This is a really exciting endeavour! Regarding implementation of this idea, I'm wondering if it's been tested in urban environments? It seems more apt to function in suburban or rural settings. This may or may not be an equity consideration. Have you thought about this?
Also, practically, beyond the technology, how is progress monitored?
Thanks for your comments. We are actively working with Denver Public Schools and Denver Public Works to implement and test the program in an urban Denver, Colorado neighborhood. Our sense is that the system should operate fine in an urban setting though we may need to make it more secure. Our goal is to encourage kids to use active transportation for commuting to school. Not only do we want more kids participating but we want to inform them about how their personal actions relate to their personal health and the environment around them. Using the technology we can connect kids with how their personal actions are helping reduce energy demands and pollution. We can also show them how walking or riding can be a meaningful component to a healthy lifestyle.
Again, thanks for your encouraging comments and concerns.
You might enjoy watching. As you will hear during the news segment the kids, parents, and principal talk about how their personal actions are positively changing their own health and that of the environment, as the principal states, "...a better and greener world." This is exactly what our program delivers to communities. We use active transportation as a goal in of itself and as means to an end. We encourage active transportation to school because of the positive benefits. And then we build on that personal experience to help the kids and families understand how they can incorporate those learnings into their daily lives and connect their actions with the broader community.
On May 11, 2009, the judges reviewed the entries for the Changemakers “Designing for Better Health” competition and would like to pass on the following feedback (listed below) for your entry. Thank you for applying and for your hard work in the field. We are excited to archive your entry to serve as a leading solution for the worldwide community of innovators who are seeking solutions that help people make better choices regarding their health and the health of others. We wish you continued luck with your innovative, sustainable, and socially impactful initiatives.
All the best, The Changemakers Team
“Detailed entry and well constructed! It seems like a low-risk choice because the entrant has already designed so much of the nudge. This entry could be improved more by hooking up with parents and getting family involved. Getting kids to bike/walk to school looks like a success thus far, and perhaps you can use a system of rewards as a potential to improve structure. Great news that it has already demonstrated excellent impact in its two years since inception”
“This is a fabulous use of incentives and technology. There’s lots of opportunity overlay other technologies and solutions. However, I am concerned about gaming the system. What if your kid gets in the car and then walks under the RFID reader? How to you prevent that? Honor system?”
- Changemakers “Designing for Better Health” Judges: Doutores da Alegria, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Cornell Food and Brand Lab: Cornell University, Innovations in Health @ Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Pediatrics: University of California San Francisco.
Comments
Dear Tim,
This is a really exciting endeavour! Regarding implementation of this idea, I'm wondering if it's been tested in urban environments? It seems more apt to function in suburban or rural settings. This may or may not be an equity consideration. Have you thought about this?
Also, practically, beyond the technology, how is progress monitored?
Sincerely yours,
Joseph
Dear Joseph:
Thanks for your comments. We are actively working with Denver Public Schools and Denver Public Works to implement and test the program in an urban Denver, Colorado neighborhood. Our sense is that the system should operate fine in an urban setting though we may need to make it more secure. Our goal is to encourage kids to use active transportation for commuting to school. Not only do we want more kids participating but we want to inform them about how their personal actions relate to their personal health and the environment around them. Using the technology we can connect kids with how their personal actions are helping reduce energy demands and pollution. We can also show them how walking or riding can be a meaningful component to a healthy lifestyle.
Again, thanks for your encouraging comments and concerns.
Tim
The following link is short news story about a recent Freiker install in Los Altos, CA:
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/video?id=6747072
You might enjoy watching. As you will hear during the news segment the kids, parents, and principal talk about how their personal actions are positively changing their own health and that of the environment, as the principal states, "...a better and greener world." This is exactly what our program delivers to communities. We use active transportation as a goal in of itself and as means to an end. We encourage active transportation to school because of the positive benefits. And then we build on that personal experience to help the kids and families understand how they can incorporate those learnings into their daily lives and connect their actions with the broader community.
On May 11, 2009, the judges reviewed the entries for the Changemakers “Designing for Better Health” competition and would like to pass on the following feedback (listed below) for your entry. Thank you for applying and for your hard work in the field. We are excited to archive your entry to serve as a leading solution for the worldwide community of innovators who are seeking solutions that help people make better choices regarding their health and the health of others. We wish you continued luck with your innovative, sustainable, and socially impactful initiatives.
All the best, The Changemakers Team
“Detailed entry and well constructed! It seems like a low-risk choice because the entrant has already designed so much of the nudge. This entry could be improved more by hooking up with parents and getting family involved. Getting kids to bike/walk to school looks like a success thus far, and perhaps you can use a system of rewards as a potential to improve structure. Great news that it has already demonstrated excellent impact in its two years since inception”
“This is a fabulous use of incentives and technology. There’s lots of opportunity overlay other technologies and solutions. However, I am concerned about gaming the system. What if your kid gets in the car and then walks under the RFID reader? How to you prevent that? Honor system?”
- Changemakers “Designing for Better Health” Judges: Doutores da Alegria, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Cornell Food and Brand Lab: Cornell University, Innovations in Health @ Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Pediatrics: University of California San Francisco.
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