Last summer, Spare the Air Youth invited students of all ages and their families to participate in a video challenge to share their favorite “Plan Bay Area 2050” strategy and how it will benefit their community. 

Plan Bay Area 2050 includes transportation strategies to create healthy and safe streets, and improve the existing transit network in the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. 

The goal of the challenge was to get youth’s feedback on the 35 Draft Plan strategies. Submissions were accepted from May 17–July 23, 2021, and students also were invited to submit written comments on the Draft Plan. The videos created by the students and their families will be shared with decision makers and can help support actions that will benefit Bay Area residents as soon as the next 1-2 years. Three $100 gift cards to an electronics store were raffled among the participants. 

“Out of everything in Plan Bay Area 2050 I am the most excited for the construction of a Complete Streets network. When completed, this network will help Bay Area residents by providing alternative transportation options and improving quality of life. A Complete Streets network will allow for improvement in road safety, provide a more livable street environment and allow for faster transport,” explains Nicholas Z. from San Mateo County. 

The video challenge followed the virtual “Envision the Bay Area Workshop” that took place in June 2021. During the workshop, the students learned about the Plan Bay Area 2050 strategies related to housing, economy, transportation and environment. 

Check out Plan Bay Area 2050’s strategies overview.

Spare the Air Youth (STAY) is a partnership between the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. The Spare the Air Youth is a program that educates and inspires Bay Area youth and their families to walk, bicycle, carpool and take transit to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. STAY also offers many opportunities for students to learn about transportation and climate changes and get involved in their communities.