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.