LiveGreen: Challenge accepted?

Tis the season to get outside and get moving, so why not earn some prizes along the way?

We know you’ve heard of Med Center on the Move, a spring campaign to encourage med center employees to pick an active mode of transportation for one of their commutes each week. Just one trip per week! You pick the day and the mode that works for you.

Whether it’s walking, taking the bus, biking, carpooling or a combination of them, active transportation helps keep you healthier and cuts down on greenhouse gas emissions. Did I mention you can earn prizes by participating? Or prizes for encouraging others to participate? Click here for full details.

You can also take part in Nebraska’s Sesquicentennial celebration by participating in the NE 150 Challenge. Join UNMC’s team or form your own to challenge others and qualify for special prizes. Click here for details.

While you’re at it, sign up for the Live Well Omaha Commuter Challenge. It occurs in conjunction with the National Bike Challenge and encourages all of us to use active transportation. Sign up for the Omaha Commuter Challenge here and log bus, bike, walking and carpooling trips. Oh, did I mention you can win prizes here too?

Participate in the National Bike Challenge. Signing up is free — (indicate your team as Omaha VeloCity and your employer as Nebraska Medical Center). It allows you to track your cycling miles whether for transportation or recreation, can promote improvements to cycling infrastructure in our community, and you can win prizes. Are you sensing a theme here?

Omaha VeloCity began in 2014 to compete with other mega-teams created in other cities across the country. Omaha VeloCity finished second in the nation in 2014, fifth in 2015, and was back to second in 2016. Jack Mayfield, an avid cyclist who worked on campus and with UNeMed, was instrumental in starting and promoting team Omaha VeloCity.

If tracking and prizes aren’t your thing, consider the 30×30 nature challenge, from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). You don’t have to sign up, there’s no cost, no checking in; just the simple task of putting down electronic devices and spending 30 minutes a day in nature, for 30 days. Physical and mental benefits are the prizes here.

So what are you waiting for? Challenge yourself! Prize or not, everyone wins.