By Steve Nagle
Much has already been said about the advantages of physical fitness:
- Reduce the risk of premature death from heart disease, diabetes and stroke
- Reduce the risk of high blood pressure and cholesterol
- Reduce the risk of developing various cancers
- Reduce or maintain body weight and body fat
- Build and maintain healthy muscles, bones, and joints
- Reduce depression and anxiety
- Improve psychological well-being
- Enhanced work, recreation, and sport performance
And so the list goes on, but you already knew all that didn’t you?
One of the best ways to maintain physical fitness is to commute to school or work on your bike, leaving the car in the driveway!
Another advantage of leaving the car in the driveway is the cost savings.
Here’s an example:
I drive a Toyota truck with an average city driving fuel consumption of around 16L/100km. To drive to and from work is about a 20 km round trip and I’m at the store usually six days a week.
That equates to about 120 km a week and with a fuel savings of about 22 liters at $1.28 per liter that’s about $28 a week.
Big deal you might say, but multiply that by 52 weeks in a year and you have an annual dollar savings of about $1,456.
Add to this the fact that you can reduce insurance costs by removing your to and from work coverage which, depending on your vehicle can be about $100 or more.
Looking at it now from the environmental side – burning 1 liter of gasoline produces 2.3 kg of carbon dioxide.
So by saving 1,144 liters of fuel in a year you prevent 2,631kg of carbon dioxide being spewed into our atmosphere.
Imagine if a hundred people did this what the CO2 reduction would be?
My truck sits in the driveway all week – anybody looking for a nice Toyota Tacoma?
Food for thought till next time...
Steve can be found at Outdoor Addictions.