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Bike to school one day a week

All Practically Green: 65 or so people have DONE this action so far.

All Practically Green: 24 or so people have ADDED this to their action plan so far.

Why is "Bike to school one day a week" green?

You know taking the kids to school by bike has so many benefits. If you’re not ready to do it daily, commit to once a week. By choosing to bike instead of drive or even take public transportation, you’ll lower your commuting costs, avoid the use of non-renewable resources for fuel, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and provide the offspring with a green-and-valuable lesson. Walking to school has similar physical and environmental health benefits, but biking is much speedier—a plus with children.

There are emotional bonuses to biking, too. Sure it’s important to be a part of the transportation solution, but it’s also fun. It’s a stress buster, a strength builder, and generally feels great to be outside together.

Some towns and cities are much more bike-friendly than others and as a result, more people bike. In Portland, nearly 3.5 percent of people bike to work, eight times the national average. See if you can get local families to join you on your weekly ride.

How to: Bike to school one day a week

Get your gear in order: you’ll need bikes (obviously), bike locks, and pouches for schoolbooks; it’s hard to balance wearing a backpack and riding.

Plan out a safe and pleasant route with the least amount of traffic--even if it adds a few minutes to your commute.

Wait for a nice, mild day, put on your helmets, and go! Repeat weekly. Warning; it may be so much fun you choose to up it to more days per week.

  • Master Lock Bike Lock
    • (0 Ratings)

    These bike locks have steel cables and are both tough and protective. They have an integrated lock and cable for easy locking and handling.

  • Klean Kanteen for Kids
    • (2 Ratings)

    Perfectly sized for a kid's lunch, these stainless steel bottles are available in a variety of colors (including just plain stainless), sizes, and cap styles (including one that makes it a sippy cup for the young ones). Klean Kanteen says their bottles are BPA free.