ANN ARBOR, MI -- More than 300 area commuters participated in a challenge to reduce carbon emissions by limiting vehicle use in January.

Conquer the Cold is a challenge run by the getDowntown Program and the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority (TheRide) to encourage commuters to walk, bike, carpool, ride the bus, work from home, run or ski. This year, commuters avoided more than 49,000 miles of driving and prevented 55,000 pounds of carbon emissions in January, according to organizers.

The challenge had a few prizes, including $250 gift cards to Bivouac, a bike light set from Tree Fort Bikes and a $50 gas card.

“We truly enjoy the creativity, passion, and spirit of community that our participants bring to this challenge,” said Chris Simmons, program director of getDowntown, in a statement. “Their stories of their commute and the images they share with us and the community really make this challenge a very fun time of year.”

The goal of the initiative is to show “it isn’t as difficult to get to work without driving,” and to help commuters overcome cold weather barriers, organizers said in a news release.

Participants tracked their commutes on the getDowntown challenge website and earned badges along the way, based on the number of logged commutes. Participants also had the chance to enter weekly challenges to earn even more great prizes.