One of the greatest advantages of living in Richfield is its proximity to nearly everything. I love being close enough to the places I need to go that I don’t usually need my car. I can walk to the grocery store (and Chipotle!), and I can bike to the bank, the library, the post office, the HUB, and the Richfield Farmer’s Market. This is fantastic because I really don’t like to drive and my car makes my husband nervous in her old age.
There is an awesome initiative called The 2 Mile Challenge that encourages folks to bike to where they need to go when it is within two miles of their home to save on car emissions and inspire exercise. I think this is awesome. I won’t talk about the reasons to cut down on your drive-time, you’ve heard plenty, I’m sure. But consider taking this challenge personally and walking or biking rather than driving anywhere within two (or five!) miles of your home.
Need more inspiration? Here is The GOOD Guide to Biking for the Planet. This article has great info on the environmental impact of biking, technique and bike myths, equipment, activism, and organizations to help you get started. I’m sure the folks at Penn Cycle would be more than happy to help too, plus you’d be supporting a local business! hey’ve always been very helpful and personable to me, and they know their stuff!
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One more neat-o, bike related, thing I’d like to talk about is the awesome project that St. Olaf College senior physics major, Geoff Delperdang, is up to this summer. Geoff is passionate about sustainability (sound familiar?) and is spending his summer biking from Minneapolis to Washington DC on a trek he’s calling Cycling for Climate Change (on Facebook). His goal is “…to work in and with these communities to spread awareness about climate change and solutions and strive to help make a more sustainable future.” He will meet with legislators in Washington D.C. to hand in his petition to encourage more aggressive environmental policies. I was excited to meet him at a volunteer project this week and look forward to following his progress. Way to go Geoff and safe travels!