UPDATE: Governor Haslam Presents Smart Trips With TDEC Governor's Environmental Stewardship Award

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Environment and Conservation Commissioner Bob Martineau presented Smart Trips, the regional program that rewards work commuters for driving less, with the 2013 Governor's Environmental Stewardship Award for Clean Air at Lipscomb University's Shamblin Theatre in Nashville yesterday. Smart Trips was one of 12 honorees recognized for having made a positive impact on Tennessee's natural resources.

"Today's award ceremony honored groups and individuals across the state for their commitment to a healthier Tennessee," Haslam said. "I want to commend all of this year's honorees for their innovative efforts to help conserve and protect Tennessee's natural resources for future generations."

_________________________________________________Smart Trips Wins TDEC Governor's Environmental Stewardship Award

Smart Trips, a regional program that promotes clean air by encouraging and rewarding commuters who drive less, will be awarded the 2013 Governor's Environmental Stewardship Award for Excellence in Clean Air at a ceremony on June 25 in Nashville. Award winners in several categories, which were announced by Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam and Environment and Conservation Commissioner Bob Martineau last week, will be recognized for their positive impact on the state's environment and natural resources at the ceremony.

"The continued health of Tennessee's air, land and water plays a critical role in keeping our communities strong and attractive for locating a business or raising a family," Haslam said. "Recognizing the innovative efforts that help conserve and protect our natural resources is important, and today's announcement shows that Tennesseans are committed to caring for our state in a way that affects today and future generations."

This award comes on the heels of the national recognition that Smart Trips received earlier this year for its outstanding efforts in the 2012 Race to Excellence sponsored by the National Center for Transit Research. In that race, Smart Trips earned the coveted Gold Award for its creative approach to transportation demand management (TDM) and was named Best of in the Category of TDM Agencies.

The Governor's Environmental Stewardship Awards (GESA) program recognizes exceptional voluntary actions that improve or protect our environment and natural resources. The program covers nine categories. The 11 winners were chosen from more than 100 applicants based on criteria including on-the-ground achievement, innovation and public education.

"The quality of our environment directly affects our quality of life, impacting how Tennesseans live, work and play," added Martineau. "It's important that we pause to recognize the people and organizations that work so hard to protect our environment, while teaching others about sustainability."

Smart Trips' mission is to improve air quality and ease traffic congestion. The program rewards participants for choosing green commuting options and works with regional employers to develop customized worksite programs. The Smart Trips program grew by more than 30 percent last year thanks in part to a robust outreach campaign and enhanced incentives. Smart Trips is funded by a federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality grant and is a program of the Knoxville-Knox County Metropolitan Planning Commission's Transportation Planning Organization.

For more information about Smart Trips go to www.knoxsmarttrips.orgor call (865) 215- 2916.

Posted 06-12-2013. Written by Alisa Ashouri. Updated 06-26-2013.