Bicycle Environmental Issue
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| − | Team: Rachel, Adam, Josh, and | + | Team: Rachel, Adam, Josh, and Mohammad |
==References== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 14:29, 4 February 2013
The Cambridge public health department is doing a study on the quality of air bicycler’s inhale during their daily biking routes. The health department is working in conjunction with Boston University, MIT and Harvard in asking cyclists to transport miniature air samples during their usual routes across Cambridge. Researchers will measure the air pollution content in the air along different roadways in an attempt to reveal what toxins cyclists are exposed to on a daily basis.
Created by : E.Soring, C.Mack, D. Jarrett, A Ritchey
Bicycles as a Transportation Alternative
Energy Advantage of Bicycles
Bicycles are a great form of transportation because they are emission free and still provide a transportation method that is healthy for you and the environment. Automobiles are a quick and expensive (monetary and environmental) means of transportation. They consume around 20% of the world's entire commerical energy supply. Not only are we using our fuels at an alarming rate due to automobiles, but they are polluting our environment in return. We can start to reduce these emissions by making better judgements and decisions. For trips that are short and quick why not use your bike? By a lot of people taking these small steps we can make a huge difference.
Space to transport 60 people.
http://bicycleuniverse.info/transpo/whycycle.html
http://bicycleuniverse.info/cars/pollutionpaper.html
http://www.geo.sunysb.edu/bicycle-muenster/index.html (image)
Created by: Team Bike Riders
Bikesharing
Several cities around the world have taken steps to increase the number of citizens commuting via bicycles through “bikesharing” programs, where the municipalities will provide communities with stations at which to rent and store bicycles. The effectiveness of these programs has been well documented; bike share initiatives exist in approximately 50 European cities already, most of which are entirely automated. [1] <Maibach E., Steg L., Anable J. Promoting physical activity and reducing climate change: Opportunities to replace short car trips with active transportation (2009) Preventive Medicine, 49 (4), pp. 326-327.>
~ Team TEAM
Saving the Environment
Green house gases are mainly composed of Carbon Dioxide (CO2). Green house gasses are emitted from the burning of fossil fuels. We use these fuels to heat our homes propel, our vehicles and supply, us with our electricity. By replacing the vehicular mode of transportation with a method that is self-propelled there is a reduction in the emission of the CO2. The United States Environmental Protection Agency [2] suggest that one use public transportation, carpool, or walk or bike. By just leaving your car at home two days a week one can reduce your green house gas emissions by 1,600 pounds/year.
Created by Team Discovery Channel
Riding Our Way to a Green Environment
The focus of many cities over the world today is figuring out ways to lower our carbon footprint in order to become more green. Many cities around the world have started creating bike paths for alternative sources of public transportation rather than the use of buses and other carbon emitting vehicles. A specific example is the city of Minneapolis, MN. An article written by Mitchell Dillman [3] states that over 100 miles of new bike paths were created over the past couple of years in order to solve traffic problems in the area. By doing this, congestion could be cut down as well as Carbon Dioxide (CO2) output from vehicles would also decrease because of the decreased amount of cars on the road. These bike paths bring out riders year round! The website also states that New York has also joined the trend of riding bicycles to help the environment. A 35% increase in bicycle commuters was seen over the past year in the city. As you may guess, this significantly helps cut down green house gas emissions. Overall, the bike is becoming a more widely used mode of travel because of its impact on being a true green machine.
Created by Team ARCH Rivals
Environmental Paradox of Bicycling
Professor Karl T. Ulrich from the Wharton School of the Business at the University of Pennsylvania poses an interesting question in his paper, The Environmental Paradox of Bicycling[4]. Normally, people tend to think that riding a bike instead of driving a car has a positive effect on the environment, however Ulrich argues for the opposition.
