As of today, at the baby stage of my blog, I have completed 12 steps in what seems to be the right direction (see What I Have Accomplished). Most of them are on-going tasks that required me to change my habits. That’s the tricky part with the whole green-living thing; doing something good once is not the point. You’ve got to do it over and over again. And if you don’t enjoy it you feel like a complete asshole.
Well, I didn’t (and still don’t) enjoy some of the things I managed to regularly do. Sorry, but biking to work in the winter sucks (or in the summer, if you live in Florida). Joining the company green team sounds hip when you first think about it – but when you end up with 10 additional things to do in the week, you start wondering what you’ve gotten yourself into.
So, over the next 12 posts, I’ll summarize, one by one, the bright and dark sides of each of the current 12 items on my list.
1. Bike or ride the bus to work
Summers are very nice in Portland. Perfect, mild temperatures; sunshine with a little cooling breeze; flowers, squirrels, and smiling people everywhere. The city dedicates by law 10% of its road budget to bike lanes, making Portland super easy to ride around. Most downtown buildings have showers and lockers, so you don’t have to be sweaty all day. Heck, the city even got “Platinum Certification for Bike-Friendliness”. I think that there are over 5,000 bike commuters every day. It’s actually exhilarating to be a part of the crowd of bicyclists in the morning.
Bonus: when you ride to work, you don’t need to hit the gym after work.
Things become more complicated when the weather doesn’t cooperate. In Portland’s case, it’s the winter and spring rain that make my motivation fizzle. First of all, you’ve got to dress warmer, wear a rain jacket, deal with fenders and lights on your bike, and make sure that your change of clothes for the day doesn’t get all soaked in your backpack. The little pannier in which your summer clothes fitted perfectly is quickly overwhelmed by the boots, jeans, and heavy sweaters that you try to stuff in it. Needless to say, there no additional room for your healthy brown bag lunch.
So you switch to a bigger, waterproof backpack. Everything fits, but the ride, which is already harder due to the freezing air entering your lungs at 7am, is made even more difficult by the weight you’re now carrying on your back.
As for the buses, they’re packed, smelly, slow, and you risk catching the worst flu in every breathe you share with your grumpy neighbor.
So what do you do? Here are a few ideas that have worked for me:
- Find a riding buddy. If you go by bike, try hooking up with someone from work, from your neighborhood, or on www.exercisefriends.com (that’s where I found mine!) Your local Craigslist might be a good resource too. Don’t be shy, and motivate each other by agreeing on a meeting point a couple days a week; then ride the rest of the way together. Sharing the pain with someone else removes 50% of it, I swear!
- Get yourself an iPod. I created a perfect soundtrack for my morning bus ride; a mix of mellow songs and pumping, happy ones. I now take a great pleasure in watching people in the bus, or out in the streets, and matching what they’re doing with what I’m listening to. It’s like making my own movie.
- Tell the world. Be proud. People might call you crazy for riding in these conditions, but secretely they envy your energy, determination… and waist line. Especially after Christmas. If you have a local bike group, or local bike event, be in touch with them. They often share great tips on how to make your ride easier. (Portlanders, check out www.bikeportland.org, and join the fun for the “Worst Day of the Year Ride“).
Oh, and you can always shoot me a message to get some additional motivation. I promise to kick your butt.
