Today, April 22nd, is in fact Earth Day. Yes, I know I’m a little late in this posting as Earth Day is almost over. That’s why I’m just going to pretend that it is Earth Week*. Why only have one day for something that we live on for our whole lives? Unless, of course, you’re an astronaut.

Now, I honestly didn’t know very much about Earth Day until today when I decided to research it. According to the Earth Day Network this is a day “founded on the premise that all people, regardless of race, gender, income, or geography, have a moral right to a healthy, sustainable environment.” Sounds like a worthy cause to me. Basically it is a day to spread awareness of environmental issues and inspire people to appreciate the Earth. Different communities have different events, and many countries are now getting involved.

I, for one, enjoy this Earth. It’s a lovely place to live, and I hope to keep living here much longer. That is why I finally got myself a bike (by that I mean that I stole my little brothers old bike, and had a friend fix it up). Ok, this sounds off topic, but just hear me out.

There are times when I drive home from work at rush hour and I notice a cyclist on the road. Now it seems logical that I would make it to my destination quicker then them because my car can go much faster. However, once you take into account stop signs, stop lights, and lots of cars then we really end up making about the same time. Sometime the cyclist even beats me. After making that observation, and looking at all the other benefits it just seemed logical to get a bike.

Here is a list of some benefits for both you and the environment that come from cycling vs driving:

• Reduced air pollution (carbon monoxide, methane, nitrous oxide, etc.).
• Decreased amount of gas and oil being used.
• Increased fitness, decreased blood pressure, decreased risk of diabetes, decreased risk of osteoarthritis, and many more health benefits.
• Increased life expectancy (that way you can celebrate Earth Day for more years to come).
• You save money. After gas, oil changes, and tune ups is costs about $3000 a year to keep your car running. The average annual cost to keep your bike running is more like $300. That is worth the extra few minutes it may take me to cycle to work.

For this summer try and make a new commitment to bike more and drive less. Great for you. Great for the environment.

For those of you who want to give some of the trails around the Provo area a try here is a great link to descriptions of bike trails in Utah County.

* I actually discovered after writing this that there is indeed an Earth Week. It starts April 16th, and goes until April 22nd. If you missed it (like I did) then you can celebrate it late with me.