http://www.bikeleague.org/resources/why/environment.php
http://www.ibike.org/encouragement/travel/eco-tourism.htm
http://bicycling.suite101.com/article.cfm/cycling_and_the_environment
Contributed by Team Bicycle
Air Quality
A World Health Organization study published in The Lancet revealed a startling statistic. Fatalities due to air pollution around the world are higher than traffic fatalities by a 3 to 1 ratio. 70, 000 people die each year in the United States alone due to air pollution! The same amount of deaths occur due to breast cancer and prostate cancer combined and only about 40,000 road deaths occur each year. These statics show how substantial the amount of air pollution has become and makes reducing the amount of emitted pollutants an even greater necessity. Air quality affects many aspects of day to day life. When exercising, small particulates that make up sodium dioxide and other dangerous mixes spread deep throughout you lungs causing trouble with breathing. Benzene, another pollutant in the air has been found with an exposure nine times greater to the concentration in cancer. Formaldehyde is similar to benzene except it has been found at levels ten times that of the concentrations in cancer. The release of these harmful pollutants has been linked to motor vehicles. The air pollution emissions from a car are greatest when a vehicle is first turned on. "'90% of the emissions in a 7-mile trip are generated in the first mile, before the engine warms up [6]. From this, it can be deduced that emissions can be cut down by 2-4% by just a 1% switch from trips in a automobile to a bicycle.
http://www.environment.ucf.edu/bikepath/27%20Reasons%20to%20Bike.htm#Better%20Air%20Quality
The Rebirth of Bicycles
In the early 20th Century, although cars were increasing as a popular means of transportation, it was not uncommon to see people using bicycles to get to work, perform errands, and take short trips. Unfortunately, due to the increased accessibility of highways, gas stations, and the cars themselves the automobile industry expanded, leaving bicycles to sit in garages and basements. However, in recent years, people began to realize the merits of bicycle riding, federal policies began to shift toward more bike use, and the cycling revolution was born anew. The main reason for this resurgence (other than the fitness and safety aspects of new bicycles) was environmental friendliness.
People have become more aware of facts proving the positive environmental aspects of biking. For instance, "If everyone who lives within 5 miles of their workplace were to cycle to work just one day a week and left the car at home, nearly 5 million tons of global warming pollution would be saved every year, the equivalent of taking about a million cars off the road." And because awareness of these facts is spreading, the number of bicyclists is increasing, and the amount of pollution is decreasing. In fact, "bicycling trips have doubled since 1990, reported the 2004 national Bicycling and Walking Study." It seems as if people are finally realizing that bicycling is an environmental savior compared to driving.
http://www.edf.org/article.cfm?contentID=5483
-Team B.A.B.C.
Bicycles Efficiency
Currently the world has become more aware of energy issues, not only are emissions taken into consideration when thinking about power production and transportation but one must also consider the amount of fuel that is accessible today. In the energy industry changes are being made to accommodate this issue as more renewable energy is being built as opposed to things such as natural gas and coal power plants. The automotive industry has taken steps to reduce the consumption due to automobiles as well, yet as a whole the current population must consider the efficiency of their own means of transportation. When compared to the use of an automobile or even public transportation the bicycle is per person a large factor more efficient than the alternatives. A 140 pound person moving at 10 miles per hour for three miles will use approximately 80 calories. When put into perspective even the most efficient cars available do not come close to this efficiency as a Hybrid Toyota Prius having 50 miles per gallon with 4 people in the car still uses 6 times the amount of energy of a bicycle per person. Most automobiles do not even have that level of efficiency, and even public transportation such as a bus does not come near to the efficiency of a bicycle. With energy being such a large issue today the information supporting bicycles is becoming more apparent and bicycles will start to make more of an impact on the everyday lives of people in society.
http://www.ibike.org/environment/efficiency.htm
Team: Awesome
Ride to Reduce
By riding a bicycle instead of driving a car a person is in turn reducing the amount of gasoline used in the world. When used by cars gasoline is burned and produces carbon dioxide emissions that are harmful to the environment. Gasoline also poses another issue since oil supplies are depleting; oil that is used to make the gasoline. Depleting oil supplies will soon lead to drilling in new areas to obtain oil. Precious land such as land in Alaska will need to have oil wells sunk, destroying the land. In order to put in a new oil rig the land must be cleared, water lines and normally roads are put in. Along with this destruction, there is also the possibility of oil spills, which can affect both land and the sea along with many animals. So in the long run riding bicycles will reduce the amount of gas used which will reduce the amount of land destroyed.
