Since 2003, Madison Environmental Group has hosted a Car-Free Challenge on World Car-Free Day.
The idea of the Challenge is to pay attention to when and where you drive, to have fun trying new ways to get around, and to save money in the process. By driving less, we can improve our quality of life. Please Take the Challenge.

One mile at a time, it all adds up.
During the 2005 Challenge, 766 people took the time to keep personal trip logs. In a 2-week period, they:

• Reduced their driving by 52,191 miles. That’s 2.1 times around the earth.
• Effectively removed 136 cars from the road (driven 10,000 miles per year).
• Saved 2,088 gallons of gasoline.
• Reduced 41,753 pounds (21 tons) of CO2, a greenhouse gas.
• Biked 13,001 miles, walked 1,359 miles, bussed 10,402 miles, and carpooled 27,872 miles.

The good news spreads.
Going Without (October 2, 2006) Sandy Cullen, Wisconsin State Journal. read article

If You Can’t Beat Big Oil Guys, Join ‘em (September 13, 2005) Mike Ivey, The Capital Times. read article

Driving less, and loving it (October 28,2005) Lisa Goodman, Isthmus. read article

If you can swing it, car-free life is admirable (September 23, 2004) Susan Lampert Smith, Wisconsin State Journal. read article

Car-free Riders Take Bow After Challenge (October 15, 2004) Samara Kalk Derby, The Capital Times. read article

Car-Free Challengers Reduced Over 16,000 Miles in 2 Weeks (October 15, 2004) read news release

Two Weeks of Car-Free Living Can Change Habits for Good (October 2004) Bebecca Grossberg, Carbusters. read article

Your stories inspire us.
Please share your story for our website. Stories like the ones below help motivate others:

Francisco Rodriguez of Madison, Wisconsin, biked 242 miles and bussed 51 miles in two weeks, admitting that “I drove everywhere before this!” He biked five miles with his eight-year-old son to a soccer game, and exclaimed that after the ride the boy played “his best game ever.”

Julie Mitchell described her nearly car-free lifestyle since moving to Madison from San Diego: “I now live 15 minutes walking distance to work, and I am right on the bus line. I am also within walking distance of nightlife and groceries. In total, I’ve used my car three times in the month I’ve been here, and I just love my new lifestyle.”

Shelly Rufer, Director of Human Resources at Physicians Plus Insurance Corporation in Madison, says,”The Car-Free Challenge was a great experience. I began carpooling with my daughter, a UW student, as part of this year’s Challenge. When the program ended, I continued to carpool with my daughter most days of the week, so this challenge has actually changed my commuting behavior. I hope to carpool with her for several years to come.”