MTA Long Island Rail Road is co-sponsoring the 3rd Annual Car Free Day Long Island on Sept. 22, the day supporters hope thousands of Long Islanders who usually drive will leave their car at home and take the LIRR to work, school, or to run errands.
Sponsors of the Long Island effort, including the LIRR, will gather today until 4 p.m. for a rally at Farmingdale State College to encourage Nassau and Suffolk residents to participate.
Car Free Day gives us the opportunity to consider the negative impact of single occupancy vehicles. Using cars less by using alternative modes such as the LIRR, carpooling, bicycles, walking and telecommuting helps reduce traffic, conserve energy, reduce harmful emissions, reduce parking problems, save money, and even improve fitness. Last year 2,855 Long Islanders pledged to be car-free or car-lite, saving over 72 thousand miles of driving and 36 tons of CO2 emissions.
So far this year, over 2,150 Long Island residents and workers have already pledgedto be car-free. Others who choose to take the sustainable route, and complete a pledge online, will be eligible to win free raffle prizes including bicycles, gift cards and theater tickets. Already car free? That’s great. And, since you’re doing the right thing, you will also get the same chance to win prizes when you fill out the pledge form. A complete list of raffle prizes can be found at the promotions page on the Car Free Day LI website.
World Car Free Day is actually an international environmental event celebrated on September 22 every year in over 1,500 cities and over 40 countries.
