The Perks of Cycling

by Janinah Jimmin M. Molina

In today's society, cars, jeepneys and the like are the worst pollutants. This is very much seen in cities of which Cagayan de Oro is one. Our polluted atmosphere does not only damage our environment but undeniably it also affects our health and well-being. In addition, the emission from vehicles contain harmful substances. An enormous amount of carbon dioxide will contribute to the degradation of our environment.

So,wanna help the environment? Climb on your bike! Let's set the trend on bicycles as the new cars.

I personally think that for biking to flourish in our communities is very much essential to saving our planet Earth. If you are riding a bicycle there is no combustion of fossil fuel as it would be if you were driving a car. Thus, you are not contributing to global warming.

As stated in the article titled 'Biking saves money and environment' by Lynne Tolman some things to also consider are the following:

* A 10-mile bike trip requires 350 calories of energy. The same trip in an average American car requires 18,600 calories of energy (about half a gallon of gasoline); or 9,200 calories per person by bus, according to the Worldwatch Institute.

* Bicycling costs approximately 13 cents to 15 cents per mile, according to a 1994 study by the Conservation Law Foundation, while driving with no passengers costs 54 cents to 94 cents per mile, depending on the city and the time of day. About 30 cents of that is the cost to the car owner alone, including insurance premiums, and the rest is borne by government (read: taxpayers) and society at large. These costs include building and maintaining roads and parking places, addressing the health and environmental effects of air pollution, and paying for accident consequences not covered by insurance.

* Auto emissions are the No. 1 cause of air pollution. Motor vehicles are responsible for 55 percent of cancer contaminants, greater than any other source, according to the League of American Bicyclists.

Therefore, to preserve our ecosystem riding a bicycle is definitely one great step. Perhaps, with a little change in our day to day activities we can play a role of protecting the Earth in which we live.