Bicycle benefits

[pegkerr]

Saw this in bikecommutetips.

From the Burlington Free Press (Vermont).

TThe benefits of bicycling are many: improved physical fitness, zero carbon emissions and reduction in road congestion. Now, thanks to a new initiative called Bicycle Benefits, discounts on coffee, clothing, shoes and food can be added to the list.

Bicycle Benefits began in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and is the brainchild of brothers Ian, 29, and Dillon Klepetar, 21. The program is simple. Local businesses reward cyclists in the form of discounts for riding bicycles instead of driving cars. Discounts are no less than 10 percent and can go up to 25 percent.

As long as cyclists have a Bicycle Benefits sticker on their helmets, they are entitled to the discounts at participating businesses. Having to show the helmet with the sticker is a way of promoting bicycle safety, Dillon Klepetar said.

"I think we need to re-evaluate the convenience and impact of driving a car. Biking is healthy on many different levels," he said. (Read more.)

How can we get this started in Minneapolis??? I just e-mailed the bicycle commuting coordinator for the city to ask.

Comments

[von-krag.livejournal.com]

Heh, zero carbon emissions, I think the bicyclist might emit some carbon among other things. It's the release of methane by ruminates world wide IIRC even more than power plants or cars that might be a cause. Um for that matter goats are the single largest cause of desertafacation(sp?) and that might be a cause of WW warming or that 1000 yr sunspot high the system is going through? Could that be a cause? The 8Ball says "Answer unclear. Try Again.".

[ckd]

Unless the bicyclist is eating coal, however, it's likely to be a net zero carbon impact since they got it (directly or indirectly) from plants that pulled it out of the atmosphere relatively recently. It's not the same as releasing the stored carbon in fossil fuels.

[kiwiria.livejournal.com]

Ooooh! How do I get this started in Denmark?! We don't even HAVE a bicycle community. *sigh*

[katakanadian.livejournal.com]

Sounds great!