RELEASE DATE:                   Thursday, April 13, 2023

MONTEREY COUNTY –  Have you joined the  “Move It Monterey County Spring Challenge?” It not, there’s still time! Join the challenge now for  the opportunity to win prizes valued at more than $7,000 by moving your body  in the annual spring challenge presented by  the Transportation Agency for Monterey County (TAMC), Blue Zones Project Monterey County and the Monterey Youth Museum.  

The  Move It Monterey County Spring Challenge, presented by the Transportation Agency’s Go831 Smart Commute and Safe Routes to School programs, is to encourage community members to get outdoors and move their bodies. It’s not too late to create your own activity, or join a Blue Zones Project “walking moai,” or activity sponsored by My Museum. The Challenge began on April 1 and will end on Friday, May 5, 2023. Anyone who enters, even on this date as an opportunity to win prizes.

Commuters traveling to and from work can also join the Challenge to help reduce traffic, greenhouse gas emissions and promote healthier lifestyles by telecommuting, carpooling, walking, biking, riding transit or a combination of any of these options instead of driving alone. Every participant who registers for the Challenge has the opportunity to win prizes valued at more than $7,000.

Prizes can be won during individual, team, employer, and school competitions. They include gift cards to local businesses, bicycles, scooters, scooter/bike racks and an electric bike to use as a company vehicle for the winning worksite. Each participant who completes and tracks at least two eligible trips during the challenge will be automatically entered into a random drawing to win a brand-new bike.

Individuals, teams, schools, worksites, families, and friends can register for the “Move It Monterey County Spring Challenge”, through the Transportation Agency’s Go831 program. Once registered, participants can use the RideAmigos or Strava apps to log their trips at least once a week.

Three quick easy steps to register:

1.  Participants must first register online at go831.rideamigos.com using their personal, work or student email OR a QR code distributed by their employer or school. 
2. Bike, walk, take a bus, or carpool to work, school, to shops or just for fun (bike and walk trips get double points!) You can even get credit for skipping the trip and teleworking instead! To get credit for their points earned, participants must track them on the go831.rideamigos.com platform or by downloading and using the CommuteTrack app by Rideamigos, or the Strava app.

Winners of the Move It Monterey County Challenge will be announced in June.

For more information on the Move It Monterey County Challenge and how to participate click onto: https://go831.rideamigos.com or visit https://montereycounty.bluezonesproject.com/   to join a walking moai group.    

So, it’s not too late!   Take the challenge! Get out, enjoy the fresh air, and move your body!

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 The Transportation Agency for Monterey County (TAMC) is responsible for investing in regional transportation projects for Monterey County residents, businesses and visitors.  The mission of TAMC is to develop and maintain a multimodal transportation system that enhances mobility, safety, access, environment quality and economic activities in Monterey County. For more information visit www.tamcmonterey.org or call 831.775.0903.

Go831 is a countywide rideshare program sponsored by the Transportation Agency for Monterey County aimed at reducing traffic and improving air quality and health by encouraging smart commuting instead of driving solo. The program is offered for free to employers and commuters in Monterey County. To learn more about Go831 or how to participate in the program, contact Ariana Green at ariana@tamcmonterey.org or Theresa Wright @theresa@tamcmonterye.org or call 831.755.0903.

 “The” Safe Route to School” is a TAMC program which offers tools, programming, and resources to schools, guardians, and communities aimed at improving safety and traffic around schools. The program’s goal is to keep every child safe and healthy by reducing the number of students involved in collisions to zero. For more information visit https://saferoutesmonterey.org”

 Blue Zones Project Monterey County

Brought to Monterey County through an innovative sponsorship by Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System, Taylor Farms, and Montage Health in collaboration with Sharecare, Inc. and Blue Zones, LLC, Blue Zones Project® is a community-by-community well-being improvement initiative designed to enable community members to live longer, happier lives with lower rates of chronic diseases and a higher quality of life. Based on principles developed by Dan Buettner, National Geographic Fellow, and New York Times best-selling author of “The Blue Zones” and “The Blue Zones Solution,” Blue Zones Project is designed to designed to make healthy choices easier through permanent changes to the built environment, policy, and social networks. To learn more about Blue Zones Project, contact the Blue Zones Project team in Monterey County or visit info.bluezonesproject.com/montereycounty

 The Monterey County Youth Museum provides an environment where curiosity and creativity flourish, while both children and adults discover the thrill of lifelong learning. MY Museum is located at 428 Washington Street, Monterey, CA 93940. For more information, visit, www.mymuseum.org, call 831.649.6444 or info@mymuseum.org.