natural areas like wetlands, forest preserves, farmland, parks and ecological, scenic or recreational areas.
LaNiece Davenport, of the WFRC, said a green infrastructure plan will help connect communities to their landscapes and help them identify which land to preserve and conserve, where to construct roads and utilities and where to permit development.
Over the past year, WFRC staff has met with various entities to identify funding sources for the plan.
The entire project is expected to take 18 months to complete and will cost about $175,000.
WFRC has already acquired $81,000 for the plan from Utah Forestry and Fire and State Lands, the U.S. Forest Service, the Utah Quality Growth Commission, the Utah Department of Transportation and the Utah Transit Authority.
It's been a little bit of a bumpy road trying to secure funding, Davenport said.
We're trying to secure additional funding over the next 12 months.
Davenport said the WFRC would like cities to contribute as well.
At the council meeting, Weber County Commissioner Jan Zogmaister voiced concerns about how much counties and cities could contribute.
We may not have additional funding to contribute to this with the things we've already been doing, Zogmaister said.
Davis County Commissioner Louenda Downs had concerns with the plan interfering with what municipalities already have planned.
If you are going to come in and compliment what we've already been doing, that's great, Downs said. But if you're talking about changing things, you might run into a lot of resistance.
Davenport said the intent of the plan is to complement communities' existing plans.
Mitch Shaw Standard-Examiner Davis Bureau
But at what costs, was the immediate concern of Davis and Weber County commissioners.
At a WFRC meeting Thursday in Salt Lake City, state officials authorized the council to contract with a local nonprofit organization to develop a plan for green infrastructure in the Top of Utah.
WFRC will work with the Center for Greenspace Design to complete two phases of a regional plan promoting environmentally friendly construction as communities plan for their future.
Green infrastructure is a network of connected open space and natural areas like wetlands, forest preserves, farmland, parks and ecological, scenic or recreational areas.
LaNiece Davenport, of the WFRC, said a green infrastructure plan will help connect communities to their landscapes and help them identify which land to preserve and conserve, where to construct roads and utilities and where to permit development.
Over the past year, WFRC staff has met with various entities to identify funding sources for the plan.
The entire project is expected to take 18 months to complete and will cost about $175,000.
WFRC has already acquired $81,000 for the plan from Utah Forestry and Fire and State Lands, the U.S. Forest Service, the Utah Quality Growth Commission, the Utah Department of Transportation and the Utah Transit Authority.
It's been a little bit of a bumpy road trying to secure funding, Davenport said.
We're trying to secure additional funding over the next 12 months.
Davenport said the WFRC would like cities to contribute as well.
At the council meeting, Weber County Commissioner Jan Zogmaister voiced concerns about how much counties and cities could contribute.
We may not have additional funding to contribute to this with the things we've already been doing, Zogmaister said.
Davis County Commissioner Louenda Downs had concerns with the plan interfering with what municipalities already have planned.
If you are going to come in and compliment what we've already been doing, that's great, Downs said. But if you're talking about changing things, you might run into a lot of resistance.
Davenport said the intent of the plan is to complement communities' existing plans.
Mitch Shaw Standard-Examiner Davis Bureau
Car Sharing Debuts in Salt Lake City - 08/18/2009
Need a car but can't afford the payments?
It may sound like a worn-out sales pitch, but a new transit program in Salt Lake City offers an alternative to car ownership.
A division of U-Haul launched the U Car Share program Tuesday during a news conference at Salt Lake Central Station. The company runs car-sharing programs in Portland, Ore.; Berkley, Calif.; Madison, Wis.; and Portland, Maine.
Cimaron Neugebauer Deseret News
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705324332/Car-sharing-debuts-in-Salt-Lake-City.html
Governments Back Energy Saving, Clean Air Measures - 10/28/2008
State and local governments announced Tuesday morning a new initiative to encourage Utah employers and residents to telecommute, work flexible hours, ride public transportation, carpool, and walk or bike to save energy and reduce emissions along the Wasatch Front.
The initiative is called TravelWise. Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker and Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon, the Utah Department of Transportation and the Utah Transit Authority announced the initiative, along with a new Web site, www.travelwise.utah.gov, where Utah employers and residents can find ideas on how to participate.
Laura Hancock Deseret News
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/0,5143,705258691,00.html
The initiative is called TravelWise. Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker and Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon, the Utah Department of Transportation and the Utah Transit Authority announced the initiative, along with a new Web site, www.travelwise.utah.gov, where Utah employers and residents can find ideas on how to participate.
Laura Hancock Deseret News
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/0,5143,705258691,00.html
Mass-Transit, Highway System can Complement Each Other - 09/29/2008
The Coalition for Accountable Government recently complained that the investment in FrontRunner is a waste of investment, and the planned extension of the system from Salt Lake to Provo should be dropped. The coalition claims that, so far, FrontRunner has not reduced the congestion on I-15.
