May 20th saw the conclusion of the Bike to Work Challenge 2010. This annual event makes us aware that alternate forms of transportation are not only practical, but bring collateral health benefits to us and the environment. EWI was pitted in a friendly grudge match against a downtown law firm that won our bracket two years ago and was runner up in 2009. Our team captain gave us the unofficial battle cry of “Innovators over Litigators!” The fact that a couple of EWI employees had relatives working for the law firm didn’t hurt the competitive spirit either.
But the benefits of participating go well beyond the feeling of accomplishment. In Central Ohio, biking to work from May 10-20th involved 114 teams, involving 1129 cyclists, traveling 30,057 miles over 5,209 trips. Doing so burned 1,472,793 calories and saved 29,456 pounds of CO2 from being expelled into our atmosphere. And that’s just our city. Think of doing this more often and multiplied across the country.
The EWI Energy Center looks for ways to innovate manufacturing to make our clients more competitive and lessen their impact on the environment. We’d rather improve the ambulance than chase it. But sometimes it’s the low tech solution that’s best. And in the situations where we can take a no-carbon healthy approach like biking over driving, we all come out winners.
Posted By: Kevin Arnold, P.E.