All I can say is . . . wow.

We just meet the Commuter Challenge goal of logging 200,000 sustainable miles for May.

Driving 200,000 miles is the equivalent to burning 317 barrels of oil!

That’s enough energy to power 12 homes for an entire year!

Again, wow.

FYI, I got this info through this Environmental Impact Calculator

I am so excited!  I just checked the Commuter Challenge homepage and saw that we are 99.2% to our goal of 200,000 sustainable miles for the month of May!  And we still have 3 days to go!

Last year, we logged 116,277 miles, so this is even better!

I chose the number 200,000 because it is approximately the number of people who fit in the big house plus the population or Ann Arbor.

But did you also know that 200,000 miles is more than twice the total square miles of Michigan?  And greater than the total square miles for the state of California?  That’s amazing!

So everyone, keep up the good work and keep logging your commutes.

This Citizen Post comes from Stacy Ebron.  Stacy works for Washtenaw County, as the Homeless Management Information Systems Coordinator.

How biking to work can help you lose weight and get your husband to do the dishes

Last year my husband encouraged me to start biking.  He had been biking for about a year and really wanted it to be an activity that we could do together.  I agreed to go bike shopping with him.  After the first trip, he came home and did the dishes.  After the second trip to look at bikes, he folded clothes.  I soon thought I was on to something.  On the third trip I found a comfort bike that I loved and decided not to hold out for the chance to see him mop.

My adventure in biking started slowly.  At first, I started with a trip to the mall and back which was about a mile.  Gradually, I worked my way up about a mile each week and then set a goal to bike to work.  After a few weekends practicing the commute in partial increments, I finally believed that I could make it there and back (8-10 miles roundtrip depending on the route).  I felt such a sense of accomplishment that I began biking to work 2-3 days a week.  After 4 months, I lost 30 pounds, gained some new leg muscles, and a great sense of pride in myself for achieving a healthier lifestyle, and contributing to the environment.   This change led to more quality time for my husband and I and motivated him to bike to work more frequently and to continue through the winter months (I’m still working on this).  I encourage people to find a bike that is comfortable for them and then set small goals to work up to fabulous results.  I had forgotten how much fun I had as a child riding my back, but it all came back to me.  Enjoy the ride!

–Stacy