HOW DOES BICYCLE COMMUTING CONTRIBUTE TO A CLEAN ENVIRONMENT?

ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS

HOW DOES BICYCLE COMMUTING CONTRIBUTE TO A CLEAN ENVIRONMENT?

1.      Bicycling uses no fuel.

2.      Bicycles take a lot less energy to make than a car.

3.      Bikes don’t require toxic batteries or motor oil.

HOW MUCH AIR POLLUTION IS PREVENTED BY COMMUTING BY BICYCLE?

The actual calories you burn while riding your bike depend on your weight, speed, distance and other factors.

10 mile round trip commute 5 days a week for a year

Vehicle	MPG	Gasoline	Emissions
Small Car	35mpg	68 Gallons	.7 Tons of CO2
Midsize Car	20mpg	124 Gallons	1.3 Tons of CO2
SUV/4×4	14mpg	170 Gallons	1.9 Tons of CO2

And those are just the pollutants from fuel use. From the foam and plastic in its seats to the petroleum in its tires, each car is a small pollution factory. Several tons of waste and 1.2 billion cubic yards of polluted air are generated in its manufacture alone! In 2008 the US produced 1.6 million billion metric tons of waste mining ore for automotive production. In the US each year, painting and coating cars produces 40 million pounds of air releases and 24 million pounds of hazardous wastes.

During its lifetime, on the road, each car produces another 1.3 billion cubic yards of polluted air and scatters an additional 40 pounds of worn tire particles, brake debris and worn road surface into the atmosphere.

Bicycling significantly reduces transportation emissions while also reducing traffic congestion and the need for petroleum. The total number of pounds of pollutants, (comprised of hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and carbon dioxide), emitted per year is 12,140.30 lbs/year (or 0.97 lbs/mile) for passenger cars and 17,025.80 lbs/year (or 1.21 lbs/mile) for light trucks.

HOW MUCH MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY IS BICYCLING COMPARED TO DRIVING A HYBRID

1.      Hybrid cars are much larger than bikes. 14,000 pounds of carbon are produced in the production of each vehicle.

2.      Most hybrids require large batteries such as nickel metal hydride batteries which are known carcinogens, and have been shown to cause a variety of teratogenic effects. Also, nickel mining is often done in open cast mines with all the attendant pollution that goes along with excavating large holes in the ground.

3.      Hybrids do use some gas to run, while bikes require none.

4.      When you rely on a car for transportation, you are more likely to go further for errands and not rely on completely carbon free forms of transportation such as walking and bicycling. You support your local businesses when you get there by bike or walking.

Shared from :youcanbikethere.com

22 Easy ways to Save the Earth and Environment

Every year people all over celebrate World Environment Day, with plans in mind to save earth and the environment. But sometimes we need to ask ourselves “will we really execute our plans?” The existence of nature is the proof of our own existence and everybody appreciates the existence of water, forest, animals, songbird, flora and fauna, but unfortunately these can be misused and end up being harmed. The environment is polluted by various things such as radioactive elements, plastics, sewage, domestic waste and industrial pollution.

Nobody is a perfect environmentalist, however, together we can take some honest steps to reduce the amount of resources consumed and waste that is generated.

Take a look below at some ideas and tips as how we can do this. Let’s protect the planet and go green to save our environment!

1.       You can reduce the water wastage by:-

§  Reducing your bathing time

§  Install a low-flow showerhead

§  Turn off the water in the sink while shaving or brushing your teeth

§  Submerge a full water bottle in the toilet tank to shift or move water and make it a low flow model to save water with each flush

§  Fix leaking pipes

§  Recycle water in your home 

§  Where possible, try not to use water as a cleaning solution. Baking Soda and Vinegar can work just as well as other cleaning products.

§  Install aeration nozzles on all taps

Water conservation is very necessary as a lot of energy is required to pump water from the river into your home.

2.                   Unplug chargers, turn off lights and appliances not in use like computers, laptops and phones when you leave for the day.

3.                   Replace regular light bulbs in your home with compact fluorescent bulbs

4.                   Join the car pool or public transportation to save fuel and its cost.

5.                   Avoid using disposable cup or coffee mug at work in order to save space in the landfill and energy. You can bring your own ceramic cup or coffee mug to work.

6.                   When you make purchases, try to opt for the brands that use recyclable packaging.

7.                   Bring your meal in a reusable container and don’t buy an additional plastic container for it. Don’t generate waste with a plastic fork and plastic takeout container. Use a reusable container if bringing in lunch from home.

8.                  Start a recycling program in your home, office or community.

9.                   Start paying your bills online and ask companies to stop paper bills from being sent to you. Print and copy on both sides of the paper. It helps to save paper and trees.

10.               Use reusable grocery bags rather than plastic bags

11.                Get your IT equipment like computers, laptop, printer and phones recycled or decomposed in order to reduce related air pollution and water pollution. It can take a million years to decompose. Contact a company offers IT equipment recycling or disposal services in your area.

12.                Use a more eco-friendly disposable or cloth in place of nappy of the child as it adds million tons of waste in landfills each year.

13.                Recycle newspaper, bows and gift bags by reusing them. You can also create something unique by using old newspaper, maps, and cloth.

14.                Instead of purchasing a plastic water bottle, buy an appropriate reusable container. A plastic bottle takes thousands of years to decompose and because it’s not recycled or biodegradable.

15.                Plant a tree to reduce air pollution as shady landscape enhances the value of your property and reduce the energy consumption

16.                Put the cruise control button on your car to work as you can get better mileage. With increasing gasoline prices, this is a boon for your budget and the environment too.

17.                You can save about 10% of your energy use by adjusting your thermostat 1% cooler in winter and 1% higher in summer.

18.               Try to get your phone recycled as it introduces very harmful and toxic substances into the environment and go into landfills.

19.                Maintain your vehicle by regularly checking the air filter and giving it a clean. This will help your car more efficiently. It’s also important to inflate your tyres to a specific pressure as it reduces tyre-wear and helps the fuel economy.

20.               You can conserve energy in your home by

§  Setting your freezer temperature 0-5 or refrigerator temperature at 36-38

§  Minimising door opening while using the oven

§  Avoid using chemicals to clean your home, use a microfiber cloth

21.                Buy wooden toys instead of throwaway plastic toys

22.               Take the stairs instead of using lifts.

Note : Shared from greencleanguide.com