5 Reasons Why a Bike is the Planet’s Best Friend

Decreases your household emissions

If you live in Honolulu (which is especially convenient if you're a Biki lover like me) than there is absolutely no excuse for driving to work, everything is so close here! Start pedaling because Streetblog USA reveals that riding a bike to work instead of driving can decrease your household emissions by 6%, and up to 40% if you rely just on biking, the bus, and walking instead. And don't stop there! Take a bike to the market, to meet up with friends, to the beach, and beyond, and watch that number increase! Don't forget to suggest station locations at the places you want to go so you're never limited.

Wildlife

If you're like me and live in the city, you too have been kept up or disrupted by noise pollution: the sirens, the horns, the alarms. Bikes combat noise pollution, which puts less strain on us and our natural wildlife, because this noise harms them too! Switching to bikes could prevent roadkill as well, where Psychology Today states that more than a million animals die each day on the streets in the US alone.

Reduces Traffic!

We have ALL been caught in that Honolulu traffic before, and we all hate it too. Cars produce a pound of pollution per mile, so the longer you are stuck in traffic the more pollution you're contributed. And like I said, everything in Honolulu is so close compared to the mainland, so beat the traffic and ride with Biki instead! A Blog post in the New York Times concludes that bikes are 50% faster than cars during rush hour.

Clean air

The fact of the matter is that cars burn fossil fuels and when we burn these toxic fuels into the air it's detrimental to our health. According to The Earth Project, some of the poisonous gases being pumped into the air include monoxide, sulphur oxides, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides and carbon dioxide. Doesn't that sound refreshing to you? Not only does this lead to bad lungs, but this toxicity is what's fueling global warming. The most common type of gas emitted during fossil burning is carbon dioxide, and that is infamous for trapping heat into the atmosphere. Is it a wonder why it's been so hot this summer?

It takes less to make a bike

Cars take up a heaping load of natural resources. A post on the Cycling Science reports that this production contributes to 1.2 billion cubic yards of pollution each year. Save your lungs, and get a bikini subscription. There are also forests that are being cleared out for the sole purpose of harboring rubber plantations. Since bikes don't require as much rubber than it does cars, that would save a lot of conservation land. One car equals 10 bikes, so you don't need to do the math to know that would conserve a lot of space.

I think we can all get on board with a cleaner and safer environment, our island is so small after all. Let's make “Bike to Work Day,” everyday! We are fortunate enough to have some of the best weather in the world, so let's enjoy it. Decreasing our carbon footprint is something that we should all try to implement in our daily lives, whether  by using reusable bags, composting, or bike riding! It's such a simple action, yet it can make a world of a difference, literally! So ditch the car, and ride a Biki instead. Don't forget your bike pass and helmet, and always remember to ride with aloha!