However, the Standard-Examiner's Sept. 9 editorial, Rail is necessary and valuable, argues against the views of the coalition and ends the editorial with the statement, Commuter rail is a good thing. It's expensive, but we need it. I am glad that the editorial recognizes the importance of the mass transit system and the folly of the policy of meeting demand for commuting and mobility only by building more highways.
In an opinion piece on Aug. 29 in the Standard-Examiner (Demand-side policies can solve many of the nation's problems), I argued that the traditional response to highway congestion has been to increase the supply of more highways by building new highways and/or expanding the capacity of existing ones. When resources like oil, raw materials, space, and air quality are plentiful and available at a reasonably low price commensurate with the income of the state and its people, it made economic sense to build highways. But, now we are finding out that a shortage of oil, raw materials, space, congestion, and air quality are driving up the social cost of construction and commuting; it is time that we plan for other modes of transportation.
The main purpose of any transportation department is to provide mobility to people and goods such that it maximizes net-benefit to the society (the difference between benefit and cost). The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) should not be concerned only with building the transportation system at minimum cost, but also in efficiently allocating users of the system among different modes of transportation.
If the highway system is congested and leads to more pollution, it may be cheaper for society to divert users to another mode of transportation.
Mass-transit complements the highway system because it reduces the congestion and pollution costs on Utah's highways.
The nonprofit foundation The Road Information Program (TRIP) reported in 2006 that for the top 10 most-congested sections of the Utah highway system, congestion costs (extra fuel used and time spent in congestion) varied from $621 to $1,275 per motorist per year. Among the top 10, the eight most-congested sections are in Utah County and Salt Lake counties. Total congestion cost per motorist per year was $4,321 in the five sections of Utah County.
TRIP also found that during 1990-2004, vehicle traffic in Utah increased by 69 percent, the fourth highest rate in the nation, while population increased by only 40 percent. The Reason Foundation finds that trips in the Salt Lake area take 28 percent longer to complete during rush hours as compared to non-rush hours. By 2030, the average rush-hour trip will take 59 percent longer to complete if transportation system capacity is not expanded.
Another cost associated with driving on the highways is the pollution cost. Victoria Transport Policy Institute estimates that in 2002 an average car in the U.S. imposed 6.2 cents per mile in pollution cost of greenhouse emissions during peak hours of driving. This implies that an average motorist imposed approximately $775 in pollution cost per year by undertaking a 50-mile roundtrip each working day during peak hours. The cost of riding mass-transit will be substantially less, as compared to all costs of driving, including congestion and pollution costs.
One way to finance mass transit, and at the same time reduce congestion and pollution costs to Utahns, is to impose congestion pricing. This means that people will pay to drive during peak hours on congested Utah highways. It would encourage people to take mass transit during peak hours. This would result in efficient allocation of users of the transportation network. Congestion pricing is tried successfully in cities like London, Stockholm and Singapore. According to the Environmental Defense Fund, Singapore was the first to implement congestion pricing in 1975. It resulted in a 20 percent increase in the use of public transportation and 45 percent reduction in traffic. Similar results were found in London and Stockholm.
Given Utahns' love for open spaces and a clean environment, it is imperative that leaders at UDOT and in the Legislature take bold steps to build a transportation network with minimum social costs and maximum social benefits.
Mathur is former chair of the economics department and professor emeritus of economics at Cleveland State University in Cleveland, Ohio. At present he resides in Ogden.
Vijay K. Mathur Guest Commentary Standard Examiner
However, the Standard-Examiner's Sept. 9 editorial, Rail is necessary and valuable, argues against the views of the coalition and ends the editorial with the statement, Commuter rail is a good thing. It's expensive, but we need it. I am glad that the editorial recognizes the importance of the mass transit system and the folly of the policy of meeting demand for commuting and mobility only by building more highways.
In an opinion piece on Aug. 29 in the Standard-Examiner (Demand-side policies can solve many of the nation's problems), I argued that the traditional response to highway congestion has been to increase the supply of more highways by building new highways and/or expanding the capacity of existing ones. When resources like oil, raw materials, space, and air quality are plentiful and available at a reasonably low price commensurate with the income of the state and its people, it made economic sense to build highways. But, now we are finding out that a shortage of oil, raw materials, space, congestion, and air quality are driving up the social cost of construction and commuting; it is time that we plan for other modes of transportation.
The main purpose of any transportation department is to provide mobility to people and goods such that it maximizes net-benefit to the society (the difference between benefit and cost). The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) should not be concerned only with building the transportation system at minimum cost, but also in efficiently allocating users of the system among different modes of transportation.
