The rush of wind in one’s hair, the click of wheels, and blurred green grass – all things that bring to mind memories of riding a bike as a child. However, today, far fewer students spend time on their bikes than they did as young children. Seniors Joelle Deleveaux and Jason Schmidt and juniors Josh Barkow, Chris Aitken, and Sofia Diaz de Villegas are trying to create a blast from the past and bring biking back into the lives of students today.
“Biking is a great way to reduce carbon emissions, save gas, and help the environment. I know a lot of students at Palmetto that live less than fifteen minutes away, but they just choose to drive,” Aitken said. “It isn’t a difficult change to make. Even one day a week helps. It actually becomes enjoyable too.”
These five students are currently trying to create a new tradition at Palmetto – bike days. The team has started by creating a public service announcement to promote biking. They also visited classes to make announcements about their new project and made signs and posters to get the word out.
“We hope to have a significant portion of the school biking at least one day a month,” Barkow said. “It may not seem like much, but with three thousand students at our school, I think this can make a big impact over time.”
According to a new study by the Environmental Defense, cars are responsible for nearly half of the carbon dioxide emitted globally. Most of these cars are in the United States, which releases more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than any other country.
“I biked to school frequently during my freshman and sophomore years of high school. But during my junior and senior years, everyone drove, so I did too,” senior Olga Shestopalova said. “But on the bike days, I see a lot of students biking, freshmen and seniors. So I think it’s a pretty cool change.”