Welcome to a regular blog feature called Guilt-Free Green Tips. These will be easy action steps you can take to be a little greener, and each mini post will feature one tip. Choose the ones that appeal to you, and learn what eco benefits a single, simple step can make.
I have biked to my various places of employment over the years, but my husband has done it continually for 21 years, which never fails to impress me. However, you don’t need to bike every day to make a difference.
Start small. Choose to ride your bike to work one day this week. If that goes well, commit to commuting by bicycle twice a month or even once a week. If you work too far from home, try biking to run local errands or take a weekend bike ride with the family instead of driving to the mall.
Photo: Mike Juvrud/Flickr
How Does This Help?
- You get healthier. Three hours of biking per week decreases your chance for stroke and heart disease by 50%. Cycling also increases muscle tone, builds stamina, improves brain power and reduces stress.
- You save money. Commuting by bicycle for ten miles roundtrip daily saves about $10 per day that you’d be paying for automobile fuel, maintenance, insurance, tolls, etc.
- You breathe cleaner air. Not if your cycling right behind a noxious car, perhaps, but overall. Every mile ridden by a bike instead of a car keeps 1 pound of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. And studies have shown that bikers actually do inhale the least amount of car fumes over car and bus riders.
- You save time by using your commute to exercise instead of hitting the gym later. Bikers often skirt around traffic jams and never spend time looking for a parking spot.
