Photo by Margaret Tinker

When you’re young, riding your bike all over town is a fun way to get out of the house and hang out with your friends. When you’re a teenager with your license and a car, it’s probably the last thing you want to do.

Two Wheel Tuesday, which got its start on Twitter by Austin Nichols and is endorsed by actress Sophia Bush of “One Tree Hill” fame, is the idea that every Tuesday you give up all ways of motor transportation and get to the places you need to be by using something with two wheels, like a bike or a scooter.

The purpose of Two Wheel Tuesday is to try and lower the average person’s carbon footprint. A carbon footprint is the measure of the impact our activities have on the environment and it’s as personal and distinct to every person as their fingerprint.

What you drive, how you drive and how much you drive all make a huge difference to your footprint. According to cartalk.com, the average car emits six tons of carbon monoxide per year and by participating in Two Wheel Tuesday every week you can reduce your emission of carbon monoxide by 20 percent annually.

Riding a bike doesn’t only reduce your own carbon footprint, but it can do so much more for the environment. Biking can also reduce America’s dependence on fossil fuels; with the national debt being incredibly high and our dependence on other countries for oil, this might not be such a bad thing. It also decreases the need for more roadways, reduces landfill waste, improves air quality, reduces cold start emissions and protects wildlife.

Along with all of these benefits, Two Wheel Tuesday is also a great form of exercise. For example, if you lived off Blue Oaks and decided to bike to and from school on Tuesdays, you would be biking around seven miles, which burns about 520 calories depending on your weight and amount of speed you’re biking. Not to mention biking seven miles every Tuesday for a year saves you around $70 on gas depending on your car’s MPG.

So next Tuesday when you’re about to get into your car, think about it. We only have one world to live in and it’s our duty to preserve it.

By MARGARET TINKER