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Car Free Every Day
Every day is Car Free for me. When I took this job at USU, I purposely did not purchase a parking permit (not even the cheap one), thus forcing myself to commit to biking, walking or riding the bus to and from work. I am so glad I made that decision, as there have been countless benefits, some unexpected.
A few of these benefits are:
That last one is the best benefit for me. Each week, I load up my IPod with the various and sundry podcasts I listen to (ranging from Science to NPR to TV shows) and then I get a chance to catch up on all of them as I commute. In fact, I plan my week depending on how full my IPod is; if there is a lot to listen to, I will walk more days that week.
Sure, there are minor challenges to this kind of commute. I need to remember to bring or wear the right shoes or gear for the travel method of the day. On days when I have a lot to carry, I have to remember to use my bike (as it has a roomy side pannier). I began keeping an umbrella in my backpack, just in case. All of my jackets have gloves in the pockets, just in case. Those are all minor for me. The only major challenge is leaving the house a bit earlier than some other folks do. But once you get in the habit and train yourself, it works out just fine.
My daily car-free commute is one of the major benefits to my job at USU and I encourage everyone to try it, at least once or twice.
A few of these benefits are:
- Exercise every day to combat the sitting I do at work.
- Walking in the fresh fallen snow.
- Experiencing peace as I walk through the beautiful city cemetery.
- Bonding with my neighbors as we ride the bus.
- Seeing daylight, the sky, weather and our lovely valley in various moods.
- Catching up with friends and family via phone on my walks home.
- Saving money on parking passes and gas.
- Breathing in the valley air that I helped to clear up, just a little bit.
- Thinking about my week ahead, and pondering problems while walking or biking.
- Feeling the sunshine and wind on my face.
- Seeing the change of seasons.
- Listening to all of the weekly podcasts on my IPod.
That last one is the best benefit for me. Each week, I load up my IPod with the various and sundry podcasts I listen to (ranging from Science to NPR to TV shows) and then I get a chance to catch up on all of them as I commute. In fact, I plan my week depending on how full my IPod is; if there is a lot to listen to, I will walk more days that week.
Sure, there are minor challenges to this kind of commute. I need to remember to bring or wear the right shoes or gear for the travel method of the day. On days when I have a lot to carry, I have to remember to use my bike (as it has a roomy side pannier). I began keeping an umbrella in my backpack, just in case. All of my jackets have gloves in the pockets, just in case. Those are all minor for me. The only major challenge is leaving the house a bit earlier than some other folks do. But once you get in the habit and train yourself, it works out just fine.
My daily car-free commute is one of the major benefits to my job at USU and I encourage everyone to try it, at least once or twice.
flattail |
Latest page update: made by flattail
, Oct 7 2008, 3:30 PM EDT
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Keyword tags:
air quality
bike
bus
exercise
walk
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| Started By | Thread Subject | Replies | Last Post | ||
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| flattail | Great success! | 0 | Oct 6 2008, 6:49 PM EDT by flattail | ||
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Thread started: Oct 6 2008, 6:49 PM EDT
Watch
I liked your description of the benefits of walking to and from work. I enjoy podcasts too--some of my favorite are the TED talks and Stanford's Entrepreneurial Thought Leader seminar.
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