Go for Green …

… encourages outdoor physical activity that protects, enhances, or restores the environment.

… works with organizations, businesses, governments at all levels, and community groups

Active Living Environmental Citizenship

Go for Green programs Active Transportation

In the WorkplaceIn the Community

Commuter Challenge

Active & Safe Routes to School

Ice Dreams

Trails Canada

Gardening for Life

Winter Green

Green Prescription

Health

Environment

Transportation

Air Pollution

Green Spaces

Greenhouse Gases

Walking and cycling infrastructure

Land use planning

Low dose physical activity

Healthy active population

Active TransportationTransportation includes…

walking, bicyclingwheel chairingin-line skating skateboardingskating skiing

Short trips - less than 30 mins(2.5 km of walking, 8 km of cycling)

all modesmodes of transportation that require human power

What are the issues?

The personal health of Canadians is being compromised by physical inactivity.

Two thirds of all Canadians are not physically active enough to achieve health benefits. (Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute, 1999 and 2002)

Physical Inactivity

The health of our environment is in danger from the negative impact of our current lifestyles.

92% believe that environmental problems will affect the health of future generations. (The 2003 International Environmental Monitor: GlobeScan Inc )

Health of the Environment

Source: Center for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Eurostat, Public Health Statistics (from Eurobarometer 44-3).

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Percentage of Urban Trips by Walking and Cycling in the USA, Canada and Europe, 1995

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Source:  Pucher and Dijkstra, “Promoting Safe Walking and Cycling to Improve Public Health: Lessons from the Netherlands and Germany,” American Journal of Public Health, September 2003, Vol. 93, No. 9, pp. 1509-1516.

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Does auto-dependency make us fat? Obesity falls sharply with increased walking, cycling, and transit use.

Source: Pucher and Dijkstra, “Promoting Safe Walking and Cycling to Improve Public Health, Am Journal of Public Health, September 2003.

Business Case for Active

Transportation

• Created as a follow-up to the first National Roundtable on Active Transportation hosted by Go for Green

• Outlines the economic, environmental and health benefits of walking and cycling

Target

• Currently 6.6 % of Canadians walk to work and 1.2 % cycle, a combined total of 7.8 % (Statistics Canada 2001 Census)

• Recommended increase of mode share to 10.4 % for walking and 4.8 % cycling for a combined total of 15.2 % (current mode share for Victoria, B.C.)

Total Economic Benefits

Total economic benefits of active transportation at the current levels

(7.8%) are estimated at $3.5 billion dollars per year.

If active transportation mode share for all of Canada increases to 15.2%, the direct benefits would increase to

7.0 billion dollars per year.

Enhanced Health and Reductions in Health Care

costs

• Improved health and reduced health care costs associated with physical inactivity, air pollution and bodily injuries caused by motor vehicle accidents

• Health care costs would be reduced by $480,144,000 annually

Competitiveness of the Economy

• Improved competitiveness of our economy through reduced traffic congestion costs, and improved workplace productivity measures.

• Anticipated $616,380,000 contribution to our economy.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions

If we reach an Active Transportation mode share of 15.2% an equivalent of 3.3

million tonnes of CO2 are not emitted into the atmosphere annually.

One Tonne Challenge

Each commuter who switches to Active Transportation could achieve nearly two-thirds of the individual goal set under Environment Canada’s “One Tonne

Challenge” (a reduction of 0.64 tonnes annually).

Reductions in Air Pollution

Each 1% of automobile travel replaced by Active

Transportation decreases motor vehicle air

pollution emissions by 2% to 4%.

Total Environmental Benefits

The environmental benefits of using active transportation including reductions in greenhouse gas

emissions, air pollution, water pollution and noise would total $636,272,000

annually.

Automobile User Savings

Total user savings for fuel, repair, maintenance and parking of

automobiles would total $1,995,136,000.

Tourism and Bicycling

• Bicycle sales and bicycle tourism currently account for $637,168,000 annually.

• The projected value of this industry would be in the billions of dollars annually.

Conclusion

• Many countries have significantly higher levels of Active Transportation use indicating much room for growth in Canada especially in cycling.

• A major barrier is the lack of safe, convenient facilities. Legislation to promote and support Active Transportation at all levels is critical.

• The economic benefits realized with a modest increase in mode share are enough to support increased government investment in Active Transportation.

How Can You Help?

• Ensure that any national communication and social marketing campaigns developed within the Pan-Canadian Healthy Living Strategy contain messages encouraging people to choose forms of Active Transportation over the car to get to routine destinations.

 • Support the development of a National Active

Transportation Strategy.

• Include Active Transportation images and messages in the proposed national “Physical Activity and Food Guide”.