Save the Earth: Buy a Segway
According to his latest publication, Karl Ulrich (Researcher at Wharton, University of Pennsylvania) might have us all slugging down tequila & whizzing around on motorized scooters for the sake of the environment. Okay, that's a little unfair, but Ulrich does have a very novel take on our efforts to save the world.
Admittedly, I've only had time yet to read the abstract, and a summary written elsewhere, but the gist of his paper is that riding your bike to work takes a greater toll on the environment than driving to work. Sure, you small-picture thinkers might disagree, but those Pennsylvanians are big-picture people! While you might save energy & emissions immediately, there are side effects to regular cardiovascular exercise: weight management, reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, reduced risk of cancer, reduced risk of osteoporosis, improved mental status. These factors all conspire to keep bike-riders alive for up to a decade longer than their chain-smoking, binge-drinking counterparts.
And what are our health-nuts doing for those 10 extra years? Consuming energy, that's what! The improved longevity of bike-to-work-ers results in a net overconsumption of energy when compared to commuters, who do the whales and penguins a favor by dying in a timely fashion.
The real cuprit to blame for our energy crisis though isn't bike commuters. It's recreational cyclists: the worst of both worlds. They still drive to work, but afterwards they zip around reaping the health benefits of pedaling that will keep them consuming well into their 70's, 80's & 90's.
While it's an interesting persepctive on the topic, I can't say I buy Dr. Ulrich's logic.
Admittedly, I've only had time yet to read the abstract, and a summary written elsewhere, but the gist of his paper is that riding your bike to work takes a greater toll on the environment than driving to work. Sure, you small-picture thinkers might disagree, but those Pennsylvanians are big-picture people! While you might save energy & emissions immediately, there are side effects to regular cardiovascular exercise: weight management, reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, reduced risk of cancer, reduced risk of osteoporosis, improved mental status. These factors all conspire to keep bike-riders alive for up to a decade longer than their chain-smoking, binge-drinking counterparts.
And what are our health-nuts doing for those 10 extra years? Consuming energy, that's what! The improved longevity of bike-to-work-ers results in a net overconsumption of energy when compared to commuters, who do the whales and penguins a favor by dying in a timely fashion.
The real cuprit to blame for our energy crisis though isn't bike commuters. It's recreational cyclists: the worst of both worlds. They still drive to work, but afterwards they zip around reaping the health benefits of pedaling that will keep them consuming well into their 70's, 80's & 90's.
While it's an interesting persepctive on the topic, I can't say I buy Dr. Ulrich's logic.
