I had planned to start this project on March 20 in conjunction with the Spring Equinox and the National Bike Summit in DC.
However, it was a marvelous day today, plus a Monday, and weather-wise, the rest of the week looks crummy for cycling.
Soooo, I commuted today!
The morning ride was pleasant - 5 people smiled and waved, the kind of interpersonal communication and human contact that doesn't typify most morning commutes.
A very windy afternoon told a different story, as I was only treated to a single enthusiastic (albeit sarcastic) thumbs up.
I logged a total of 23.1 miles on today's route, saving $3.43 in gas and 18.83 lbs (!!) of carbon dioxide. I used the Carbon Footprint Calculator to sort this out.
If you're interested in all of the DATA! I'm collecting, it can be found here on this blog (also linked on the right - DATA!) or here as a Google Doc.
I'm also looking for some fresh ideas (read: challenges) with this project - for instance, I was just reading about this entire office who will not use cars in the entire month of May!
Always looking for more inspiration!
It would be cool if you could get money donated for some miles or amount of carbon saved and give it to a charity like this http://www.re-cycle.org/
ReplyDeleteThat was the first one I found googling bike charity.
Thanks, Chris! I'll look into it...
ReplyDelete*EDIT*
ReplyDeleteI discovered that I had miscalculated the CO2 savings. Instead of the original 9lbs, it was 18.8lbs! Apparently, 6lbs of gasoline will produce almost 20lbs of CO2.