Belmont University is the newest sponsor of carbon offsets offered through the Hytch Rewards mobile app, a transportation demand management initiative that verifies shared rides in real time.
Recent Tennessee Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Award winners, Belmont and Hytch are teaming up to provide cash incentives for faculty, staff and students living off campus whenever they share rides to the University. Furthering the University’s commitment to sustainability, these rewards are intended to encourage more sustainable mobility choices as it encourages the Belmont community to reduce carbon emissions by carpooling to and from campus.
“We have a responsibility to preserve our earth for generations to come. Our Conservation Covenant is a promise to care for the place that cares for us,” said Belmont’s Vice President for Administration and University Counsel Jason Rogers. “This partnership with Hytch engages everyone to use our daily commute as an action in our Conservation Covenant with the Earth.”
Belmont will launch a pilot of the program beginning on March 2, which will ultimately line up with the University’s Sustainability Week and later, Earth Day.
“The theme for Earth Day 2020 is climate action, and we’re excited to be taking action. At Belmont, we believe taking care of God’s creation is more than a cause. It’s a charge. We see it reflected in verse after verse in the Bible as we are given the responsibility to preserve God’s creation for generations to come,” said Vice President for Spiritual Development Todd Lake. “Hytch Rewards is another tool we’re providing our future thought leaders here at Belmont to aid in solving the enormous challenges of our time.”
The Hytch mobile app acts as a daily mobility diary, tracking emissions reduced or avoided by participating users. Each qualifying carpool mile tracked through the mobile app will be rewarded with cash incentives and carbon offsets. Users are able to see their positive impact on air quality firsthand, virtually saving trees by driving with others, walking, biking or using mass transit. Challenges will be set during the pilot period for faculty, staff and students to see how many trees can be saved, for example.
Mark A. Cleveland, co-founder and CEO of Hytch Rewards said Belmont is doing something measurable and specific by focusing on driving behavior change. He said, “By investing in people who make smart mobility a part of their daily routine, leaders turn Earth Day into an Earth Habit. It’s a fun and compelling vision to build a virtual forest using our free and open platform. 50 miles saves one tree. If Belmont users were to reach 5,000 miles on Hytch, they will have saved the equivalent acreage of their 95-acre campus.”
To learn more about Belmont’s partnership with Hytch, visit hytch.me/belmont-university, and start tracking carpool miles and carbon offsets by downloading the Hytch mobile app.
About Hytch Rewards
Hytch Rewards is a Nashville-based social impact, mobility incentive platform that rewards users for lowering carbon emissions, protecting clean air and reducing traffic congestion by logging their shared commutes. Employers and communities use Hytch to engage employees in corporate social responsibility initiatives, promote the habits of sharing a ride, walking, biking or using mass transit, and even to connect people to job opportunities and critical services. Hytch was recognized as the Nashville Technology Council’s Emerging Company of the Year, and has received the Tennessee Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Award, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s Sustainable Transportation Award, and the Nashville Entrepreneur Center’s 2018 NEXT Award as Social Enterprise and Sustainability Startup of the Year. To learn more, visit www.hytch.me or email press@hytch.me for media inquiries.
