Bike Sharing Programs Pick Up Speed

It’s hard not to gush about bicycle sharing programs. Biking is a great choice for the environment. The carbon emissions from riding a bike are zero. Bike riding also reduces traffic congestion, allowing cars to make trips faster. But carrying locks and worrying about where to store your bike can be a real hassle. These sharing programs eliminate the fuss, making it easy for you to commute by bike. They’ve been very successful in cities like Montreal and Washington, DC, and the trend seems to be continuing. The City of Boston recently announced a new program that, when completed, will be the largest in the United States.

According to the proposal, set to begin next summer,  the city will place between 1,000 and 3,000 bikes at stations 300 or 400 yards apart, located at major points around the city. Like other programs, there will be a small fee for use: around $2.50 for a daily pass or $40 for the year. This makes bike sharing often much more affordable than commuting by car or even public transportation. Boston will also be investing in more bike lanes. There’s reason to believe the program could have a major impact on commuting habits. Less than 1 percent of Bostonians currently commute by bike. In Lyon, France, which has a bike-sharing program and is similar in size to Boston, 13 percent commute by bike.

As if you need more reasons to get on board with bike sharing, according to the International Bicycle Fund, cyclists who begin commuting by bike lose an average of 13 pounds in the first year. And there’s safety in numbers. Numbers from New York City suggest that as the number of cyclists increases, the number of accidents goes down. Injuries and fatalities have fallen by around 50% since 1998, even as daily ridership more than doubled from 80,000 to 180,000. As more people ride, drivers become more aware of bikers and the city has a greater incentive to build more bike lanes to accommodate new riders.

It’s a win-win situation for the environment and your health.

5 Reasons to Conserve Energy

Energy has become one of our biggest challenges because of our dependence on foreign sources and the environmental consequences existing sources have. Our dependence on foreign oil means that we have to send dollars abroad that could instead stay domestically to create jobs and fuel growth. Our use of fossil fuels as our main source of energy is causing the planet to warm rapidly as a result of a growing concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Clearly, energy is a big issue, and the first thing we need to do is learn how to avoid having to use energy without giving up quality of life (conservation). So here are five reasons why you should conserve energy.

1) Save Money. The best reason why you should conserve energy is because it will save you money. This is money that you can instead spend on paying for green products or purchasing clean energy. When you conserve energy, you save money on your energy bill. In general, energy efficiency upgrades can be paid back relatively quickly, so these are smart investments to make. Conserving energy by changing behaviors can have no monetary costs while accruing big savings.

2) Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions. As mentioned already, fossil fuels unfortunately release carbon dioxide when burned. Carbon dioxide is the main greenhouse gas causing the planet to warm rapidly, and so this requires us to dramatically reduce its emissions. When you conserve energy, you reduce the burning of fossil fuels and therefore cut on carbon dioxide emissions, helping slow down global warming.

3) Reduce Air Pollution. In the same way that carbon dioxide is released when we burn fossil fuels, air pollution is a result of fossil fuel combustion. For example, the burning of coal releases sulfur dioxide and soot, pollutants that lead to acid rain and respiratory illnesses. Gasoline combustion releases nitrogen compounds that, when hot enough, lead to ozone formation and smog. Air pollution is responsible for thousands of deaths annually, so it is in our interest to reduce air pollution by conserving energy at home and on the road.

4) Reduce Mercury Pollution. Our heavy reliance on coal means that we also emit a lot of mercury, which is found in significant amounts in coal. When coal is burned to produce electricity, mercury is released into the atmosphere and quickly deposits into water bodies and soils, eventually making it to fish populations. When they reach fish, mercury is already in the form of methylmercury, a toxic form that is a known carcinogen. Conserving energy, as a result, would directly impact our health as we would be less exposed to mercury in the food we eat and in the environment.

5) Save Water. Finally, you may not have thought of this. Just like when you reduce water use you save energy because that water does not have to be heated nor treated at the wastewater treatment plant, when you reduce energy use you also help save water. This is because power plants, particularly those that are fired by fossil fuels, require copious amounts of water in order to keep them cool. In fact, power plants represent the second largest consumer of water in the country, gobbling up 39% of all water withdrawals. Moreover, since the water is used to cool power plants, the end product is thermal water, which is much warmer than normal and affects local aquatic ecosystems.

There are very good reasons why we should be conserving energy other than the typical worries given out. Interested in learning all you can do to conserve energy? Sign up for a Green Home Makeover today. Look up your local Eco-Consultant and get on the path of conserving energy.

Do You Know Your Family’s Carbon Footprint?

Global warming is one of the most pressing problems we face today. The increasing concentration of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is causing the planet to warm quickly. This is having serious effects here and around the world, including stronger storms, hotter summers, more frequent drought and flooding, and even the loss of species.

Each of us contributes to increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in various ways. Each time we consume electricity, food, and other goods and services, we contribute to global warming because of the carbon dioxide emissions associated with most daily activities. The amount we contribute annually is known as our carbon footprint.

Your local Green Irene Eco-Consultant can show you how to determine how much your family contributes to global warming. The Carbon Footprint Calculator allows you to determine your carbon footprint from all the activities in which you engage in your daily life. The calculator will basically add up all the carbon contributions associated with your consumption and living patterns to determine how much carbon dioxide you emit every year and how this compares to the global average and averages across other countries.

With this Calculator, the Eco-Consultant can show you how much your family contributes so that you can make changes to your lifestyle to reduce your contribution to global warming. You will find that most of the changes you can make will actually not affect your lifestyle and will perhaps even save you money. Ask your local Green Irene Eco-Consultant to find out more about your carbon footprint and what you can do about it. Also, after you take the steps we recommend and you’re still determined to be a carbon-neutral family, we have green carbon offsets for your family’s auto and air travel.

Rosamaria Caballero Stafford
Co-Founder and the Original Green Irene