Riding my bike into town gives me such pleasure: watching the sun’s rays pushing through the morning mist over the Utter’s farm fields; hearing the avian and amphibian cacophony while rolling past the Great Swamp; and the physical exertion. When I ride into town to do an errand instead of driving my car, there are many benefits beyond the obvious gas savings.
Here is a list ten reasons riding my bike into town is more sustainable than driving my car.
1. Each round trip saves ¼ gallon of fuel; that’s over a dollar at today’s prices.
2. The cardio-vascular (and weight bearing up Harmony Road’s hills) exercise sustains my health.
3. I offset putting wear and tear on my car by adding the miles to my bike. When a car needs replacing, its production takes a tremendous amount more energy than the production of a bike.
4. My bike takes up a small amount of space when “parked”, requiring less pavement in town.
5. My bike puts less stress on the roads than my car, requiring less road maintenance.
6. I burn calories (good for my body), rather than petroleum (bad for the earth).
7. I feel the wind as I roll effortlessly down hills and smell the powerful fragrance of flowers in bloom—currently honeysuckle.
8. The leisurely pace offers opportunities to observe goldfinch flitting among the roadside vegetation.
9. By exercising and doing errands at the same time, I save the 15 minutes it would normally take me to drive to and from town; it simply becomes included in the 40 minutes I would spend exercising anyway.
10. I greet my neighbors, “Good morning,” and occasionally stop for a quick conversation, cultivating community connections.
2. The cardio-vascular (and weight bearing up Harmony Road’s hills) exercise sustains my health.
3. I offset putting wear and tear on my car by adding the miles to my bike. When a car needs replacing, its production takes a tremendous amount more energy than the production of a bike.
4. My bike takes up a small amount of space when “parked”, requiring less pavement in town.
5. My bike puts less stress on the roads than my car, requiring less road maintenance.
6. I burn calories (good for my body), rather than petroleum (bad for the earth).
7. I feel the wind as I roll effortlessly down hills and smell the powerful fragrance of flowers in bloom—currently honeysuckle.
8. The leisurely pace offers opportunities to observe goldfinch flitting among the roadside vegetation.
9. By exercising and doing errands at the same time, I save the 15 minutes it would normally take me to drive to and from town; it simply becomes included in the 40 minutes I would spend exercising anyway.
10. I greet my neighbors, “Good morning,” and occasionally stop for a quick conversation, cultivating community connections.
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