If the highway system is congested and leads to more pollution, it may be cheaper for society to divert users to another mode of transportation.
Mass-transit complements the highway system because it reduces the congestion and pollution costs on Utah's highways.
The nonprofit foundation The Road Information Program (TRIP) reported in 2006 that for the top 10 most-congested sections of the Utah highway system, congestion costs (extra fuel used and time spent in congestion) varied from $621 to $1,275 per motorist per year. Among the top 10, the eight most-congested sections are in Utah County and Salt Lake counties. Total congestion cost per motorist per year was $4,321 in the five sections of Utah County.
TRIP also found that during 1990-2004, vehicle traffic in Utah increased by 69 percent, the fourth highest rate in the nation, while population increased by only 40 percent. The Reason Foundation finds that trips in the Salt Lake area take 28 percent longer to complete during rush hours as compared to non-rush hours. By 2030, the average rush-hour trip will take 59 percent longer to complete if transportation system capacity is not expanded.
Another cost associated with driving on the highways is the pollution cost. Victoria Transport Policy Institute estimates that in 2002 an average car in the U.S. imposed 6.2 cents per mile in pollution cost of greenhouse emissions during peak hours of driving. This implies that an average motorist imposed approximately $775 in pollution cost per year by undertaking a 50-mile roundtrip each working day during peak hours. The cost of riding mass-transit will be substantially less, as compared to all costs of driving, including congestion and pollution costs.
One way to finance mass transit, and at the same time reduce congestion and pollution costs to Utahns, is to impose congestion pricing. This means that people will pay to drive during peak hours on congested Utah highways. It would encourage people to take mass transit during peak hours. This would result in efficient allocation of users of the transportation network. Congestion pricing is tried successfully in cities like London, Stockholm and Singapore. According to the Environmental Defense Fund, Singapore was the first to implement congestion pricing in 1975. It resulted in a 20 percent increase in the use of public transportation and 45 percent reduction in traffic. Similar results were found in London and Stockholm.
Given Utahns' love for open spaces and a clean environment, it is imperative that leaders at UDOT and in the Legislature take bold steps to build a transportation network with minimum social costs and maximum social benefits.
Mathur is former chair of the economics department and professor emeritus of economics at Cleveland State University in Cleveland, Ohio. At present he resides in Ogden.
Vijay K. Mathur Guest Commentary Standard Examiner
Sweetening the Deal - 07/10/2008
Ridership on the Utah Transit Authority's new FrontRunner commuter trains appears to be benefitting from business owners who are subsidizing their employees' tickets.
Several Davis County residents on one recent leg of their commute said a big factor in their decision to hop the train was reimbursements by their employers.
It saves me a ton of money, said Angie Larsen, a Layton resident who works for ARUP in Salt Lake City. She said the combination of saving on gas, avoiding sporadic gridlock on Interstate 15 and her employer's subsidization of her ticket makes riding the Frontrunner an easy choice - even though on most days it adds a bit to her commuting time. I was always planning on trying it, Larsen said. And after I did, I found it was easier than driving. It's more relaxing.
The Utah Transit Authority reports nearly 6,000 people are riding the FrontRunner every day - many from stations in Davis County to their workplaces in Salt Lake County. It's unknown how many employers are reimbursing their workers for their commuting tickets - an action the UTA and some business groups are encouraging to reduce traffic, decrease pollution and help employees during times of high gas prices.
Jacque Gallegos figures she's saving about $400 a month by taking the FrontRunner from her home in Syracuse to downtown Salt Lake City, where she works for the federal defenders office. With gas prices running about $4 per gallon, she said, she might consider taking the train even if her employer wasn't paying for her $120 monthly ticket. But with the subsidy, she said, it's an easy decision. And Steve Newman agrees. A Syracuse attorney, who works in Salt Lake City, said his firm reimburses him for much of his Frontrunner pass. Plus, he noted, he can work on the train - so the extra 20 minutes a day it usually takes to use the train over his car doesn't bother him.
Matthew D. LaPlante The Salt Lake Tribune
Several Davis County residents on one recent leg of their commute said a big factor in their decision to hop the train was reimbursements by their employers.
It saves me a ton of money, said Angie Larsen, a Layton resident who works for ARUP in Salt Lake City. She said the combination of saving on gas, avoiding sporadic gridlock on Interstate 15 and her employer's subsidization of her ticket makes riding the Frontrunner an easy choice - even though on most days it adds a bit to her commuting time. I was always planning on trying it, Larsen said. And after I did, I found it was easier than driving. It's more relaxing.
