Why should I choose Cycling over Cars?

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There are lots of ways that we can be a little greener as we travel, and one of the best option to start is by cycling a lot more. What most important to remember is the 3H principal that’s applied: Happy Belly, Happy Earth, and Happy Wallet.

Can Cycling reduce Belly Fat?

The short answer is: YES. Cycling is a fun activity to do that helps burn the notorious belly fat while simultaneously strengthening your muscles, heart and lungs. We know that belly fat has been associated with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high blood sugar, and more.

So how do we get rid of them? You may first think of sit-ups, but actually cycling is the best option for an easy and fun way to combat belly fat.

Although tummy muscles do not stretch much during cycling, it is a kind of aerobic exercise that burns fat, including belly fat. The key point here is CONSISTENCY and DETERMINATION. Use the 80/20 Rule cycling method, combined with healthy diet and you’ll see your result in no time.

Cycling is one of the great tools we can use either for leisure or for daily commutes. It is a great idea to invest in your own bike for commuting or errands, but you can also make use of rentable e-bikes in many major cities.

Cycling every day instead of driving is perfect for anyone with the confidence and ability to ride. You can get active, enjoy some scenic routes while on the way to work or to the store, and know that you are also shedding off that layer of belly fat. On top of that, you also doing your bit for the environment. So, what makes cycling the best form of green travel aside from walking?

Why Is Cycling The Greener Way To Travel?

Our carbon footprint isn’t going to get any smaller if we recycle our food packaging but still make unnecessary car journeys to buy the meal. Where possible, cycling is a much better form of green travel other than walking. And for those distance inefficient by cycling, there is alternative tools to choose from.

Traffic and congestion on our cities’ streets are no good for anyone, especially not for the environment. Every car emits hazardous emissions as it burns fuel, polluting the air and making it harder for us all to breathe. The more we rely on cars, the more roads we see built to ease the flow, which paves over green space.

Although the use of public transport may reduce the number of cars on the road, which reduce its total emissions, cycling on the other hand means there are no extra emissions AT ALL.

Moreover, bikes don’t rely on that many unsustainable materials like gas, coal, and/or oil. Bikes are self-powered unless you get one of those rechargeable e-bikes, and even those are more sustainable than fossil fueled cars.

The Additional Benefits Of Switching To Cycling.

Cycling isn’t just a better choice environmentally. We can also benefit greatly from the impact of cycling on our health and our wallets.

Bikes aren’t always cheap, but there aren’t the same costs to keep them on the road as there are with cars. Once you add in costs of insurance and all that dirty fuel, cars are even more problematic. There might be some reasonable excuse to have cars within a household, like for elders or less mobile people. But what can be improved is from those who own more than one car merely for individual luxurious enjoyment instead of necessity.

As for our health and well-being, there are strong advantages in cycling for physical and mental health.

Physically, cycling gives us a good workout and we can tailor those sessions by increasing the distance and intensity of the ride. Mountain biking then provides more opportunities for adventure.

Mentally, we can feel much closer to the world around us when cycling and use the time in nature and the fresh air to clear our minds. A ride on a country trail is much less stressful than being stuck in traffic.

Making The Most Out Of Your Pre-Loved Bikes.

Another consideration here when looking at why bikes are so green is that we can refurbish and pass on pre-loved bikes with ease. This is better than always buying new models when we can pass bikes down between siblings or do up a vintage model.

A concern that some drivers may have is that bikes are expensive and you may need a lot of them for one family.

A high-end road bike can cost thousands. Kids’ bikes become too small or restrictive very quickly. Surely it can’t be environmental to throw out a two-year-old pre-teen bike to get them a better model? This is true, and it is why greener-minded cyclists can now turn to a scheme like Woom UPcycle that reuses their old bikes. This not only encourages everyone to ride but means that perfectly good bikes aren’t wasted. Fewer parts end up in scrapyards and fewer resources are used building unessential new bikes.

Woom bikes offers an UPcycling subscription, where you can upcycle your old bike to a newer model with less cost. Although there is still room for improvement with its buy-back policy, it is indeed a great concept environmentally. The idea of passing on the pre-loved bikes to those who need them.

This concept can be further expanded to other household items or furniture where you can recycle, upcycle, or re-sale them in online market places like craigslist, gumtree or facebook market place.


Give Cycling a chance

Ideally, all those with the ability to cycle should give cycling a chance. Not only it stimulates your body metabolism and make you feel better, helps reduce your body weight and belly fat, release your stress and increase your health; more importantly, it is much cost effective compared to having a car. Last but not least, it is good for environment. And with the upcycling program, you can consider giving a bike a second life and enjoying greener travel to the next level.

