A Pillar of Sustainability: THE BICYCLE

In celebration of earth day I'm offering up some interesting facts and figures:

In the Negative Column

• Nearly half of all car trips in the US are three miles or less.
• More than a quarter of all trips are less than a mile.
• Most trips involve home, store, job or school.
• A car produces one pound of CO2 per mile.
  
• Mile for mile, short trips are the most polluting. Engines running cold produce four times the CO and twice the VOC of engines running hot.
• Smog forming VOCs continue to evaporate from an engine until it cools off.
  

In the Positive Column

• Bicycles outnumber automobiles two to one in the world.
• 50 million people bike at least once per year in the US but only 2 million are regular bike commuters.
  
• A bicyclist can cover a mile in 4 minutes while a pedestrian takes 20 minutes.
• A bike produces zero pounds of CO2 emissions. No fossil fuels required to operate
  
• A bike is a blessing for your wallet, health, and legs

The above are an excerpts from Seven Wonders for a Cool Planet by Eric Sorensen and the Sightline Institute.

Now for our own real world experience. Celia has kept track of her bike mileage while running errands around town over the last two weeks. She rode a little over 30 miles while completing 8~10 errands. Some simple division gives us ~3 miles per trip. Feel free to add your own experiences.

Keep it Real,
Ben

Bicycle tours in Oregon, California, and Vermont
www.wildheartcycling.com