The Utah Transit Authority reports nearly 6,000 people are riding the FrontRunner every day - many from stations in Davis County to their workplaces in Salt Lake County. It's unknown how many employers are reimbursing their workers for their commuting tickets - an action the UTA and some business groups are encouraging to reduce traffic, decrease pollution and help employees during times of high gas prices.
Jacque Gallegos figures she's saving about $400 a month by taking the FrontRunner from her home in Syracuse to downtown Salt Lake City, where she works for the federal defenders office. With gas prices running about $4 per gallon, she said, she might consider taking the train even if her employer wasn't paying for her $120 monthly ticket. But with the subsidy, she said, it's an easy decision. And Steve Newman agrees. A Syracuse attorney, who works in Salt Lake City, said his firm reimburses him for much of his Frontrunner pass. Plus, he noted, he can work on the train - so the extra 20 minutes a day it usually takes to use the train over his car doesn't bother him.
Matthew D. LaPlante The Salt Lake Tribune
Gov., Mayors Urge Constituents to Trade Cars for Bikes - 07/09/2008
The governor and the state's two most powerful mayors agreed Tuesday to launch a P.R. blitz this fall to get more Utahns out of their cars and onto trains, buses and bicycles.
The reasons are ample: climate change, traffic jams, air pollution and skyrocketing energy costs, to name a few. Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker and Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon, both Democrats, along with Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., a Republican, are usual suspects when it comes to touting green policies in Utah.
Becker, since taking office in January, launched what were expected to be quarterly summits with Corroon and Huntsman. Bu the three power brokers quickly decided to convene monthly instead.
We've got along really well, Becker said after Tuesday's gathering. We find we have a lot of things to share and a lot of things in common as far as our approach.
At their June meeting, the three tackled traffic flow and light synchronization.
Now, they are expanding their transportation agenda to string bike lanes throughout Salt Lake County - and the state - and push commuters to double up or ditch their cars.
They expect their informational campaign to be ready in September. Becker, who has boosted city spending on bike lanes tenfold and created a new staff slot for bikeways and trails coordinator, plans to emphasize cycling, carpooling and involving employers.
For instance, Salt Lake City offers free transit passes to all employees and has a no-idling policy for workers sitting in city vehicles for more than 10 seconds. (Becker and Corroon also plan to wage a no-idling campaign in September to get parents to shut off the engine when they are waiting to pick up their kids at school.)
Corroon, pitching a green agenda as he seeks a second term this year, is pursuing rooftop solar power for all county buildings and aims to slash energy use by 20 percent by 2009.
Huntsman, also up for re-election, can point to his leadership among Western governors in the fight against climate change and the state's soon-to-be implemented four-day workweek to save on the energy costs for buildings and employee commutes.
Becker also suggested that using staggered work hours, when employees have varied start and end times, could relive those tangled rush-hour commutes.
Huntsman spokeswoman Lisa Roskelley said the regular summits have been valuable to spur continued dialogue about what the city, the county and the state can work on together.
It's working out well, she said.
There are ways we can collaborate that will not only benefit our governments but [also] benefit the citizens, Corroon added.
Becker acknowledges that the three leaders have an ulterior motive in expanding bike routes: They are all cyclists. Becker and Corroon have pedaled together, and the capital's mayor and governor are planning a joint ride. All three hope more Utahns will follow their lead and ditch the fast lane for the bike lane more often.
Rosemary Winters Salt Lake Tribune
The reasons are ample: climate change, traffic jams, air pollution and skyrocketing energy costs, to name a few. Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker and Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon, both Democrats, along with Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., a Republican, are usual suspects when it comes to touting green policies in Utah.
Becker, since taking office in January, launched what were expected to be quarterly summits with Corroon and Huntsman. Bu the three power brokers quickly decided to convene monthly instead.
We've got along really well, Becker said after Tuesday's gathering. We find we have a lot of things to share and a lot of things in common as far as our approach.
At their June meeting, the three tackled traffic flow and light synchronization.
Now, they are expanding their transportation agenda to string bike lanes throughout Salt Lake County - and the state - and push commuters to double up or ditch their cars.
They expect their informational campaign to be ready in September. Becker, who has boosted city spending on bike lanes tenfold and created a new staff slot for bikeways and trails coordinator, plans to emphasize cycling, carpooling and involving employers.
For instance, Salt Lake City offers free transit passes to all employees and has a no-idling policy for workers sitting in city vehicles for more than 10 seconds. (Becker and Corroon also plan to wage a no-idling campaign in September to get parents to shut off the engine when they are waiting to pick up their kids at school.)
Corroon, pitching a green agenda as he seeks a second term this year, is pursuing rooftop solar power for all county buildings and aims to slash energy use by 20 percent by 2009.
