Exercise for the Environment!

We have all heard it a million times: EXERCISE IS GOOD FOR YOU!

But exercising can be good for the environment too. How many times a week do you hop in your car to drive a mile or two down the road to grab one thing at the grocery store? Or what about running to the ATM? Or to a friend’s house? According to the EPA, 40% of all personal trips are 2 miles or under! Instead of getting into a car, why not walk, run, or ride a bike?

Every gallon of gas consumed releases 19.4 pounds of CO2. If you replaced just two miles of driving a day with biking or walking you could save about three gallons of gas a month. That comes out to about 60 pounds of carbon a month!

Not only can you save on carbon emissions, but on calories as well. On average, 100 calories are burnt every mile walked (varying slightly from person to person). According to the EPA those who exercised regularly had 14% fewer claims to their health insurance than those who did not exercise.

By replacing short car trips with biking or walking, some of the benefits include:

• No release of carbon emissions
• Money saved on gas, health care costs, and vehicle maintenance
• Added time and enjoyment of being outdoors
• Physical fitness
• Decreased amount of time wasted and stress caused by traffic

Many college campuses have taken initiative and established bike programs on campus to decrease traffic congestion and carbon emissions. Check out our fellows, Alex Pocock, Ryan Campbell, and Anita Yip, to learn about bicycle programs on their campuses.