I have an 18 mile commute, each way, every day. How can I reduce my own carbon footprint? I could get a higher-mileage car. Or perhaps even switch to an electric vehicle. Here in Indiana, electricity is relatively inexpensive, a little bit of it is generated by an enormous windmill farm between Indy and Chicago, so an electric car is probably carbon efficient (compared to driving a gas-powered car). But I had a better idea.
Drop below the treble clefs going down on each other to see how I got to work today.
That's my new Borealis V3, a velomobile. It's an aerodynamic carbon/kevlar shell over an Ice Trike recumbent tricycle.
Instead of exercising for an hour, then driving 40 minutes to work, I exercised for an hour and forty minutes and ended up at work. I have the good fortune to work in a building with secure parking and a gym on the main floor (with showers).
I also have the good fortune live right off a great rails-to-trails greenway, the Monon Trail. Of the 18.47 miles, more than 17 were on the trail. The rest were in my neighborhood getting to a trail spur (back of my neighborhood) and riding bike or pedestrian cultural trails to within 2 blocks of my office. I took those two blocks on the sidewalk. I was on streets (outside my own neighborhood) for less than two blocks, where the Monon was closed for some work.
Exercise? Check.
Carbon free? Check.
Smiles from just about everybody I passed (including three who caught me at an intersection and asked me to wait so they could take pictures)? Check.
Fun stuff, eh?