Huntsman, also up for re-election, can point to his leadership among Western governors in the fight against climate change and the state's soon-to-be implemented four-day workweek to save on the energy costs for buildings and employee commutes.
Becker also suggested that using staggered work hours, when employees have varied start and end times, could relive those tangled rush-hour commutes.
Huntsman spokeswoman Lisa Roskelley said the regular summits have been valuable to spur continued dialogue about what the city, the county and the state can work on together.
It's working out well, she said.
There are ways we can collaborate that will not only benefit our governments but [also] benefit the citizens, Corroon added.
Becker acknowledges that the three leaders have an ulterior motive in expanding bike routes: They are all cyclists. Becker and Corroon have pedaled together, and the capital's mayor and governor are planning a joint ride. All three hope more Utahns will follow their lead and ditch the fast lane for the bike lane more often.
Rosemary Winters Salt Lake Tribune
Traffic Congestion Costly, Taxpayer Association Says - 07/04/2008
During the slow crawl of a choked commute, drivers may want to use the time to consider why they're stuck in traffic.
That could be the key to less congestion for everyone.
Traffic congestion is stemming from a disconnect between the number of people driving at any time and the capacity of the road, according to a recent report by the Utah Taxpayers Association. The simple problem of too many people leaving at the same time and traveling the same roadway is costing drivers more than time in traffic, it's taking gas out of their tanks and dipping into their pocketbooks, too, the association said.
The reasons for congestion are mixed. Many wind along transportation corridors to get to and from work, yet others are visiting friends, shopping or are en route to the doctor's office. According to a study conducted by the Federal Highway Administration, the majority of trips made in the United States during both morning and afternoon rush hours are discretionary in nature.
While these discretionary trips may be necessary for drivers, the association would encourage commuters to avoid rush hour and travel during other times. By spreading the time people travel across the day, congestion could be subdued during peak hours, saving commuters time and money.
The association said that congestion imposes significant costs on commuters and truckers. It reported that the average Utahn spends more than the equivalent of three vacation days and an entire tank of gas idling in traffic each year. Utahns pay more than $250 million every year because of traffic congestion, and this figure does not include what the public spends in taxes to construct and maintain roadways, according to the Texas Transportation Institute.
Nile Easton, senior public relations specialist for the Utah Department of Transportation, said that while there are numerous factors contributing to clogged roadways, the most cost-effective solution to the problem is drivers modifying their behavior. He cited Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.'s executive decision to adapt the hours of operation for many state departments and agencies to a four-day, 10- hour schedule so staff could avoid congestion and reduce their offices' environmental impact daily.
Between 1982 and 2005, Utah's population increased by 64 percent, but the vehicle miles traveled by residents for the same time frame increased by 130 percent or by 14,233,000,000 miles, according to reports by the Federal Highway Administration.
The number of actual lane miles available to state drivers has only increased by 11,693 miles, a growth of about 105 percent.
Clayton Norlen Deseret News
That could be the key to less congestion for everyone.
Traffic congestion is stemming from a disconnect between the number of people driving at any time and the capacity of the road, according to a recent report by the Utah Taxpayers Association. The simple problem of too many people leaving at the same time and traveling the same roadway is costing drivers more than time in traffic, it's taking gas out of their tanks and dipping into their pocketbooks, too, the association said.
The reasons for congestion are mixed. Many wind along transportation corridors to get to and from work, yet others are visiting friends, shopping or are en route to the doctor's office. According to a study conducted by the Federal Highway Administration, the majority of trips made in the United States during both morning and afternoon rush hours are discretionary in nature.
While these discretionary trips may be necessary for drivers, the association would encourage commuters to avoid rush hour and travel during other times. By spreading the time people travel across the day, congestion could be subdued during peak hours, saving commuters time and money.
The association said that congestion imposes significant costs on commuters and truckers. It reported that the average Utahn spends more than the equivalent of three vacation days and an entire tank of gas idling in traffic each year. Utahns pay more than $250 million every year because of traffic congestion, and this figure does not include what the public spends in taxes to construct and maintain roadways, according to the Texas Transportation Institute.
Nile Easton, senior public relations specialist for the Utah Department of Transportation, said that while there are numerous factors contributing to clogged roadways, the most cost-effective solution to the problem is drivers modifying their behavior. He cited Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.'s executive decision to adapt the hours of operation for many state departments and agencies to a four-day, 10- hour schedule so staff could avoid congestion and reduce their offices' environmental impact daily.
Between 1982 and 2005, Utah's population increased by 64 percent, but the vehicle miles traveled by residents for the same time frame increased by 130 percent or by 14,233,000,000 miles, according to reports by the Federal Highway Administration.
