Totem Lake Green Trip, a program sponsored and administered by the City of  Kirkland to reduce vehicle miles traveled, recently awarded Courtyard by Marriott – Kirkland a grant to start a commute program for the hotel’s employees.

The grant will provide each employee with an ORCA Business Passport transit program, which will cover the cost of riding the bus or sharing the ride in a vanpool or vanshare.  Employees will also be able to earn additional rewards by logging their non-drive alone commute trips through Totem Lake Green Trip’s online calendar.

“The goal of Totem Lake Green Trip is to decrease the number of cars that are commuting in and around Totem Lake and to inform employees, employers and residents of the commute resources that are available to them.” said Thang Nguyen, transportation engineer for the City of Kirkland.

The Totem Lake Green Trip program is sponsored and administered by the City of Kirkland to reduce vehicle miles traveled, encourage the use of alternative commute modes and decrease the effects of greenhouse gas emissions.  The program is funded through a federal Congestion Mitigation & Air Quality (CMAQ) improvement grant.

“These grants help employers to establish their own transportation management program (TMP)  to encourage their employees to try new ways of commuting.  We’ve found from employer surveys that employees are more opted to change their commute to drive less if an employer has a transportation program and support them, employees see an employee transportation program as a benefit. ”

“All of us here at the Courtyard by Marriott – Kirkland hotel are very excited by the prospect of being a part of such a wonderful program as Totem Lake Green Trip,” said Courtyard General Manager Maxim Khokhlov.

“Not only will our associates get a chance to fully experience the commute options available through this program, but we also can be a part of a greater movement that helps us to keep our cities greener and our roads less congested.”

Courtyard by Marriot – Kirkland is the first recipient of a Totem Lake Green Trip employer grant. The City of Kirkland hopes more Totem Lake companies will take advantage of the program in 2013.

For more information about the Totem Lake Green Trip employer grant program, visit www.totemlakegreentrip.com or contact a Totem Lake Green Trip representative at 425-990-3097 or support@totemlakegreentrip.com.