http://www.edf.org/article.cfm?contentID=5483
Team: Awesomer
Ride for the Environment
By riding a bicycle to places that are close to your house you can make a big difference on the environment. According to the Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey, 25 percent of all trips are made within a mile of the home, 40 percent of all trips are within two miles of the home, and 50 percent of the working population commutes five miles or less to work. Yet more than 82 percent of trips five miles or less are made by personal motor vehicle. All of these trips made by motor vehicles can easily be avoided with a bicycle. Sixty percent of the pollution created by automobile emissions happens in the first few minutes of operation. This is the issue with taking a car to go a mile from the house. Another benefit to bicycles is the amount of parking space they take up compared to cars. Number of bikes that can be parked in one car parking space in a paved lot: 6 – 20. The space that is saved can used for planting trees etc. Just by riding a bike, each person can reduce the carbon footprint and save the planet.
http://www.bikeleague.org/resources/why/environment.php
Created by Andrew, Dongao, Ken, Mike, Jordan
Public-Minded Inspiration: Then and Now
While we often only consider the effect riding a bicycle can have on our environment today, the original developers of the cycle also had many public concerns in mind. In our current age, it is almost common knowledge that transportation by bicycle instead of automobile greatly reduces the amount of waste produced during travel. While today bicycles help to reduce fossil fuel emissions, they once helped to reduce a completely different emission; horse droppings. When the bicycle was first introduced it was a popular alternative to the horse-drawn vehicle. Not only did it clear the city streets of feces, but it also allowed the rider more independence without the need to rely on a horse. If we apply this same situation to our contemporary world, we can acknowledge that the original innovators' could still find satisfaction in the bicycle today; relieving the public of harmful, disgusting waste and providing freedom of range for riders without more formal means of transportation.
http://www.suite101.com/content/cycling-and-the-environment-a27704
Created by Stephen Kutys
Generate Electricity
When the wheels of a bicycle spin, they are expending energy. The energy from the pedaling can be used to generate electrical power. Some gyms have implemented this concept into their facilities. The Columbia Athletic Club, for example, generates energy for their facility using the 28 stationary bicycles in their cycling class. Although the systems are expensive, the system can be attached to an existing stationary bicycle. The bicycles save money for the company while also reducing the carbon footprint of the building. A maximum of 3.6 megawatts of energy can be produced in a cycling class of 20 bicycles. This amount of energy is enough to light 6 homes for a year. This amount of clean energy is also saves about 5,000 pounds of carbon emissions a year.
Team: Amy, Jason, Josh
Recycable Cycles
While bicycling has long been known as an environmentally friendly means of transportation, bicycles made of recycled materials are now an even "greener" option. In 2008 industrial designer Matt Clark developed a prototype of a lightweight bike frame made from polypropylene. Clark plans to further develop the idea into an affordable product for the public that can be made from recycled plastic bottles, and recycled back into plastic products after the bike's lifetime. Israeli inventor Izhar Gafni is also working on producing bicycles from recycled material, his are cardboard based. After much testing Gafni finally created a bike strong enough to support human and durable enough to ride outdoors, which he can sell for under $20. Production for these cardboard bicycles is scheduled to begin April 2013, and Gafni hopes they can be distributed in developing areas of the world for under privileged children to enjoy. Manufacturing bicycles from recycled materials is a win-win situation for the environment. Not only does it reduce the amount of material needed for production and the number of bicycles that will end up in future landfills, but the reduced material cost means bicycles will be more affordable and appealing to potential customers. With recyclable bicycles becoming a more attractive purchase, the positive environmental impact that bicycle travel has will continue to spread.
http://www.gizmag.com/the-innervision-recyclable-bicycle-concept/10116/
http://www.stuff.co.nz/science/7823272/Cardboard-fully-recyclable-bike-made
Team: Rachel, Adam, Josh, and Mohammad