The number of actual lane miles available to state drivers has only increased by 11,693 miles, a growth of about 105 percent.
Clayton Norlen Deseret News
Governor Cuts Energy Usage - 06/27/2008
Beginning in August many state offices will be closed Fridays to cut energy costs, shifting thousands of state workers to a four-day workweek, 10 hours a day.
Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. said his new Working 4 Utah initiative, which he announced Thursday, is also intended to provide better customer service to Utahns because the agencies affected will be open longer hours from Monday through Thursday: 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
This will be a very good thing for the state, the governor told reporters during the taping of his monthly news conference on KUED Channel 7, where he unveiled the new program set to take effect Aug. 4.
It is expected to save taxpayers an estimated $3 million in energy costs as well as cut the amount of money state employees have to spend on gas to commute to work.
Huntsman said the program will help the environment by reducing the state's carbon footprint.
The schedule only affects executive branch agencies, not state courts or the Legislature. Also excluded is public and higher education. Higher-education buildings make up the majority of the state's 3,000 buildings.
And the governor said other state functions will be exempted from the new schedule, including some in corrections, transportation and human services. But, he said, as many as 1,000 buildings throughout the state could end up being shut down on Fridays.
Many details remain to be worked out between now and August, however.
For example, the Department of Health still needs to determine whether to keep open the Bureau of Vital Statistics on Friday so people can pick up copies of birth and death certificates.
We'll figure out where we can shut down on Friday, said Tom Hudachko, health department spokesman. He said that's tricky because many department services, such as the medical examiner's office, must be available around the clock.
The projected energy savings are based on an analysis of six state buildings, including the massive office tower behind the state Capitol, according to Kim Hood, head of the Department of Administrative Services.
Hood said shutting down just those six buildings an extra day every week over the next year should shave $123,000 from the state's energy bills. It should also save employees in those buildings nearly $313,000 in gas costs.
About 23,000 state workers will be affected by the change and Huntsman predicted about 10 percent will have difficulties making child-care, transportation and other arrangements needed to accommodate the change from working five, eight-hour days a week.
Many local governments in Utah already have four-day workweeks.
West Valley City has operated on a four-day workweek schedule since 2000.
Most of the city's employees -- except sworn officers, building inspectors and a handful of others -- work Monday-Thursday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Lisa Riley Roche Deseret News
Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. said his new Working 4 Utah initiative, which he announced Thursday, is also intended to provide better customer service to Utahns because the agencies affected will be open longer hours from Monday through Thursday: 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
This will be a very good thing for the state, the governor told reporters during the taping of his monthly news conference on KUED Channel 7, where he unveiled the new program set to take effect Aug. 4.
It is expected to save taxpayers an estimated $3 million in energy costs as well as cut the amount of money state employees have to spend on gas to commute to work.
Huntsman said the program will help the environment by reducing the state's carbon footprint.
The schedule only affects executive branch agencies, not state courts or the Legislature. Also excluded is public and higher education. Higher-education buildings make up the majority of the state's 3,000 buildings.
And the governor said other state functions will be exempted from the new schedule, including some in corrections, transportation and human services. But, he said, as many as 1,000 buildings throughout the state could end up being shut down on Fridays.
Many details remain to be worked out between now and August, however.
For example, the Department of Health still needs to determine whether to keep open the Bureau of Vital Statistics on Friday so people can pick up copies of birth and death certificates.
We'll figure out where we can shut down on Friday, said Tom Hudachko, health department spokesman. He said that's tricky because many department services, such as the medical examiner's office, must be available around the clock.
The projected energy savings are based on an analysis of six state buildings, including the massive office tower behind the state Capitol, according to Kim Hood, head of the Department of Administrative Services.
Hood said shutting down just those six buildings an extra day every week over the next year should shave $123,000 from the state's energy bills. It should also save employees in those buildings nearly $313,000 in gas costs.
About 23,000 state workers will be affected by the change and Huntsman predicted about 10 percent will have difficulties making child-care, transportation and other arrangements needed to accommodate the change from working five, eight-hour days a week.
Many local governments in Utah already have four-day workweeks.
West Valley City has operated on a four-day workweek schedule since 2000.
Most of the city's employees -- except sworn officers, building inspectors and a handful of others -- work Monday-Thursday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Lisa Riley Roche Deseret News
Utah is 5th in the Sharing of Rides - 06/14/2008
Utah is fifth in the nation for the percentage of commuters who carpool but below the national average when it comes to drivers who prefer transit to their car, according to a report released Wednesday by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Census data from 2005 show that 12.8 percent of Utah commuters said they carpool to work, compared with 10.7 percent of commuters nationally. A total of 2.3 percent of Utahns take mass transit, compared with 4.7 percent nationally.
