Everyone and anyone can take part in World Car Free Day, we’d encourage you to give it a go, involve some friends or co-workers and have some fun with it! In 2023, we asked businesses to make Friday, September 22, a car-free day for their staff, and to consider on-going support. And it's not too late to do that – from offering subsidised public transport and good bike parking to encouraging carpooling. We’re here to help you get started.
Download the World Car Free Day Workplace Toolkit
In the toolkit you'll find a poster, images for social media and an email signature tile – all of which you can use to tell your staff and customers how you’re taking climate action.
Enable a car-free workplace
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Commute sustainably
Learn more about the benefits and possibilities.
There are heaps of ways your workplace can support reducing car use
- Subsidising public transport
- Providing secure bike parking
- Providing lockers and showers for staff who like an active commute
- Subsidising bike purchases or having them available for staff to use
- Setting up car-pooling opportunities for staff who drive in
- Measuring staff commuting emissions to get a baseline and then create a plan to shift the dial
We know going car-free isn't an option for everyone. But for those who are able, here's an opportunity to throw ourselves the challenge and experiment.
World Car Free Day is about more than just one day
Let’s aim for more than one car-free day! World Car Free Day got all of us thinking about how we can use our cars less, whether it’s using public transport for the commute or walking the kids to school – do what works for you. Challenge yourself to put away the car keys for the climate. Let’s make Aotearoa New Zealand a leader in car-free and car-lite living.
Even small changes can make a huge dent in our carbon emissions. If just one in five of us switch the car for active transport (biking or walking), or even work at home one day a week, we could avoid 84,000 tonnes of carbon emissions each year – that’s like taking 35,000 cars off the road for good.
Hundreds of businesses and Kiwis celebrated the day
Around 400 businesses have signed up to take part in World Car Free Day, joined by some awesome Kiwis who took the challenge to put away their car keys for the climate for the day. The day was all about raising awareness of how our travel impacts the environment, so we’re thrilled that so many organisations and people got on board, and invite everyone to keep thinking about how they can reduce their car use in future.
Let's make 2024 even bigger!
Stories to inspire you
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Genesis is changing the way their people move
Genesis Energy is making big changes to the way their people get around – and saving a lot of carbon emissions in the process.
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Kiwis and their cars
Kiwis love to drive, but our fuel use is driving climate change. We can drive change instead - by voting with our feet, pedals and bus passes.
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The carless company
It's becoming more and more common for companies to ditch the car, as businesses see an opportunity for lower overheads, greater efficiency, and meaningful climate action.