Environmental health is on of those issues that affect everyone living today. Some of us choose to act as though there is nothing happening or that nothing is going wrong with how nature is reacting to humanity’s continued abuse. However, the rest of us know that to not act is to doom our children and grandchildren to a world that is far less rich for our greed.
One of the greatest threats to our health is the continued use of oil and oil based products. Everything about oil is filthy. Pulling it out of the earth involves large machinery digging up vast tracts of natural land. Most of it becomes heavily polluted as the oil is extracted. Transport is just as nasty. Whether by tanker ship, oil pipeline or truck, there is always the very
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Our car is only used for driving to work and back or trips over ten miles long.
Using a bicycle instead of a car for short trips is fairly easy. We have one bike that is our designated 'shopping' bike. It has a basket at the front. It also has a rack and two large wire baskets on the rear for all our shopping. The store is an easy 2 miles away. Every week I hop on and peddle my way there and back. It takes me no longer then it would if I were to get into the car, fight my way through the traffic and the lights and hunt for a parking spot. In fact, it probably takes me less time to get there!
The shopping bike is not our only bike. We have lighter fast road bikes and comfortable cruisers to commute to our other destinations. A lightweight rear rack over the back wheel on each of our bikes means that we can stop by a store on our way home without hardship.
It's pretty easy to get started in a car-light life-style. First, take a look at your local infrastructure. Note how many of your car trips are just to a local store and back. Next, you get yourself a comfortable bike and a good bike lock or two. Be sure to pick a bike that has eyelets in the frame to easily bolt on your racks and baskets. Try getting a used bike for even less environmental impact. Start small. Take the bike to the corner store instead of drive. Work your way into hopping on your bike for longer and longer trips. Each little bit adds up.
Biking has changed our lives for the better.
Having a car not only implies driving it, but also involves taking care of it, which can be expensive. Fortunately there are certain things we can do by ourselves. An oil change periodically is imperative to keep a car in optimum conditions and actually it is easier to do than it sounds. Is good to know that a car needs an oil change every 3000 to 5000 miles or 3 months, whichever comes first, which comes out to 4 to 5 times a year what means about 200 to 400 dollars depending on your type of car. The home oil change is a simple process that requires a few tools, and it's a sure way to save some money while you avoid the hassle of
The wide use of transportation contributes to how society is increasingly turning away from walking. Since, the majority of people drive either their own cars or a form of public transportation regularly they have lost the sense of distance. People may never even know that the daily commute they may take to work is faster to walk to then it is to wait in traffic for. For example, recently my roommate invited me along so she should get a tattoo at a parlor in our hometown. We had to take a bus to get near to the location because it is a bit far away from UCR, but once we got off at a bus stop instead of walking the short distance that would take about 15 minutes we decided to call an Uber. We both haven’t been in our hometown in a while, so instead of enjoying it we decided to take a car. At my high school, students were allowed to drive themselves to the campus beginning junior year. I never got my license during high school, so I would either be picked up by one of my parents or a friend who drove to themselves to school would. However, whenever one of my parents would pick me up they would refuse to pick me up directly in front of the school because of the ridiculous amount of traffic. They had me walk a little over half a mile each day after school to the exact same spot. Even though, half a mile wasn’t a long walk I realized a difference between taking that small walk and being driven home by
There are loads of different ways that we as humans affect the world and the environment we live in. Some things that we do can not only change and affect the environment but can also affect our health.
During the challenge week, you log you entry on the car-free challenge website. Then everyday you're eligible for daily prizes and a grand prize. "We want people to think in terms of 'what if I try the transit bus or bike or share a ride'. Even that is something that is sustainable for the environment. For the active things like walking and biking, it's good for your health," explains Chemung County Transit Specialist, Tina Hager.
Oil pollution is causing cancer and other diseases. According to the text the oil might be damaging the health of those in its path. The text also states three studies show rising amounts of polluting chemicals in lakes and rivers near the oil sands. some cause cancer. According to http://www.dw.com/en/oil-boom-in-canada-health-and-environmental-damage-at-lake-athabasca/av-17437070 There is highly-toxic waste produced during the oil extraction process
As a seventeen year old who is currently in between jobs (I’m only babysitting for a family two or three times a month), I do not have to travel very often or very far. It is because of this that I typically only travel to five different locations from my home. On the nights that I am babysitting, I travel 18 miles to the family’s home. I also travel to the local farmer’s market, which is only one mile away, the gym (6.5 miles away), church (18 miles), and to the movies (6 miles). In order to get to these places I drive the family car, which is a 2007 KIA Sportage and it is an efficient means of transportation.
