World Carfree Day! Let's celebrate alternatives to driving!

Here at Le Vélo, we are all about ditching the car and learning to live your life on a bicycle! We live by the motto, "Cars are so yesterday!" which pretty much sums up how we feel. That being said, we understand that there is a need for a car sometimes (both the ladies at Le Vélo have cars and use them when needed) but most of the time a bicycle or other form of transportation is perfectly capable of taking the place of your car. Basically the way we see it, if you are not lugging heavy things around or travelling super long distances, chances are your bike will work just fine. The bonus of course is that you are being both health and environmentally conscience.

So, what is this World Carfree Day all about? Aside from being a day where thousands of people around the world give up their cars for the day, it also encourages people to consider changing their habits and committing to a life without a car.  The organizations goal is to "let World Carfree Day be a showcase for just how our cities might look like, feel like, and sound like without cars…365 days a year." What encourages me the most when reading about this initiative is the way they have used the phrase "look like, feel like, and sound like." A feeling of calm comes over me when I envision what that phrase represents in my community. The concept of infrastructure that supports that feeling of calm you get when you are riding or walking safely down the street while not hearing horns and smelling exhaust inspires a feeling of hope. I am hopeful that we can change our communities to support the use of bicycles rather than cars as a main mode of transportation. I am not going to preach that cars are terrible and should never be used because there is a practical use for cars in many circumstances. That being said, commuting to and from work, the gym, to meet friends etc. are all situations where nine times out of ten you can take your bike. 

What I hope to see and try to encourage is being aware of your impact on the environment and your health while trying to find a balance. Your health is one of the most important things in your life yet gets left behind as you focus on family, work and other aspects of life in general. Ditching the car and riding your bike not only helps decrease road congestion but, more important;y, it gives you time to yourself to work on your mental and physical health. So, if you get nothing else from World Carefree Day/my rantings, at least consider the idea that your health can be dramatically increased when you choose to take your bike and not your car. Even if it is once per day, you are still making an impact and helping to change the environment in your community and your personal health!

 This lovely lady is wearing our most recent addition, the High Road Merino Wool Tunic in purple!

This Sunday, I encourage you to take a moment and think about yourself! Think about how riding your bike makes you fell and how you can incorporate it into your daily life. People often say "I am only one person so it does not make a difference." That has always bothered me because if every person uses that excuse or views things that are important in that way, nothing will ever change. I am not calling the masses to take up arms but I am calling on each individual person to take a moment on World Carfree Day to think about their individual impact in their society and to consider riding their bike 365 day a year instead of just for this one day! Be the individual who says yes I am only one person and I am going to try and make a difference! Imagine if every person thought that way how much we could change!!!

Happy World Carfree Day everyone! Do something for you and our world today and enjoy every minute of it!

Joie de Vivre