How To Help Save The Planet

Today, at long last, I took personal responsibility for doing my bit towards saving our beautiful blue and green planet. At a time when there are highly justified, continuing global concerns about the health and well being of planet earth, I do believe it is incumbent upon each and everyone of us as individuals to reduce our carbon footprint. Collectively, we can do an awful lot to reduce wasting valuable resources only to create evermore unnecessary, unjustifiable pollution and contamination all around the world, very much to all of our detriment. What did I do? I bought a new bike.

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love cars, boats, trains and planes. However there isn't any cheaper, healthier way to travel than cycling, except on foot. Of course, I shall continue to go where ever I can walking as well. An old doctor of mine once told me that the best exercise you can get is walking a minimum of three miles a day. However, there are days when time is of the essence and walking is not going to cut the mustard. And so the bike it is.

The great thing about the bike is apart from the initial use of materials for the manufacture of the object, there aren't any on-going costs apart from the odd new tyre or brake blocks and a dab grease and spot of oil. More to the point, I am creating no contamination whatsoever in using my bike. No petrol, diesel nor electric, nada. On top of that, there are all sorts of personal economic benefits. No bank loan, with interest, to buy the thing, no insurance (though I have taken out a very comprehensive and economic policy to protect the general public). There aren't any fuel or servicing and repair costs, no parking fees, speeding fines, not even an M.O.T. test. It gets better still.

I can actually get around town a darn sight quicker by bike. Too many times in the past I have driven round and round in circles looking for an all too elusive parking spot. I well remember one occasion driving all the way back home out of sheer frustration at being unable to find a space for my car. On most journeys around town the maximum speed you can legally do is 40 mph, which I can easily get up to by pedalling my bike. What's more, in a car you are quite often obliged to take the long way round town in order to comply with a one way system. On a bike you can take short cuts and get down narrow streets forbidden to cars. And when you get to your final destination you simply lock your bike to a convenient lamp post, guard rail or dedicated public bike rack. And since I have got a bike with a basket at the front and a parcel rack at the rear, I can even go and do a little shopping on two wheels.

Finally, the health benefits. Riding a bike is great exercise for your legs and soft tissue organs, heart, lungs, the lot. For a great many decades the car was lauded as our greatest transport invention ever. Ahem, I beg to differ. I do believe that the greatest transport invention is the bicycle. And these days the bike is finally coming into its own as the most sensible vehicle of choice if you care about the planet, your finances and your health. So if you really care about all of those things as much as you say you do, go buy a bike and help to save the world.