Forty Percent - Can You Do it?

I admit it - I am a fair-weather biker. I have a simple set of don't ride criteria

• water falling from the sky
• ice
• temperature below 40 degrees Fahrenheit
• temperature above 105 degrees Fahrenheit
• wind above 25 miles per hour

The local climate is semi-arid/plains/desert type stuff, so this criteria keeps me riding a lot. Strangely, National Bike to Work Week always seems to bring a monsoon with it. I rode to work on Monday. I will ride again on Friday (tomorrow). There has been rain, lightning, and cold in between.

I am thankful to be able to ride tomorrow - it's National Ride to Work Day!

Sure, I would love to be able to ride every day, but this week I will have accomplished a 40% reduction in gas-powered rides to work. If we could accomplish that on a larger scale - say a town, a county, a state...we could make a massive dent in our ecological well-being. We could slow climate change. Yes, I love bicycles, but bike riding is not the desired outcome. We need to reduce carbon production and release. That's the real goal.

So, how about you? What could you do to reduce the damage caused by your commute by 40%? Would you need a bike? A more efficient car? A bus pass? A carpool plan? Thicker socks? A schedule change at work?

If you can't get there, look at other parts of your life. Could you use 40% less electricity? 40% less water? Could you create 40% less waste? Could you help make it possible for others to make a 40% improvement? Could you inspire others to make a 40% improvement?

Just think, if an overweight, middle-aged dork-on-a-bike can do it, you can too!

May forty percent be the beginning of something amazing in your life!