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City of Bikes

AH-H-H PARIS!  THE WINE, THE FOOD, THE ART, THE – BICYCLES?  YES, THOUSANDS OF BIKES WILL BE ADDED TO THIS MEMORABLE CITY’S STREETS, AS YOU’LL HEAR ON TODAY’S ENVIRONMINUTE.

OVER TWENTY THOUSAND RENTAL BIKES WILL SOON BE AVAILABLE AT PICK UP AND DROP OFF STATIONS ALL OVER THE CITY OF PARIS.  COMMUTERS WILL BE ABLE TO USE A CREDIT CARD TO RELEASE A BIKE, AND THEN RIDE FOR UP TO THIRTY MINUTES AT NO CHARGE.

A SIMILAR PROGRAM IN LYON, FRANCE’S THIRD LARGEST CITY, HAS ALREADY PROVED SUCCESSFUL. RENTALS THERE ARE USUALLY FREE BECAUSE MOST COMMUTERS USE THE BIKES FOR SHORT TRIPS. AND THE BEST NEWS? ABOUT THREE THOUSAND TONS OF CARBON DIOXIDE HAVE BEEN KEPT FROM THE AIR, MAKING LYON A GREENER, MORE RELAXED CITY.

WANT TO EXERCISE YOUR RIGHT TO BETTER AIR QUALITY?  LEAVE YOUR CAR AT HOME AND TRY BIKING OR WALKING TO WORK.

THE ENVIRONMINUTE IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE HEINZ FAMILY PHILANTHROPIES AND THE HEINZ ENDOWMENTS.  LEARN MORE BY VISITING ENVIRONMINUTE-DOT-COM.

For more about this story, read the article in the Washington Post.

To read more about this and other environmental health issues, go to: www.environmentalhealthnews.org, www.ourstolenfuture.org, or www.healthandenvironment.org