As cyclists know the bike is one of the most efficient, beneficial and downright fun inventions created. According to the WorldWatch Institute a bicycle needs 35 calories per passenger mile, while a car uses 1,860. Buses and trains are somewhere in between. Americans use bikes for fewer than one in a hundred trips though their are areas where bike usage is higher. In the European Union usage is 20 to 35 percent. If we could all bike more errands (along with getting more people addicted to the fun of cycling) maybe we could meet the standards set by our counter parts across the Atlantic. With more people traveling by bike I wonder if our "gross national happiness" would increase. This is a measure used in Bhutan. There would be cleaner air, reduced congestion, lower noise levels, healthier people, and more disposal income that could be spent on a local economy rather than enriching oil companies and faraway countries. It's alot more fun supporting a local farmer, restaurant, brewpub, etc. than some country or company making billions. I would like to thank the David Suzuki Foundation for much of the background info in this post.
Enjoy the day and get out for a ride.
Cheers, Ben
Bicycle tours in Oregon, California, and Vermont
www.wildheartcycling.com
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1 comments:
Good post Ben! I love the idea of gross national happiness. I don't have it all figured out, but I'm pretty sure my bike increases my happiness every day.
At the Willamette Mountain Mercantile where I work in Oakridge the shop pays us 50 cents more per hour if we bike commute to work EVERY day of the pay period. Miss a day no bonus. I don't get the bonus too often, but when I do I feel proud, and I never regret having done so.
When I work for Wild Heart Cycling riding IS my job! Even Better.
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