The state was just below the national average of 77 percent for the number of people who said they drive solo to work, with 76.5 percent of Utah drivers traveling alone.
Nationwide, about 87.7 percent of commuters said they like to drive to work.
Meanwhile, about half of the nation's transit users were found in 10 of America's largest cities, including Chicago, New York, Boston and Washington, D.C. These cities also had high rates of transit use, according to the report.
The report was compiled with data from the American Community Survey, a nationwide poll conducted by the Census Bureau. About 250,000 people were contacted each month in 2005 to contribute to data in the survey. The margin of error for the survey ranged from 1.7 percent to 0.1 percent, with data from each state surveyed having a different error margin.
Chad Saley, spokesman for the Utah Transit Authority, said his agency was pleased with the transit and carpooling numbers, especially considering Utah's population when compared to other states.
It is obviously exciting to be ranked that high in both the carpooling and the transit-use numbers, he said. While below the national average, Utah ranked 18th for transit usage.
Washington, D.C., had the highest number of transit users, at 37.7 percent, while New York ranked second, at 25.8 percent. Hawaii had the highest number of carpoolers, at 15.6 percent, and Alaska ranked second, at 15.1 percent.
The report can be found at: factfinder.census.gov. Once at that site, scroll down and click on the link that says get data under the heading that says American Community Survey.
Nicole Warburton Deseret Morning News
http://factfinder.census.gov/
Census data from 2005 show that 12.8 percent of Utah commuters said they carpool to work, compared with 10.7 percent of commuters nationally. A total of 2.3 percent of Utahns take mass transit, compared with 4.7 percent nationally.
The state was just below the national average of 77 percent for the number of people who said they drive solo to work, with 76.5 percent of Utah drivers traveling alone.
Nationwide, about 87.7 percent of commuters said they like to drive to work.
Meanwhile, about half of the nation's transit users were found in 10 of America's largest cities, including Chicago, New York, Boston and Washington, D.C. These cities also had high rates of transit use, according to the report.
The report was compiled with data from the American Community Survey, a nationwide poll conducted by the Census Bureau. About 250,000 people were contacted each month in 2005 to contribute to data in the survey. The margin of error for the survey ranged from 1.7 percent to 0.1 percent, with data from each state surveyed having a different error margin.
Chad Saley, spokesman for the Utah Transit Authority, said his agency was pleased with the transit and carpooling numbers, especially considering Utah's population when compared to other states.
It is obviously exciting to be ranked that high in both the carpooling and the transit-use numbers, he said. While below the national average, Utah ranked 18th for transit usage.
Washington, D.C., had the highest number of transit users, at 37.7 percent, while New York ranked second, at 25.8 percent. Hawaii had the highest number of carpoolers, at 15.6 percent, and Alaska ranked second, at 15.1 percent.
The report can be found at: factfinder.census.gov. Once at that site, scroll down and click on the link that says get data under the heading that says American Community Survey.
Nicole Warburton Deseret Morning News
http://factfinder.census.gov/
Tech that Makes Telecommuting Work - 06/01/2008
The information age has a split personality. Technology improves ever more quickly and we're online everywhere, easily connecting with people around the world. Yet time and money is consumed traveling from place to place by burning the diminishing remains of dinosaurs. Even worse, with gasoline at $4, our gadgets are less consolation while we're stuck in rush-hour traffic.
But technology, gadgets, flexibility and simple steps by employers and workers can achieve the long-promised benefits of telecommuting.
Working successfully from home or another remote location involves more than a creaky computer and slow Internet connection. It requires at least a complete and distinct office, including printer, fax capability (device or Web-based), scanner, copier, desk and mailing supplies, said Stan King, chief executive of Information Technology, based in Falls Church. He also suggests teleconferencing capability with camera and audio, privacy, quiet and a focus on work rather than watching TV or running errands.
Jeff Savit, principal engineer at Sun Microsystems in New Jersey, advocates using separate personal and business computers so documents and security issues don't overlap. He likes sharing a common calendar with co-workers, because they can't see if you're at your desk, so they know where you are and whether you can be reached.
He says that it's worth being as self-sufficient as possible for all the technology bits, because even companies with good telecommuting programs will not be as fast to diagnose and fix your problems as they are for problems of those in the office.
All but the most independent workers need access to a central network, files and servers. Among the most secure and robust technologies for this is VPN, or virtual private network, available from many sources. VPN requires some setup and administration.
Fee-based services such as GoToMyPC.com, free tools such as LogMeIn.com, and native facilities such as Windows' Remote Desktop make an office computer accessible from anywhere there's a computer and broadband connection. If files are shared among central and remote workers, FTP, or file transfer protocol, is a handy way to convey and store them.
