SACRAMENTO – The California Air Resources Board (ARB), the state's air pollution control agency, is also a leader in getting its staff out of their cars and into other modes of transportation, such as biking, mass transit and carpooling.

In fact, about 100 of the ARB's 625 northern California staff members biked in Thursday's Agency Challenge Contest which included Bike To Work, Bike Parade and Bike Rally events. That number tied the Sacramento Area Council on Government (SACOG), the contest sponsor, for first place in the number of employees who participated in the Bike Rally, and won a donation in the ARB's name to the Sacramento Sheriff's Department's Toy Project.

Jananne Sharpless, ARB chairwoman, announced at the agency rally on Wednesday, that about 45 percent of the ARB staff routinely carpooled, biked or used mass transit to get to work making the ARB one of the area leaders in getting workers out of single occupant vehicles.

That effort is especially helpful in Sacramento where up to 65 percent of the photochemical smog is emitted from motor vehicles. Sacramento violated the state health standard of 0.09 parts per million for ozone on 58 days in 1991, with concentrations of as much as .19 ppm. Also, Sacramento violated the less stringent federal ozone standard of .12 ppm on 12 days in 1991, making the area the nation's seventh smoggiest city during that year.

Jim Boyd, ARB executive officer said, "The Air Resources Board is the world's leader in setting clean car and fuel standards, but we still have more to do. Days like these symbolize the efforts that every person has to make each day to cut the smog-forming emissions caused by solo commuters."