Green Commute Week

Green Commute Week ended yesterday, May 19th. How did you use "green" modes of transportation such as biking, walking or riding public transportation to get around town?

I only live about seven miles from my primary place of employment and have biked to work on occasion.  Being only 7 miles away (and over a few hills!) sounds like perfect grounds for commuting by bike during the fair weather months but I usually have trouble setting a schedule to bike on a regular basis because my second job is about 20 miles from my primary job and that bike ride would be far too long for me to get to the second job on time as I travel between jobs on a daily basis. 7 + 20 + 15 (or more) miles to get home would make for an awesome workout! However, being the novice cyclist that I am, it would take some restructuring in my routine and I would probably need to eliminate the "workout class" that I teach at my second job....in addition, at 6 months pregnant this whole regimen sounds daunting!

Despite my trials, roadblocks and excuses listed above, I was extremely lucky to spend the majority of "Green Commute Week" on Mackinac Island!  This community is devoted to "Green Commuting" as there are no motorized vehicles permitted on the entire Island. Disclaimer here: while staying on the island for three days, I did spot an ambulance van en route to a rescue...sometimes medical emergencies are worth a few emissions and a few less calories burned!

While on the Island, I witnessed green transportation in many forms:

• Walkers
• Runners
• Strollers
• Single and Multi-Speed Bikes
• Bikes with Baskets for Lunch and Souvenirs
• Bikes to haul Boxes to local businesses
• Three Wheel Bikes
• Tandem Bikes
• Bikes with Stroller Attachments (for babies or photography equipment?!)
• Bikes with Trailer Attachments for the young riders
• Horses and Carriages
• Skateboards
• Wagons
• Horse Drawn Wagons

Mackinac Island is only an eight mile trip around the perimeter which can make for about an hour worth of a leisurely ride or you can speed around the island in a mere 30 minutes. Regardless, there are plenty of opportunities to walk, run, skip, bike or even hitch a horse drawn carriage ride in an effort to keep your commute green 365 days of the year on Mackinac Island!

Looking for a weekend biking trip?!  Mackinac Island has over 70 miles of trails and pathways for cyclists to explore.  Bikes are EVERYWHERE, you will have no trouble finding a place where you can rent a bike for one hour, half days or full days.  Another option would be to just bring your own bike over on the ferry!

Never ridden in a horse drawn carriage? It's worth a short ride on Mackinac Island. Join a carriage tour and learn about the history of the Island while enjoying the shade.

Mackinac Island is a very walkable community.  During my three day trip, I walked everywhere! Main street is only 5 blocks long which takes only 15  minutes to get from on end to the other.  Our hotel was a few blocks further which made for a nice walk!

I learned of a statistic this week that I wanted to share: In 2012 over 87% of children will NEVER walk or bike to school and those 13% that may walk or bike are considered "part-time" commuters where their parents will most likely drop them off at school and they may walk home. How many grandparents have told us the story of the 5 mile walk to school every day-uphill both ways? Horse drawn carriages may seem old fashioned, but green commuting is better for our environment and our health.