Technology can mitigate feelings of isolation and the lack of hall encounters and water-cooler chats. Bevi Chagnon, president of PubCom in Takoma Park, favors online collaboration and conferencing software such as Adobe Acrobat Connect.
You must have a way for two or more people to easily -- and I mean easily -- have an online conversation about jobs, tasks, projects, she said.
Other interactive tools such as instant messaging or IRC (Internet relay chat) bridge distance.
Some connections allow administrators to back up data, but following Savit's self-sufficiency mandate requires remote workers to handle complete and regular back up details themselves.
Each remote function demands bandwidth, so a worthwhile investment is a fast Internet connection.
Relatively new technologies allow users to carry applications such as word processing, Web browsing, e-mail, spreadsheets and associated data files on tiny USB drives. These portable desktop alternatives can make any computer a functional office.
Being businesslike starts with telephone access. Unlimited service avoids nasty billing surprises. A dedicated line with reliable voice mail and non-cute greeting sets the right tone for callers.
Employer support is necessary for successful telecommuting. Company skills directories to find the expert allow teleworkers to contact colleagues quickly.
Help desks and information technology staff must recognize and support their invisible brethren.
Workers aren't the only ones who benefit from telecommuting. A recent focus group held by Telework Exchange, an Alexandria-based group that promotes telecommuting, underlined that telework is an important employee recruiting and retention tool.
Addressing societal benefits, a Federal Web site, http://www.telework.gov, highlights how telecommuting enables public and private employers to sustain continuity of operations during natural disasters or terrorist incidents.
Of course, it reduces the economy's dependency on the dinosaur.
Gabe Goldberg The Washington Post
http://www.telework.gov/
But technology, gadgets, flexibility and simple steps by employers and workers can achieve the long-promised benefits of telecommuting.
Working successfully from home or another remote location involves more than a creaky computer and slow Internet connection. It requires at least a complete and distinct office, including printer, fax capability (device or Web-based), scanner, copier, desk and mailing supplies, said Stan King, chief executive of Information Technology, based in Falls Church. He also suggests teleconferencing capability with camera and audio, privacy, quiet and a focus on work rather than watching TV or running errands.
Jeff Savit, principal engineer at Sun Microsystems in New Jersey, advocates using separate personal and business computers so documents and security issues don't overlap. He likes sharing a common calendar with co-workers, because they can't see if you're at your desk, so they know where you are and whether you can be reached.
He says that it's worth being as self-sufficient as possible for all the technology bits, because even companies with good telecommuting programs will not be as fast to diagnose and fix your problems as they are for problems of those in the office.
All but the most independent workers need access to a central network, files and servers. Among the most secure and robust technologies for this is VPN, or virtual private network, available from many sources. VPN requires some setup and administration.
Fee-based services such as GoToMyPC.com, free tools such as LogMeIn.com, and native facilities such as Windows' Remote Desktop make an office computer accessible from anywhere there's a computer and broadband connection. If files are shared among central and remote workers, FTP, or file transfer protocol, is a handy way to convey and store them.
Technology can mitigate feelings of isolation and the lack of hall encounters and water-cooler chats. Bevi Chagnon, president of PubCom in Takoma Park, favors online collaboration and conferencing software such as Adobe Acrobat Connect.
You must have a way for two or more people to easily -- and I mean easily -- have an online conversation about jobs, tasks, projects, she said.
Other interactive tools such as instant messaging or IRC (Internet relay chat) bridge distance.
Some connections allow administrators to back up data, but following Savit's self-sufficiency mandate requires remote workers to handle complete and regular back up details themselves.
Each remote function demands bandwidth, so a worthwhile investment is a fast Internet connection.
Relatively new technologies allow users to carry applications such as word processing, Web browsing, e-mail, spreadsheets and associated data files on tiny USB drives. These portable desktop alternatives can make any computer a functional office.
Being businesslike starts with telephone access. Unlimited service avoids nasty billing surprises. A dedicated line with reliable voice mail and non-cute greeting sets the right tone for callers.
Employer support is necessary for successful telecommuting. Company skills directories to find the expert allow teleworkers to contact colleagues quickly.
Help desks and information technology staff must recognize and support their invisible brethren.
Workers aren't the only ones who benefit from telecommuting. A recent focus group held by Telework Exchange, an Alexandria-based group that promotes telecommuting, underlined that telework is an important employee recruiting and retention tool.
Addressing societal benefits, a Federal Web site, http://www.telework.gov, highlights how telecommuting enables public and private employers to sustain continuity of operations during natural disasters or terrorist incidents.
Of course, it reduces the economy's dependency on the dinosaur.
Gabe Goldberg The Washington Post
http://www.telework.gov/
