Take some carbon out of your commute
Pass me at your own peril
Okay, here’s the deal; every morning millions of Americans wake up, hop in the shower, throw on their uniform for the day, snag a quick bite and cup of joe, then proceed to walk past their bike and drive away in their car only to sit in traffic, go a couple of miles, and pour toxins into the air. This week, join the few who have woken up to the two wheel revolution as we celebrate the National Bike to Work Week.
I know, I know, many of you might be thinking that the suggestion to ride your bike to work, dealing with crazy drivers and foul road conditions is a bit ludicrous. Many of you are probably avid cyclists and love the thought of riding your bike to work, but just haven’t committed to doing it yet. The fact is, there is no better way to begin and end your workday than with a bike ride; besides, you also save a bunch of money, help minimize the impact on the environment, and for those of you living in an urban setting you can get to work faster without having to deal with traffic jams.
Since the arrival of spring, the bike rack in our Marketing Dept. has been busy.
Now I don’t want to sound preachy or anything, I know it’s a tough thing to ask people to put their keys down and ride their bike to work or school instead. I’ve been there myself. I too have numerous excuses. I have to take my son into school in the morning. I have a 62 mile round trip commute. I would have to leave at 6am to get to work on time, and I wouldn’t be home until close to 7. I could go on, but to dwell on the excuses is not the point I would like to make, the point is that it’s time for all of us to step up and begin to make our own differences.
Obviously not everyone can or wants to ride a bicycle. But the impact that our vehicles cause on the environment daily is astronomically damaging. I’m not a scientist, and at one point I even failed a math class, but I know what I know and the world will be a better place, and we will be a healthier society if we begin to think more with our pedals, our feet, and our friends and start an obsession with alternative transportation. So next week, join me in making a difference. If you’re close enough to work, ride your bike or walk. If you’re too far away or have too many pre/post work obligations, take mass transit–it’s safe and you might meet some really great people. If you live in an area without bus or train service, ask a couple of co-workers to begin carpooling with you. Whatever you can do to cut your fuel consumption and make a more positive impact on the planet, do it for a week and see what happens.
For helpful tips and suggestions on beginning your bicycle commuting obsession check out these great links in and around New England and the Mid-Atlantic Regions…
- http://www.bikeleague.org/resources/better/commuters.php
- http://www.massbike.org/
- http://www.bikemaine.org/
- http://www.cnhbc.org/
- http://www.bikenewyork.org/
- http://www.bicyclecoalition.org/
- http://www.bikesbelong.org/
Be sure to share your Bike to Work Week experiences on our Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/EasternMNTNsports?ref=ts
Very nice post I like the quote by Thoreau “I cannot make my days longer so I strive to make them better.” I jumped on the two wheel revolution last fall. Now it’s a healthy habit I crave everyday – given my commute is 16-miles of bliss along Boston’s Charles River. In addition the EMS Newton Bicycle shop ROCKS. They have the nicest and knowledgeable crew who helped tweak my old GT into a commuting machine.
Nice post….biking to work is so empowering. I have a 40 mile round trip, some of which is on busy roads, but I still trying to ride to work 5 times this summer. Thankfully my office has showers and choice bike parking that makes it a little easier.
The article is good. Biking to work is awesome and you feel so alive when you arrive.
The problem is you went so far to use a flashy “Share and enjoy” section to promote your article but you couldn’t use hyperlinks for the actual websites? Kinda weak.