Riding a bicycle to work (repost)
May 5th, 2008 | Budgeting
Note: This article is a repost, since I’m traveling out of the country this week.
Gather around, everyone. It’s story time. Last Friday was my birthday, and each year my wife and I try to one up each other with decorations we put up for each other’s birthday. This year, my wife decided to go all out, and completely decked out our place with streamers, banners, and other birthday decorations. But she didn’t want to stop at just our home, she wanted to decorate my car as well. In the middle of the night, she snuck out to my car and filled it with hundreds of little helium balloons.
Fast forward to that morning, and I’m getting ready to leave for work. I get to my car and see nothing but balloons from the windows. After spending ten minutes rearranging balloons so I could fit in my car, I finally sat down and turned the ignition. Surprise! My battery was dead. Frantic, I ran back and grabbed my bike so I could get to work on time. As I was riding in on my bicycle that morning I realized that I should have started doing this a long time ago.
It improves your health
I have a desk job, where I spend my days sitting in my chair and slowly getting fatter. From there, I typically hop in my car to drive home, and plant my butt on the couch. By riding my bike, I’m getting the excercise my body sorely needs. The ride to work in the morning invigorates me, giving me that extra “push” to last through the day. And my ride home at night provides a great chance to unwind before I get confronted with chores and bills.
It helps save the environment
Sure, keeping my car in the driveway hardly makes a dent in terms of overall pollution, but every little bit helps. The more people that stop driving, and start riding their bike to work, not only reduce emissions, but also ease road congestion. Every little bit helps.
It saves you money
Gas is currently selling for around $3.50 a gallon. Think how much money you could save each and every week by keeping your car at home. Factor in less oil changes and routine maintenance per year as well as reduced insurance premiums, and you’re looking at thousands of dollars saved a year.
If improving your health or the environment aren’t motivation enough to park your car and ride your bike to work, then the potential savings surely will. Right now, since I have to be well dressed for my job, I only ride to work on casual Fridays. But I’ve been toying with getting a messenger bag that I can pack a change of clothes in. That way, I can change out of my sweaty clothes in the men’s room and I don’t have to worry about smelling all day.
Hi. Please join the Bicycle to Work! LinkedIn networking group. Members pledge that they will try to ride their bicycle to work or on an errand at least once a week. Although the benefits should be obvious, let me outline them here.
Right now people in the industrialized world are facing two very grave problems: obesity and a growing scarcity of oil. Compounding this problem is the new food shortage brought about, in part, by the conversion of food cropland to bio-fuel crop production. Most people feel powerless to help, but there is one thing that we can do. Ride our bicycles to work.
If everyone would agree to ride their bikes to work one day per week we could cut oil consumption by as much as 10-15%. No one would argue that riding a bike burns more calories than driving the car. Although popular politically right now, most bio-fuels consume more energy than they produce. We would be much better to eat those bio-crops then use our own energy to transport us around.
So spread the word. Make it a movement! Bicycle to work one day a week and do your part to cut back obesity and the overuse of oil and precious cropland.
Just go to my profile at http://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreylstevenson and you can click on the group to be included. While you are there, don’t forget to ask to link to my network of more than 7,000,000 like-minded professionals. I accept all invitations and look forward to meeting you.
Jeff