I BIKE COPENHAGEN

I went to another seminar on sustainability. This one was about living a Green Lifestyle. There we're so many interesting facts I learned about Copenhagen's history in Sustainability. Going Green is certainly not something they started recently. 

People ride their bikes in Denmark because Denmark makes it easy for people to ride their bikes. For example:

• They have integrated bike transport into other transportation, such as on the metro and trains, so you can bring your bike everywhere with you.
• On almost ever outdoor staircase, there is a little bike ramp so you can walk up the stairs but wheel your bike up the ramp. 
• There are bike lanes on every street, and several streets have been turned into walking streets (which still allow bikes, but no cars). 
• The waste baskets along the street are designed at an angle so it's easier for bikers to throw away trash without having to slow down. 
• There are foot rests at several stop lights to lean on so you don't have to dismount and remount your bike at every intersection.

The list goes on and on... 

The topic then changed to America's initiatives to create a Greener Society. The first big thing we have done as a nation to promote more walking and biking was to turn parts of the streets in Times Square into pedestrian areas. The thought was that if it becomes incredibly inconvenient for cars, people will become more inclined to walk or ride their bike. 


When living in New York this past summer, I experienced the Times Square leisure area first hand. I only heard one native New Yorker mention thoughts on the new area, but they were not positive. She stated that she doesn't like it because it gives people the opportunity to spend more time in Times Square, thus making it even more crowded than it already is. 


Although that was only one person's thoughts, I still believe Americans in general need to change their attitudes on biking, walking, and other green methods of transportation. Something I have learned is that even the Danes were resistant to these green changes at first, but Green Initiatives made it so it was much faster and more convenient to travel by bike, so that is the norm. 


Americans are all about convenience, so we just need our government to make driving less and less convenient. Also, it certainly wouldn't hurt the average American to spend a little time on a bike each day...