Walk, bike, use public transportation or carpool to work (and beyond)!
OK, I appreciate that this may seem obvious, but I have chosen to have this tip of the week coincide with "Car-Free Week" in Massachusetts. That's right, this week, beginning on Sept. 18, Massachusetts residents are urged to walk, run, bike, carpool or use public transportation instead of their cars.
The weather is still very nice, so why not walk to the grocery store? After all, a recent study published in Time Magazine shows that 15 minutes a day of exercise can increase your life expectancy by three years! Want to get to the store faster? Jog there! Then walk home, groceries in tow, for a great cool down ... and perhaps some strength training! Biking is also a great way to get around carbon-free. Boston launched its bike share program this summer with 61 stations and 600 bicycles. And guess what, even though there is an annual fee, trips under 30 minutes are free! Download the Biximo iPhone app to see all the stations on a map as well as how many bikes and open docks there are at each station.
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Though public transportation and carpooling are not carbon free, they are certainly better options than driving yourself. Try the MBTA's trip planner to see if you can get where you want to go on public transportation. Chances are, if you live in Watertown, there's a bus stop near you. Download the Smart Ride app for iPhone to locate bus stops near you and to see how soon the next bus will arrive. As for carpooling, send an email to co-workers seeing if anyone lives near you and would be willing to carpool. I did this last year and it worked out wonderfully!
Enjoy "Car-Free Week" and just so you know that you're not alone in ditching your car, the whole world will be doing it on Sept. 22 ... yup, that's "World Car-Free Day"!
