I want to help the environment but...

I do as much as I can to help the earth, and my new goal is to buy a bike and use it to get to work. I only live about 8 minutes or so from my job. I always use my car but I trully feel guilty about it. the problem is that my husband thinks it's too dangerous. Too many accidents happen here everyday. i understand his concern but i want to make a big change. it isn't far at all. he cares about the environment too, but he just wories.
so i'm not sure what i should do...

 

The way I see it is accidents can happen to anyone at anytime and that life is too short to constantly worry about something terrible happening. If we thought about life this way, nobody would leave their homes.

Some tips from me...
Be assertive, let drivers know if you're stopping or turning.
Plan a bike route to work on a less busy street (if possible).
Wear a helmet, sure they mess up your hair, but so what.
Wear brighter/light coloured or even reflective clothing if you're riding at night.
If someone in a car decides to hassle you, pull over get on the sidewalk and let them pass, because lets face it, an SUV could easily run a bicycle over.

 

Carpool to work if you can. Or use public transit.
You can be safe and help the environment.

If you will ride a bike, don't be afraid to use the entire lane on the roadway. Dont' ride on the shoulder. As a cyclist, it is your right to use the roads as much as cars.

By using the whole lane, you ensure that vehicles will see you and yield to you.
If you ride on the shoulder, you permit vehicles to drive right past you, and often they will squeeze by between you and oncoming traffic, which is by far the greatest threat to you.
Use the whole lane, and when vehicles approach you and slow down, then move to the shoulder to allow them to pass.

If you aren't comfortable riding in the middle of the lane, then use the shoulder but drive against traffic. This allows you to see what's coming at you, instead of relying on a mirror with blind spots, or looking over your shoulder and risk accidentally swerving into the traffic.

Above all, remember that although a cyclist always has the right of way, that will make no difference if the driver didn't see you in the first place. So make sure your presence is noticed by using hand signals, reflectors, lights, and never assume the drivers have seen you until you make eye contact.
Also, be aware of situations where you may be in a blind spot and try to make yourself more noticable.

Personally, I find parked cars to be more dangerous than moving cars.
Stay at least 3 or 4 feet from parked cars. For 3 reasons:
(All 3 of these things have happened to me)
1. You never know when someone is gonna fling a car door open
2. You never know when someone is gonna pull out into the road all of a sudden.
3. Cars stopped at intersections trying to enter the street might not see you behind a vehicle, usually right about the point where you no longer have time to stop.

The best advice is to choose a safe route if you can. Even if it takes you twice as long.

 

I would try to get on that bike idea, but remember helping the environment isn't just about not driving a car and what not.

It's about the other things you might do... don't litter, recycle as many things as you can...etc.

If you absolutely can't get to work by bike, rather than car, then at least try to incorporate your bicycling into getting around elsewhere or something.

You don't necessarily have to completely omit cars from your life, but do as much as you can and Mother Nature will still appreciate you ^_^

Also, another few tips for helping the enviroment:
Only drive when you absolutely have to
Try to use a fuel efficient vehicle
If the option IS available around your area use more eco-friendly fuels [around here we have some that has some extra added thing thats supposed to cut down on the pollution]
Try not to take roads where the speed limits are 55 mph or above [that cuts down on how quickly your gas goes]

Basically just use as much common sense as possible when it comes to that.

I feel bad when i drive but sometimes it's necessary. For example, we're selling our house, and I have to take my animals to my boyfriends if I work that day.... He lives at least 15 miles away---so clearly I'm not going to walk them there, and I have a cat ...theres no way I can take them on a bike.

Sometimes it's necessary, so try not to feel bad, just do the best you can and it WILL help.

 

agreed

if you have to drive, you have to drive. i feel guilty about it too. i have a 30 min drive to work now that i've moved, but there are many other things i do to reduce my pollution levels.

Check this website for ideas on how to reduce your GHG's....it's a PDF file of the One Tonne Challenge catalog.......it's amazing the amount of money you can save and steps you can take to reduce pollution.

http://www.climatechange.gc.ca/onetonne/english/OTCTipsGuide-e2.pdf

 

Walk to work...

 

thanks for the replies guys
its not the only thing i do to help but i thought it would be great if i did.
it's a bit too far to walk, i would consider it but my hubi wouldnt like the idea either, the only way to get there is by pasing many bars and other places drunk guys hang out... and we don't need any problems... well i guess there arent many choices. i try not to drive around that much
what about the busses? is that any better?

 

by a moped and yea i would say a bus would be better considering there would be one less car because the bus is always going to be there unless you get it shutdown