Biking to work may be difficult for Americans who have long commutes and live in isolated areas, but there's a lot to be gained by leaving the car at home.
According to a study from November in Environmental Health Perspectives, if 30 million urban and suburban midwesterners replaced half of their short car trips with cycling during the warmest six months of the year, they "could save approximately four trillion pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, 1,100 lives and $7 billion in mortality and health care costs for the region every year."
HuffPost blogger Christine Negroni believes everyone could learn a lesson from the urban bike culture of Copenhagen, Denmark. She writes, "Copenhagen has ambitions to increase the number of two-wheeled-commuters to 50% by 2015, and I hope they achieve it. Even more, I hope their progress sends a message far beyond Denmark and encourages the rest of the world to adopt pedal power, the ever-renewable-energy source."
While biking to work will help you lose weight and lessen your carbon footprint, it could also increase the impact of air pollution on your health. Researchers in London found that people who cycle to work have 2.3 times more soot from vehicle exhaust in their lungs than individuals who walk to work.
Is your area well-suited to bike riding? Check out this list of the best U.S. cities to live in without a car.
Check out the infographic below from Healthcaremanagementdegree.com and learn "How bikes can save us."
Created by: Healthcare Management Degree