Save Money, Save the Planet and Live Well by Biking Instead of Driving

What if I said 20 minutes a day, 5 days a week can result in the following difference in your life….

An average savings of $5,000/year, 2,500 less pounds of CO2 emissions and maintenance of a healthy lifestyle.

Oh yeah…and significantly less stress on a daily basis. By simply biking to work, you can see all these very tangible differences in your life, and feel happier.

Save Money

By biking 5 miles to work, instead of driving, I save an immediate $500 per year. Of course, that depends on a few variables, such as mpg and how far you live from work. While $500 is great it’s really peanuts when you compare that to having an extra car. My wife and I only “need” one vehicle. By eliminating a vehicle from our household, we save many hundreds a year in insurance and repairs, let alone the purchase price of a vehicle. Even if you can’t quite commit to eliminating a vehicle from the household, biking regularly means less compulsive trips to the store. It becomes less convenient to pull through a drive-thru for that “necessary” snack. Biking means that you will inevitably be more thoughtful about when and where you spend your money.

By the way, if you want a more precise breakdown of the cost of a car, try this…

http://www.bikesatwork.com/carfree/cost-of-car-ownership.html

Save the Planet

Okay, so you’re just one person and it’s only one car out of hundreds of millions. However, remember the story about the boy that threw starfish back into the ocean? It may be a long road, but your effort will make a difference in the long run. Imagine if an entire community began throwing back starfish. Imagine if an entire community started biking to work.

One gallon of burned gas contributes 20 pounds of CO2 to the atmosphere. One adult tree can absorb 50 pounds of CO2 in an entire year. Let’s make a difference to a couple of trees.

By the way, it’s more than just the atmosphere that cars damage. Here are some interesting facts if you want to find out more…

http://www.carenvironment.net/article.php?article_id=5

Lose Weight and Live Well

Instead of using your commuting time to eat an extra bagel or drink some sugary drink, why don’t you get some well needed exercise? A 5 mile trip to work takes about 15 minutes by car. The same bike ride takes about 25 minutes. That’s an additional 20 minutes to your daily commute, but your basic workout is already done! Regular exercise is a key to maintaining an ideal weight and you’re getting regular exercise when you commute via bicycle.

Can you also imagine a life without road rage? How about no traffic jams? Biking to work greatly decreases the unwanted stress of daily commuting.

So if you’d like to make even a little difference in any or all of the aforementioned categories, dust off that trusty “silent stead” and pedal your way to a better existence.


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