Boltage: Let's Make It a Way of Life
Boltage is about changing habits.
Let's face it: Americans have picked up some bad habits in the last 30 years. What happened to walking and biking to school - you know, like when you were a kid? These days we seem to jump in our cars to do just about anything. And now we have some pretty severe environmental, energy and health problems. It's time to do something about it.
Boltage is about starting to make some lifestyle changes, and teaching our kids that getting outdoors and using human power is good for them and their world. And it's FUN for the whole family!
Boltage is about making it cool.
You can talk to people about healthy habits until you're blue in the face - but you won't make much progress unless people really want to do something. Just like everyone else, kids really want to fit in - to be one of the cool kids. So Boltage uses communication and incentives that are designed to make biking and walking cool, and give kids a way to belong to something great.
Boltage is about using technology.
We are strong believers that repetition is the key to changing habits. That's where the technology fits in. By keeping track of which kids walk and bike to school, day in and day out, we have the basis for incentive programs that can reward repetition, and build long lasting habits - habits that extend beyond just commuting to school.
The technology also lets us help families see the connection between personal activity and their impact on health and the environment. Simply measuring things like miles traveled and CO2 saved can produce powerful motivation.
How to Sign Up for the Boltage Program
- Each student who wants to participate in the Boltage program must watch the safety video offered in their class.
- Get an RFID (radio-frequency identification) tag from the Boltage parent volunteer (known as the “Zap Captain”). Burlington’s Zap Captain is Tricia Grafelman, who can be contacted by phone at 303.774.8585 or by email at grafsanatomy@comcast.net . You can also inform the office that you need a tag, and the Zap Captain will deliver one to your class.
How to Be Counted
Before Every school day, students in the Boltage program walk past the Zap, which is located next to the sidewalk that borders the northeast corner of the school grounds, on Kansas Avenue. The Zap rings once for each count. Students earn one point per day (no matter how many times they ring the Zap).
If students forget to visit the Zap, they or their parents/guardians go to http://www.boltage.org/index.html and add counts. First, parents must register children on the Boltage web site by providing a user name and password (one user name and password per family).
Earn Prizes!
The Boltage coordinators at Burlington Elementary hold raffles throughout the school year for prizes such as water bottles, bike bells, and small toys. Students register for the raffle when they arrive at school in the morning. The raffle drawing occurs at the end of the school day. Raffle days vary to encourage students to ride or walk every day.
Boltage Website
We encourage all parents/guardians to register their children on the Boltage website. This is a secure network that enables children to check their “trip” status at any time. Go to: http://www.boltage.org/index.html.
