Hispanic Businesses in Arlington Go Car-Free

From arlingtonva.us:

By the end of the two-week challenge, 147 competitors logged more than 2,500 non-single occupancy vehicle commutes — either walking, biking, taking the bus or rail, carpooling or teleworking. First place went to the employees at Super Pollo, a Peruvian restaurant located at 550 N. Quincy St.

The friendly competition — titled Reto Dieto Cero-Auto 2016, or Car-Free Diet Challenge 2016 — began in May with 15 Hispanic-oriented businesses participating. The purpose was to promote the benefits that other transportation options bring to the environment, by reducing traffic, encouraging a healthier lifestyle, and saving money too. Businesses were given a kit including instructions and a tracking calendar, and each participant tracked what form of transportation they used to commute each day.

Danny Cardona, Super Pollo’s general manager, complimented Arlington County Commuter Services’ outreach to the Hispanic community, “They make it very easy for Spanish speakers by having so much information available in Spanish. Arlington makes it easy for residents and tourists to get around. You go to any restaurant or hotel or other type of business, and you see the ART bus maps. It’s great!”

The Reto Dieto Cero-Auto team gathered commuting data from 55 participants to calculate their estimated savings in dollars and CO2 emissions. By not driving alone, we estimate each individual would save an average of $3,818 per year and would reduce their annual CO2 emissions by 9 tons.

Video via arlingtonva.us

For Veronica Arbaiza from El Paso Café, the competition “was a fun way to promote the health and well-being of employees and also an overall positive attitude about the Arlington community we live in. It was nice to congratulate everyone for choosing to be active by walking to work, by taking the time to coordinate schedules and carpool, or by taking the bus and using all the tech-friendly apps and website info that Arlington provides.”

Final results can be seen on the Dieta Cero-Auto website (in Spanish). Arlington County Commuter Services and the Dieta Cero-Auto program congratulate all the participating businesses and thank them for helping to make Arlington a great place to live, work and visit:

Arlington Pediatric Dentistry
Bu-Gata
Café Sazón
Cassiel’s Salon & Spa
Columbia Pike Chiropractic
El Paso Café
El Pollo Rico
El Ranchero Bar & Grill
Fidel Dental Group
Giant Penrose
La Tasca
La Unión Restaurant
Pike Restaurant
Sacoto Pediatrics
Super Pollo

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