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MCC Daily Tribune Archive

Sustainability Tip of the Week


Sustainability Tip of the Week: April 1 2008

Just for fun on April Fool's Day, perhaps celebrating "What's NOT Foolish" could be an interesting exercise.

Consider ...

A typical motor-commute of 7.5 miles though Rochester city streets might normally take 20 minutes. Taking the freeway around might save 5 minutes, but could nearly double the miles travelled and shorten the warranty period of the car. That same commute on a bicycle (at a gentle, sweat-free pace) would normally take 35 minutes. Maybe a couple more to stop and chat with the neighbor out running, or walking the dog before work.

Getting up and leaving for work on a bicycle only 15 minutes earlier would get the bicyclist to work at the same time, but possibly sooner if the motorist on the same route has to stop at the gas pump ($$$) on the way. Sooner still, if the motorist can't remember the debit card PIN number.

(Let's leave it to the math department to compare the relative greenhouse gas emissions produced by theĀ  typical motorist using 1/4 to 1/3 gallon of gas, vs. that produced by a bicyclist fueled by a bowl of Cherrios.)

The bicyclist probably won't stop for coffee, saving another 5 to 10 minutes and a couple more bucks as well. The bicyclist won't risk spilling coffee all over the car, or his/her clothing, or having an accident due to the spill.

What if they both have a flat tire on the way?

The bicyclist can repair a flat in 5 minutes using a patch kit, or 30 seconds using Slime and CO2 cartridge. The motorist will lose an hour waiting for road service. A do-it-yourself motorist will lose 15-20 minutes changing the spare, and another 30 minutes (and several bucks) taking the ruined slacks to the dry cleaners.

The bicyclist can lock the bike to a bike rack near the building entrance, while the motorist is still trying to get the card reader at the parking lot entrance to recognize an ID card. The motorist might lose another minute or two (and more gas) circling the lot looking for the closest place to park without getting a parking ticket.

OK ... The motorist gets 100 extra Wegmans steps by walking across the parking lot!

(But the bicyclist already scored 7000 steps on the commute ... and that's just coming IN to work.)

Hopefully, the motorists' coffee has started to kick in, and slowly, the motorist feels ready for work.

The bicyclist already feels energized and ready for the day, while wondering why everyone else seems so grumpy today.

By the end of the day, the motorist feels absolutely stuffed trying to fit in FIVE WHOLE SERVINGS of fruits and vegetables, and is starting to question the marketing of Wegmans' "Eat Well Live Well" program. Meanwhile, the bicyclist is practically starving after ONLY 5 servings and reaches for that Hershey bar, guilt free!

The motorist personally "runs out of gas" at the end of a long hard day and collapses in front of the TV at home.

The bicyclist get's home late and misses dinner. It was a nice day, so he took the long way home.

Brian "I Love Chocolate" Managan

MCC Sustainability Group

Brian Managan
Visual and Performing Arts
04/01/2008