“Draw a two-mile radius around your home, and stop using the car for trips within this area.”
“Make massive savings: make a difference to your finances.”
“Enjoy a better quality of life.”
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The weekend i-paper looked at some ‘green hacks’ to help with the cost of living crisis – and cycling was one of them, within an interesting wider context of how we get around:
Create a driving-free zone around your home
Around a quarter of all car journeys are under two miles, and more than half are under five miles. These are the easiest journeys to switch to greener alternatives such as cycling, walking or scooting, according to Dr Christian Brand, an associate professor in transport, energy and the environment at Oxford University. Consider drawing a two-mile radius around your home, and stop using the car for trips within this area. This will make your household fitter, improve air quality in your neighbourhood, and cut carbon emissions – as well as save on fuel costs.
Meanwhile, young people are turning to cycling – to counter both the cost of living crisis and climate change:
Research produced by YouGov on behalf of Cycling UK has shown that a large portion of young people are strongly considering changing their transport habits in the face of challenges to finances and environmental factors.
43% of youth considering transport change due to cost of living crisis
Here’s more convincing – and practical – information on why it makes sense to start cycling:
Inflation is at its highest level for 30 years, with gas, petrol and food prices rocketing. Riding your bike more can help save you money. Here’s how.
You save money any time you use a bike instead of a car or public transport. Yet if you spend wisely on your bike and embed cycling into your daily life you can make massive savings – mostly on transport but also on leisure. Here are ten things you can do that will make a difference to your finances.
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How cycling can help with the cost of living crisis – Cyclescheme
Finally, though, it’s not a poor choice – but about positive action for a better lifestyle:
Our findings suggest that there’s a consistent relationship between environmentally friendly action and personal wellbeing which spans different parts of the world and holds true for a range of personal circumstances and outlooks. Just as a low-carbon diet tends also to be healthier, and cycling and walking gets us exercising as well as cutting emissions, our study adds to evidence that links green behaviour with a better quality of life.
Climate change: greener lifestyles linked to greater happiness – in both rich and poor countries