The Carbon Emissions of Biking vs. Driving
Just in time for Bike To Work Day this Friday, May 16, the Sierra Club's Answer Guy Hey Mr. Green puts to rest the silly notion that fueling a bike (by feeding a person food that has been grown with fossil fuel inputs and transported to the consumer) is worse for the environment than fueling a car (Is Driving Better Than Cycling, April 29, 2008). Says Hey Mr. Green:
"Of course it takes some energy to make and propel a bike, but nowhere near what's required to make and propel cars that weigh 70 or 80 times as much and demand vastly greater energy for maintenance, from oil changes to tires to new fenders and grilles when they get banged up."
Now that we've cleared that up, we hope to see you out on the trails on the 16th. I'll be riding to the Rosslyn pit stop. With 26 pit stops in all, there should be one close to your home or office. Its not too late to sign up to participate. See you on Friday!
Chris Hamilton is the Commuter Services Chief for Arlington County, manager of CommuterPageBlog and a Metro/biking commuter from Rosemont in Alexandria.