What else are you waiting for?

5 Best Eco Friendly Luggage For Your Weekend Away

eco friendly travel bag

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As much as we want to decrease our carbon footprint when traveling, it can be hard to give up on domestic flights or road trips for fun weekend getaway. So, why not play our part with an eco friendly duffel bag or backpack instead?

How to choose an environmentally friendly duffel bag or backpack.

There are a few factors to consider when choosing a greener bag for conscious traveling, such as:

a) The materials used.

You could opt for a product free from man-made materials and plastics, such as hemp.

Or you might want to avoid animal products, such as wool and leather.

b) The use of recycled materials to create them.

If you want a more durable nylon bag, you can find companies that use recycled plastics instead of creating new materials.

c) Environmental processes during manufacture.

Some companies will also make a point of highlighting their greener production methods, such as eco-dying.

d) The air miles on the finished product.

Was the product made locally or shipped in from another country?

e) Any additional aspects to the ethics and practices of the company.

Some brands are keen to highlight appeals and issues, with many using their profits to give back.


Of course, you also have to be sure that the travel bag you choose is spacious enough, easy to carry, and has all the features you need for your use.

eco friendly travel bags

Here, We’ve picked 5 of the best eco friendly travel bags, as follow:

1) InCase EO Duffel.

There are plenty of reasons to love InCase if you are looking for a sustainable duffel bag. The materials are a good starting point, with some great synthetics treated in an environmentally friendly manner. This includes the eco-dying process that uses less water and fewer chemicals. A bonus is that these durable bags are made in the US – so fewer air miles.

The duffel itself is pretty good too. It is one of the more spacious options, making it ideal for long weekends and business trips. A standout feature here is the 15” laptop pocket with faux-fur padding. You can also remove the shoulder strap as needed to make this more convenient. It is definitely one of the more practical and mature options. A modern and lightweight tech optimized travel bag with airline compliant carry-on size – perfect for all kind of green travelers.

2) Paravel Foldable Travel Duffel.

The company claim that it is made from 22 recycled bottles, which is subsequently means less trash went in to the landfill.

The reason that this is better as a weekend bag is the capacity. Some people love the thin shape because it is so easy to carry, while others find they have to be more selective over what they pack. Still, there is the added benefit of being able to fold this flat and pack it in its own pouch. This gives it a secondary purpose as a spare bag when on vacation. The bag also looks great with colorful nylon and color-coordinated handles.

3) Vera Bradley Lighten Up Reactive Duffel.

It isn’t just Paravel making the most of recycled plastic in their luggage. Vera Bradley has recently released an updated line called Reactive that similarly uses recycled bottles. Cynics might say that they are jumping on the bandwagon, but it is nice to see them being transparent. The materials also seem to be pretty durable, which adds to its “greenness”. The longer we can use the same bag, the better.

This greener travel bag is a great choice for those with bigger travel plans in mind. It is the most spacious of the bags in this guide and ideal for those making the most of baggage allowances. The duffel measures 15 by 15 by 29 inches and has some extra zippered pockets. What makes this one even more practical is the ability to use suitcase wheels and a telescoping handle while traveling. Overall, this is a great pick for those that find standard duffels too difficult or awkward to use.

4) United by Blue Totepack.

This next environmentally friendly travel bag is a bit of a box ticker when it comes to its green credentials, design, practical features, and appeal for different situations. Again, there is a nice use of recycled materials here. But, the company decided to go one step better by actively working to deal with plastic waste. The promise is that one purchase equals 1lb of plastic taken out of the oceans.

The bag is an attractive totepack, which means it can be both a backpack and a tote. You can use the secure weatherproof tote for basic day-to-day needs and then convert it to the backpack for weekends away or going to classes. It has a 13” laptop pocket inside and a 25L capacity in total. There is also a helpful pocket on the side for your reusable water bottle, and it comes in plenty of fun designs.

5) Natural Hemp Backpack.

This is a product that you are either going to love or hate, but it was worth adding for an alternative approach. There will be people reading this unsure about using plastics – even if they are from recycled bottles. That is when a 100% hemp traveller’s bag becomes an attractive notion. The downside is that these authentic made in Nepal bags do pick up some air miles.

The backpack is fun with a traditional bohemian design that will appeal to many college kids and older generations that like the “hippy” vibe. It is a fun bag for day trips and college more than bigger travel plans. But, it is still spacious enough for essentials for a festival and also has an internal laptop compartment.

