Earth Threat dot org

The Statistics

Cars and other motor vehicles represent 31% of total carbon dioxide, 81% of carbon monoxide, and 49% of nitrogen oxides released within North America. A four mile trip on a bike keeps 15 pounds of pollutants from entering the air that we breathe.

A nation wide personal transportation survey was held within the United States, and they released these findings:

• 25% of all trips made are within one mile from home.

• 40% of all trips made are within two miles from home.

• 50% of the working population commutes five miles or less to work.

• More than 82% of these 5 mile or less commutes are made by motor vehicle.

Did you know that on average 60% of auto emissions happen within the first few minutes of operation? Pollution control devices take a few minutes to kick in. “Cold starts” create much higher levels of emissions, and therefore longer trips are far less polluting on a per-mile basis.

Biking for your health, and your Earth

Riding your bike for those short commutes will dramatically reduce your carbon footprint. Riding your bike is a safe choice, and it is also of course, the more aerobic choice.

If you do not have a bike at this moment, i recommend that you get one. It is the summertime, and eventually it will be fall. These are two ideal seasons for recreational biking.

When purchasing a bike, you get what you pay for in most cases. I have had my bike for eight years now and it is still going strong, but I did spend much more than I thought I should have at the time. Dishing out a bit of extra cash may sound cruddy, but think about all of the money you will save on fuel in the long run.

With gas prices higher than ever, many are making the switch. Not only to save money, but to help save our struggling environment in a time of severe need.

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