Earth Day Everyday
Why not make the earth a part of your day, everyday, while you jet around town?
In the life of a green and eco-conscious business woman, I have become more and more conscious of the small and big things I can do to support local communities, reduce my impact on the earth and share knowledge so that others can be more conscious and act sustainably as well. Over the weekend, I decided to buy an electric bike. My previous bike had been stolen and I was looking for something I could ride around town without having to use our bio-diesel wagon or a hybrid City Car Share, especially for short local trips. Both our recycled bio-diesel wagon that's fueled with diesel from biofuel oasis and the city car share are often great options, because of the reduced emissions and sustainability factor. But, I was looking for something a little more convenient. So here I am with my new electric bike (which looks like a vintage scooter).
I also bought one for my husband so we could go on local trips together. Here we are with two bikes that look a little more modern...
I know, a little dorky, but overall, the bikes are great and a lot of fun. They charge in about 4 hours and have a 15 mile range. They go 15 to 20 miles an hour, and it's possible although a little cumbersome to pedal them if they run out of charge. You'll notice I brought an extension cord: we knew we'd head to a friends and asked to charge our bikes up while we helped them with their garden. A fair trade I believe.
You don't need a separate driver's license or vehicle license, since they are considered a bike. They were also fairly affordable, which is a plus. I bought them at pacific Electric Bikes www.pacificebike.com in Berkeley.
I'm still waiting for the affordable all-electric car to come out (The Mini has come out with a cute electric trial version and the Tesla looks stunning, however expensive)
Some of you may be wondering: why is all electric a good thing? In brief, electricity is less obtrusive and damaging to the earth and air than harvesting and processing fossil fuels. If we can get more of our electricity from the sun, for example, than it's even cleaner and more sustainable. Electric vehicles can be just as fast, if not faster than gas cars, and although their radius is within a charge, the more infrastructure that is built to support electric vehicles the easier it will be to use them for long and short distances.
Into a Green Future we go...
G&G