So, Which one is the right eco friendly travel bag for you?

In short, there are lots of bags with different styles, materials, and practical features. More and more brands are turning to recycled plastic and making attractive and durable duffel bags from them. The choice is broader than you might think.

Green Camping: Camper’s Guide To Choosing Portable Solar Panels

Camping outdoors unifies you with mother nature, allowing you to appreciate the greeneries, the chirping of birds, the clean air, and the humming of the streams. To experience it, you don’t have to compromise but maximize comfort instead. And to do this, a handy dandy tool for you to bring is a portable solar panel.

A portable solar panel (or solar module) provides many functions while you’re outside to camp. You may use it for lighting, heating, charging phones and other personal devices, pest control, and even warding wild animals away.

Online articles provide you a lot to choose from. They claim that these are the best. Well, guess what? No best solar module exists out there since issues are bound to manifest. With that said, how do you choose one that greatly works for you? This article gives you an idea of the criteria.


Thin Multi-Layered Solar Cells


Good solar panels for camping are solar panels made up of thin multi-layered cells. Particularly, their thickness is 300 times thinner than photovoltaic solar cells, which are about 200 micrometers thick.

So what happens if a solar panel uses thin multi-layered solar cells? Utilizing these allows for flexibility, meaning that the solar panel can bend or warp a bit without damaging its components.

With flexibility, a solar panel brings a lot of perks while outdoors. You may easily load it even if the car is already cluttered inside. As for installation, you may position it anywhere you like so long as it can cope with the stress coming from bending or warping.

Thin multi-layered solar cells allow for ease of use. With them, you can install a solar panel or stash it away at a moment’s notice, even without the usage of specialized tools.

Strong winds aren’t a problem too. Thin multi-layered solar cells allow a solar panel to bend against the wind. With that said, it reduces the wind’s force upon the solar panel’s surface. Still, due to the solar panel’s lightness, it might get blown away.

Germany-Made or American-Made

High-quality solar modules come from either America or Germany. This statement is open for arguments. Furthermore, we don’t mean to instill market bias by this.

But why America and Germany only? Those coming from America have a high PTC rating, impressive longevity (averages 30 years of service lifetime). And smart features such as android or IOS connection, automatic shut-off function, etc. Brands that you should shortlist are Mission Solar, SolarTech Universal, and Tesla/Panasonic.

On the other hand, German solar modules for camp are characterized by their peerless engineering and durability. Most also comply with environmental regulatory standards. Meaning that they’re manufactured while observing minimum impact to mother nature.


How about portable solar modules made from China? There are a lot of decent manufacturers too! However, accompanying them in the market are numerous counterfeits and substandard ones.


Is There A White Background Foil?


Remember that a solar panel’s energy output is highly dependent on its exposure to sunlight. Therefore, a solar panel having a feature that maximizes its sunlight exposure isn’t bad, even if it didn’t produce a reputable brand.

When looking for a solar panel to use for camping, peel your eyes for the white background foil. A white background foil is installed on the back sheet of a solar panel and allows light to reflect. With it, the solar cells are exposed to light twice. Which then results in a heftier energy generation.


This feature also ensures that the solar panel generates adequate energy even if exposure to sunlight is low. A solar panel with white background foil is very suitable for woodlands, riversides, lakeside, recreational parks, and other highly shaded campsites.



Anti-Fog Glass and Tightly Sealed Frame

Fogging of the solar panel’s glass spreads sunlight in different directions and results in reduced energy generation. That’s why you should look for one which has an anti-fog feature. Usually, a solar panel with this feature uses a glass cover mixed with an anti-fogging agent that discourages the build-up of water droplets on its surface.

Also, look for sealants that reinforce the installation of the glass and frame on top of the solar cells. Common sealants that manufacturers use when making a solar panel are silicone, polyurethane, acrylic, butyl, and polysulfide. For more durability, some manufacturers place a thin lining of rubber on the edges of the frame.

portable solar panel


Conclusion


A fire is already enough for cooking and lighting when camping. However, it’s an undeniable fact that the smoke that it produces affects the environment. Also, if you don’t put it out properly, some embers might stay lit and cause wildfires.


That’s why you should try using a portable solar panel instead. With a portable solar panel, you will have a more convenient means of heating and lighting provided that you bring electric lamps, heaters, pans, and other easy-to-carry appliances.

But the ultimate purpose of using it is to travel with the environment in mind. You might not have recognized it, but human activity has drastically affected mother nature. That’s why you should know how to live green.