Car or Bike July 4th: 5 Senses Show The Way

In honor of all the plants, animals, and people of the Gulf of Mexico, my wife and I had a car-less 4th of July. This one ride obviously doesn't do much to reverse the damage in the Gulf or even stop the tsunami of oil being burnt around us everyday. Nevertheless, it is one of many rides that we, and more Americans everyday, will take this year for commuting, errands, etc., that will make a huge difference.

To be honest, the ride was nothing special: too hot in the valley and too foggy in the hills but still there were wonderful scents of oak and redwood in the air and the sensation of those wonderful endorphins along the way. What was really special was the feeling that we were doing something concrete and immediate to address pressing and serious problems in our world: all, while we relaxed on a national holiday.

Cycling is uniquely suited to such a purpose. There are lots of solutions out there to address traffic, health, and environmental problems. However, there are none that work on all three at once while being so cheap, effective, and fun. And few that anyone of us can start on right now without anyone else's cooperation, stimulus money, or legislation.

Even though I've been cycling for years off and on, at no time has cycling felt more important to do than during this oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. If you've seen the pelicans completely encrusted in oil, then you know what I mean. Is a trip to the grocery store in an SUV worth that? No! Rarely has the true cost of our oil addiction been so graphically displayed.

Say what you will about global warming, jobs, and the economy, but the Gulf disaster shows that using oil to get around does a lot of undeniable harm regardless of the other debates.

One just has to trust their own senses to know it is true:

• We see the harm from the drilling in the Gulf.
• We hear the harm from the never-ending noise of combustion engines across every city.
• We taste the harm from the tailpipe of every passing car.
• We feel the harm from the tarballs on our skin at the beach.
• We smell the harm when we pass the refineries.

We have to find a better way to get around than digging this gunk out of the ground and burning it and we have to do it NOW. These problems have been well known for over 50 years yet we're driving more than ever.  If trashing the Gulf of Mexico, one of the most beautiful and edible regions in our country, doesn't motivate us, what will?

With this in mind, my wife and I biked like we do a lot these days but did added meaning on the 4th of July. We could think of no better way to celebrate America right now than to help reduce the oil consumption that is so clearly hurting America in massive and profound ways.

God bless America with millions more cyclists everyday.