Win prizes staying sustainable with the Cards Commuter Challenge
By Roxy Osborne
Getting paid to walk to campus may sound too good to be true, but the Cards Commuter Challenge makes that dream a reality.
Through the Cardinal Directions website, students are able to log miles they’ve traveled to and from campus. Walking, biking, taking the TARC and using the CARDpool feature are all methods that qualify for logs.
Every week, students who track their miles get entered into a pool to win $50. The grand prize at the end of the challenge is a staggering $250. The event runs from August 25th to September 30th and is available for any U of L student to participate.
Justin Mog, the sustainability coordinator at U of L, is the director behind the challenge. Mog is constantly trying to find new ways to get students out of their cars and into thinking more sustainably.
“Reducing car reliance is great for everybody. For the individual, it’s important to their finances, their personal health [and] their connection to the community. All of these things are much better when we get out of our cars,” said Mog.
The Cardinal Directions website offers student-run car pooling services. Users can either start their own carpool or search their commute path and select one that best fits their schedule.
Sustainability efforts also ensure that biking is as accessible as possible. The previously established Bikeshare program allows students and staff to rent bikes up to an entire semester, while the Student Recreation Center has daily bike rentals. These bikes are completely free for anyone who wishes to rent one.
“You can pick the kind of bike that fits best for you. We also give you a sturdy lock and a helmet if you’d like. You can use it for whatever you want and then just return it at the end of the semester or renew it,” Mog states.
U of L has come under controversy for its lack of consistency with sustainability initiatives. The Cardinal Center property, which was originally going to be made into green space, has recently been renovated into another parking lot for blue and yellow permit holders.
To Mog, this emphasis on cars is concerning as the university faces rising carbon emissions.
“Every year we track our carbon emissions and the carbon commitment we’ve made as a university at the presidential level. The goal is to reduce our emissions down to net zero. Every year, the percentage of our emissions due to to commuting keeps growing.”
In addition to the Commuter Challenge, the sustainability program will be hosting multiple events to get students engaged with their community. A list of them is as follows:
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Wednesday 9/3, 3-5pm, outside Free Store at Honors House - CYCLE September Kick-off with free bike tune ups and 5pm ride to Iroquois Park
- Thursday 9/11, 4pm, Meetup outside the Ville Grill - WALK to Old Louisville Coffee Co-op with the Student Sustainability Coalition (bring your UofL ID for a 10% student discount!)
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Wednesday 9/17, 5:30pm, Meetup outside the Ville Grill - CARPOOL to Waterfront Wednesday free concert at Waterfront Park featuring Joy Oladokun, Uwade, and Maggie Halfman.
- Wednesday 9/24, 4:30-5:30pm, Humanities Quad - SKATE Night - bring wheels for your feet for a chill afternoon skating together and enjoying prizes.
- Monday 9/30 - Sunday 10/5 - National Week Without Driving- Ditch your car for the week or just for a day and share your story on socials, invite others to join, write an Op-Ed about your experience. Learn more.
Ultimately, the goal for Mog is to get students and staff alike to be more conscious of the health of the planet.
“This is the greatest crisis facing humanity. Reducing carbon emissions is something we need not to do as a little sideshow with a teeny drop in a bucket. It needs to be the bucket. We need to be hyper focused on this.”
Photo by Roxy Osborne / The Louisville Cardinal
About the Author: Roxy Osborne
Source: Win prizes staying sustainable with the Cards Commuter Challenge (The Louisville Cardinal, Sept. 2, 2025)