Every single day I have to ride my bicycle throughout the city of Miami. The perks I would say is that it is safer for the environment by causing less pollution in the air and I get a good cardio workout every day. The negative outcome of not having a car however is that I almost get hit or what feels like killed every other hour on the street. But how the person perceives this situation is really what is at hand. I take the time every once in a while and stop near a park or by a lake and just admire nature in its vast beauty and how truly wonderful it is to be alive, most people do not see how much of a blessing it is to just wake up every single day and being healthy. Having to worry about the weather is another issue that I have to be constantly worrying about, but thankfully at the end of the day it is just a little rain, unless it is a tremendous storm which dramatically increases my chance of being killed while riding my bike.
There are many substitutes for automobiles as well as many substitutes for actually owning a vehicle. Alternatives for cars would be buses, trains, planes, walking,
Depending on the type of city, you could survive without either a driver’s license or a car; many people who live in cities have neither and depend on public transportation.
Watching “SpongeBob SquarePants” as a child made me realize that owning a vehicle is vital in order to get our desire destinations safely and punctual. There were numerous occasions where I found myself dependent on others. Though there are countless of bus stops I can use for transportation, I am not comfortable riding in one. Walking is another type transportation I took for school and work. However, a rainy day impedes a travel by foot. Additionally, riding my bicycle was another way I got around. My errands require extensive transportation on a daily basis. I did not want to be a burden any further. Luckily, I discovered Uber. I am pleased and relieved that I have discovered a reliable way to get to my destinations at a reasonable price.
First of all, reduce the time you are in the car and use your legs to move .Use Bikes! People are getting lazier as time goes, but you can make the change. If you walk more, you help your planet and you help yourself, so why not to do it?
Some people believe that the benefits of the automobile far outweigh the consequences. These people
3. According to the Grist, an article titled “how bicycling will save the economy (if we let it). Elly Blue says that ditching your car for a bike not only saves you thousands of dollars every year, it boosts local businesses. She says, "It's amazing how much money can stay in your community when it isn't being pumped into the gas tank, big insurance, and the auto market," So basically the less money you spend on your car contributes to the small businesses and restaurants that are thriving in your community that boost the economy.
Being lazy is a great thing because so much time is saved. Time may be saved, but in exchange, the environment gets destroyed instead. Driving a car to work may be faster, but it also destroys the environment so much faster. Biking to the store serves the same purpose and it saves the environment greatly. Cars are a huge contributor to global warming. Cars and trucks combined are responsible for one-fifth of all US emissions. They release about 24 pounds of carbon dioxide and other global warming gases for every gallon of gas used (Union of Concerned Scientists). About five pounds of those gases come from production, extraction, and delivery of gasoline. More than 19 pounds are released per gallon from a car's tailpipe (Union of Concerned Scientists). 1.2 billion cubic yards of polluted air is from manufacture. Painting and coating cars produces 40 million pounds of air releases and 24 million pounds of hazardous waste a year. A car's lifetime produces 1.3 billion cubic yard of polluted air and scatters 40 pounds of worn tire particles, brake debris, and worn road surface into the atmosphere (Bike to Work Day). Pollutants released a year add up to over 12,140 lbs for cars and 17,000 for light trucks. Some of those pollutants are carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and nitrogen oxides (Bike to Work Day). By choosing to bike or walk instead of drive, the amount of gases and waste contributing to global warming, drops drastically. Choosing to drive instead of taking a greener form of transportation is a great threat to the environment.
Why not feature a car that goes 80 miles on a charge at a top speed of 60 mph? Design the batteries and charging unit as modules that can be replaced by more powerful modules down the road. Everyone else will be competing on speed and range. Be different. Understand better the commuting experience, rather than fret about extending speed and range. Provide the best positioned coffee mug and cosmetics holders to accommodate what people do when they are commuting. Provide a superb cell-phone-driven speaker phone system that enables you to listen to messages, and make calls from steering wheel controls. Provide the best sound system experience in a small car, by far. Provide the safest capsule seating design. Smallness and lightness means less safe and this must be countered by featuring safety. Provide the very simplest plug and charge system. No installed meters – meter is included in car and used to claim tax discounts that will be inevitable to promote pure eCar use. Provide a warning alarm if the cord is still attached when the car is started.