Today is Blog Action Day.

Bloggers everywhere are writing about issues related to the environment. I've said before, that one of the best ways to do your share for the environment, and at the same time make your corner of the world a little more livable is to ride a bike. The bicycle provides basic, non-polluting, economical transportation, and can contribute to lowering traffic congestion and improving air quality. Plus, bikes are something I know a lot about.

So, I am going to suggest ways that biking can make your child a better human and better citizen.

1. Biking teaches independence. It is the first vehicle many children ever ride on their own. Don't treat it like a toy. Let your child learn about the freedom and responsibility associated with controlling a vehicle.
2. Biking teaches autonomy. It offers a way to get from point A to point B without relying on the automobile. Children from a very early age can appreciate the difference, and older children can actually use the bike to chauffeur themselves around.
3. You can help your child learn the rules of the road using your bikes on quiet streets around the neighborhood
4. You can sign up for a bike repair class with an older child to learn practical skills, and further boost the sense of responsibility and autonomy in your kid.
5. You can use the bike to illustrate some principles of physics (you could start here).
6. A bicycle is a vehicle for social change. You can discuss how bikes are used around the world to alleviate poverty and and offer mobility solutions in developing countries (for ideas, click here)
7. The bicycle builds awareness. Unlike a car, which isolates us from our surroundings and fellow humans, the bicycle puts us in touch with the environment & people around us. It's hard to space out on a bike. You have to pay attention. And when you are not looking out at the world through a smoked glass window, you notice things like prowling cats, sparring squirrels, dragonflies, homeless people under a bridge, the weather, nasty smells exuded by cars, and other interesting things you might otherwise miss.
8. A bicycle teaches about health and fitness. You are using your own body, the food you've ingested to fuel it, to produce the energy to propel yourself from one place to another. We would all enjoy better health if we committed some of our daily travel to a bicycle.
9. The bicycle teaches economy. The cost of a bicycle and its maintenance, spread over the number of years the owner will enjoy it, adds up to a very affordable annual expense. If we use a bicycle in place of a car or bus, the savings increase dramatically.
10. The bicycle can boost your psychological well-being (I regret that I don't have any studies to substantiate this claim. Argue with me if you'd like.). It liberates you from reliance on motor vehicles, and, because it is human-powered, offers a sense of freedom to travel efficiently from one place to another. It can help you get away from the daily stresses, and free you from the constraints of traffic, crowds and noise.

For more inspiration, check out 50 ways to leave your car.

Comments

[kim]

Nice! And true. Thanks for sharing your tips.

[kim]

Oops, sorry for the repeats. My computer is wonky and reloading oddly.

[Justyna]

That's ok. Got rid of the dupes on my end.