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SHARE AND SHARE A-BIKE!
Congress Members Lead “Bike-Partisan”
Campaign To Support Bike-Sharing At
Conventions
Congressmen Pedal Bike-Sharing Challenge to Delegates: 10,000 rides and 25,000
miles!
Host city Mayors Hickenlooper (Denver), Coleman (St. Paul) and
Rybak (Minneapolis)
among first to register for convention bike-sharing program at freewheelinwaytogo.com
WASHINGTON, D.C.
— July
24, 2008 — What’s good for the environment is often what’s good for the body and
the spirit, whether you’re a Democratic or a Republican. And today, Congressmen
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (Ore.), Rep. James
Oberstar (Minn.), Rep. Thomas Petri (Wis.), and Rep. Zach Wamp (Tenn.)
issued a spirited challenge to attendees of the forthcoming political conventions:
join together in a bike-sharing initiative to ride 25,000 miles at the conventions
to reduce both conventions’ carbon footprints, traffic, parking congestion and transportation
costs.
The challenge represented the kick-off of a national effort
to register convention attendees for Freewheelin, an innovative bike-sharing program
developed by Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) and the cycling advocacy organization Bikes
Belong. The program will bring 1,000 bikes to
Denver
and Minneapolis-St. Paul for anyone 18 or over to use during
the upcoming Democratic and Republican political conventions.
Humana pioneered the bike-sharing program in 2007 in its
corporate hometown of
Louisville, Ky.
The initiative focuses on fun as well as health by encouraging people to get on a bike and ride with friends, just like when they were kids.
Go Freewheelin
Humana and Bikes Belong have launced a new Web site –
www.freewheelinwaytogo.com – in an effort to pre-register thousands of convention guests
for the program. And, among the first to sign up for bikes are the mayors of the
host cities, including Mayor John Hickenlooper,
Denver
, host of the Aug. 25-28 Democratic National Convention;
and Mayors Chris Coleman (St. Paul) and R.T. Rybak (Minneapolis). Minneapolis-St.
Paul are hosting the Sept. 1-4 Republican National Convention. By registering, the
mayors – along with other convention-goers – are making a commitment to both their
personal health and the health of the environment.
Bike sharing – the international social movement whereby
bikes are situated at designated stations throughout cities for individuals to use
for a specified amount of time – is essentially a call to action for those who prefer
a more environmentally friendly, cost-effective and healthy way to get around. The
initiative is gaining momentum throughout the
United
States
, including active or planned programs in cities such as
Washington
,
D.C.
,
New York
,
Philadelphia
and
Chicago
. Freewheelin at the conventions marks the biggest bike-sharing
program in the
United
States
to date. Such
an undertaking would be impossible without the participation and active support
of Bikes Belong, political leaders of the host cities, and their biking communities.
How Freewheelin
Works
Bikes will be available in
Denver
for the Democratic convention from Aug. 25-28; and in Minneapolis-St.
Paul for the Republican convention from Sept. 1-4. Participants who register in
advance via the Freewheelin Web site will be ready to check out a bike from one
of the multiple bike stations throughout the convention
cities. Online registration
and use of the bikes during the conventions is free, with all related costs paid
by Humana and Bikes Belong. Bikes will be available beginning at 7 a.m. each day
of the conventions, and don’t have to be returned to a bike station until 7 p.m.
each day. The bikes can be returned to any station.
“The eyes of the world will be on
Denver
and Minneapolis-St. Paul for these historic conventions,”
said Jonathan T. Lord, M.D., Humana senior vice president and chief innovation officer.
“Bikes and bike sharing are a way for political leaders of the
United
States
to demonstrate our nation’s commitment and leadership in
health and sustainability to the rest of the world. We are challenging residents of both cities, delegates, delegations and media members to participate, compete
and have fun!”
Freewheelin bike stations will be
set up throughout the cities, near the convention
centers and major hotel complexes (a list of station addresses is available on
www.freewheelinwaytogo.com). When users are finished with a bike, they
can simply return their bike to any convenient Freewheelin bike station. Those interested
in the program, but unable to register online, can also register in person at any
Freewheelin station. Greeters will be on site in both cities to assist with registration
and route planning, and safety specialists will be available to answer questions
and address concerns.
Freewheelin is one of a number of initiatives
that Humana is developing to encourage people to have fun and get active, including
everything from rewards for walking to video games that promote exercise.
About Humana
Humana Inc., headquartered in
Louisville,
Kentucky
, is one of the nation’s largest publicly traded health
and supplemental benefits companies, with approximately 11.4 million medical members.
Humana is a full-service benefits
solutions company, offering a wide array of health and supplementary benefit plans
for employer groups, government programs and individuals.
Over its 47-year history,
Humana has consistently seized opportunities to meet changing customer needs. Today,
the company is a leader in consumer engagement, providing guidance that leads to
lower costs and a better health plan experience throughout its diversified customer
portfolio.
More information regarding Humana is available to
investors via the Investor Relations page of the company’s Web site at
http://www.humana.com, including copies of:
·
Annual reports to stockholders
·
Securities and Exchange Commission filings
·
Most recent investor conference presentations
·
Quarterly earnings news releases
·
Replays of most recent earnings release conference
calls
·
Calendar of events (includes upcoming earnings
conference call dates and times, as well as planned interaction with research analysts
and institutional investors)
·
Corporate Governance Information
About Bikes Belong
Bikes Belong is the
U.S.
bicycle industry organization dedicated to putting more people
on bicycles more often. Bikes Belong Coalition lobbies to increase federal bike funding,
awards grants to support innovative bike projects, promotes bicycling and its benefits,
and sponsors key initiatives such as the National Bike Summit. The affiliated Bikes Belong Foundation focuses on improving
bicycle safety, enhancing children’s bike programs, and making
communities friendlier for bicyclists by backing national efforts such as Safe Routes
to School and Bicycle
Friendly Communities.
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