Ride your bicycle; save the Chesapeake Bay

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An environmental group dedicated to protecting and restoring the Chesapeake Bay is launching a campaign — Cyclist for the Bay — to get people out of their cars and onto their bikes.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation is asking people to pledge to use their bicycles whenever possible, bike to work at least once a week, and spread the word about the need to protect the bay.

The Chesapeake Bay on the East Coast is one of the nation's natural wonders. At the turn of the last century, writer H.L. Mencken called it the world's protein factory, for all the clams, oysters, crabs and varieties of fish that came from its waters.

Pollution

Today the Bay is choked with pollution from cities like Baltimore and Washington DC, chemicals from farmland and runoff from surburban sprawl. Reducing the number of cars in that equation is just one part of the puzzle in protecting the Chesapeake.

The Chesapeake collects water from over 64,000 square miles, including large areas of Virginia, Maryland, District of Columbia, Pennsylvania and New York. That's where I first got interested in bicycle touring as an adult. The bicycling opportunities in that area are limitless.

The pledge:

  • Use my bicycle instead of a car whenever possible to reduce the harmful effects of vehicle emissions.
  • Ride my bike to work at least once a week, if circumstances allow.
  • Do what I can to promote cycling as an environmentally-friendly means of transportation.
  • Spread the word that vehicle exhaust contributes more than one-third of all the nitrogen pollution entering the Bay from the air.
  • Encourage other cyclists to join the fight to protect and restore the waterways, farmlands, and forests of the Bay region.
  • Speak out for decisive action to protect this national treasure.

  • In return, the cyclist gets:

  • One Cyclist for the Bay water bottle.
  • Two Cyclist for the Bay stickers to proudly display your support for the Bay and its tributaries.
  • Pledge card with useful Bay information.
  • Access to Cyclist Network — an online source for all things Bay area cycling. From links to great area organizations to forums where you can share routes with other cyclists for the bay!
  • Automatic enrollment in CBF's Action Network, our e-mail alert system for important Bay issues.
  • Discounts on merchandise from CBF's online store.
  • Membership is free.

    Photo above from julziet at flickr.com

    Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2008/11/19/ride-your-bicycle-save-the-chesapeake-bay/

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