CONCORD, N.H. -- Concord Area Transit trolleys will be free to ride all day Tuesday as part of the Green Commute Week events here this week. Buses will also be free to ride with a donation of a non-perishable item on Tuesday.

The CAT bus and trolley promotion is one of a full slate of hidden gems that are part of the promotions, activities and themed events throughout Green Commute Week in the Central New Hampshire region being organized by the Program for Alternative Transportation and Health (PATH).

Green Commute Week is May 17-21 and concludes with the Second Annual Concord Bike Swap on May 22-23. For more details on locations and times of events, go to the PATH website at www.path-nh.org.

Green Commute Week kicks off Monday morning at 7 a.m. with a free breakfast event in front of the Statehouse open to everyone. Concord City Councilor Rob Werner will be presenting the Green Commute Week Mayoral Proclamation and issuing the Commute Green Challenge at 7:30 a.m. The event concludes at 9 a.m.

Green Commute Week is part of Commute Green 2010, a six-week statewide promotion encouraging people to stop driving by themselves and to give bicycling, walking, carpooling and using transit to get to and from where they need to go.

Commute Green 2010 is organized by the NH Department of Transportation and Bike-Walk Alliance. Events began on Saturday (May 15) and will go until June 25.

People who use "green" transportation six times or more for any trip during Commute Green 2010 will be eligible to win an overnight stay at the Omni Mount Washington Resort. To qualify, participants should go to the Commute Green 2010 page on the Bike-Walk Alliance of NH website and begin logging their commutes. The website is www.bwanh.org.

People in the Central New Hampshire region are encouraged to fill out the free registration survey for PATH to become eligible for monthly prizes and our Emergency Ride Home benefit.

The top five hidden jewels during Green Commute Week include:

1. Transit Day -- Free trolley rides all day Tuesday, May 18 and free bus rides to downtown from the Dick's Sporting Goods stop. The trolleys are free all day. To be eligible for the free bus rides, a rider must present a non-perishable item to the bus drive in exchange for full fare. A representative from Concord Coach Lines, the highly successful commuter bus service, will be available at the Statehouse event location from 7-9 a.m. to discuss the service and will be raffling off free bus tickets.

2. Commuter Coffee -- People who bicycle, walk, carpool and use transit during the week will be eligible for free and discounted food and merchandise from participating restaurants and shops in Concord. To be eligible, a person should use the green commute mode and come to the downtown events and ask for their green commute sticker. The person can then show the sticker to participating vendor for the discount or free item. Bicyclists are also eligible by bicycling to the vendor's location and showing their bicycling helmets. Go to the PATH Green Commute Week page for a list of participating vendors.

3. Group Commuting Bike Rides -- Here's an opportunity to try bicycle commuting for the first time or to try a new route if you're experienced at bike commuting. The rides are departing from all over the region throughout the week including for the Monday kickoff event and Friday's National Bike/Walk to Work Day. Experienced cyclists will lead rides that will safe, fun and a good way to meet new friends. An interactive Google map with details on each of the rides located on the PATH Green Commute Week website.

4. Data Collection -- PATH is aiming to have Green Commute Week be the single largest carbon reduction event in state history. To ensure that happens, PATH is encouraging everyone who participates to log onto the Commute Green 2010 page on the Bike-Walk Alliance website. There is a brief survey to fill out that will allow planners to determine the success of the events and will also give participants the opportunity to be eligible for a free overnight stay at the Omni Mount Washington Resort.

5. Facebook -- In an effort to build stronger community engagement, PATH has set up a Facebook page. The page will be a way to take suggestions for improving the Green Commute Week events, sharing stories and pictures and a way to keep updated on future PATH events.