Human Powered Transportation

On an individual level, one of the ways in which we cause the most damage to the planet is through our use of transportation. Most of us these days have a car, and if we’re honest, most of us use our cars more often than we need to – which isn’t very eco friendly. Cars unfortunately spew fumes which contribute to the greenhouse gasses, and at the same time they use up our depleting fossil fuels every time you use them to pop to the shop.

Fortunately there are some more eco friendly solutions for those who want to go green, whether it’s getting the bus or walking to the shops. One of the most interesting solutions though is to use human powered transport – which is any transport that doesn’t use any fuel source other than the kinetic energy you put in yourself.

The most obvious form of human powered transport for those going green is of course the bicycle and this is a fantastic solution for anyone going green – particularly for inner city commuting. On a bicycle you don’t create any pollution, but at the same time you don’t pay for petrol, you don’t have to pay for parking, you can overtake traffic jams and there’s no tax. If this wasn’t enough it’s also a great way to workout and to burn some calories (exercise is a big bonus of going green).

Bikes aren’t to everyone’s tastes though, and unfortunately they are also cumbersome, make you very sweaty and are prone to getting stolen. There are though some other eco friendly human powered solutions for those who are interested and some of these are very unique but under-used.

For instance – why not rollerblade to work? Sure it’s very eighties, but just like the bike it’s also great exercise and hassle free. At the same time though you don’t need to tie it up and you can put them in a bag while you’re at work. So it’s a practical and eco friendly form of transport. Along the same lines is skateboarding. Again you might get a few looks but it’s also great fun (though a long board is more practical, while a footboard is more convenient for storing and carrying). On top of these ‘classic’ options are the relatively new ‘powerizers’ which are essentially huge stilts on springs which are alleged to allow people to easily jog at thirty miles an hour.

This is only the tip of the ice berg though, and if you’re interested in human powered transport and eco friendly solutions there are plenty more where those came from. There are tricycles, handcycles, casterboards and more. And even more excitingly, many inventors and entrepreneurs are busy inventing their own solutions and tapping in to the power we all have coursing through our veins. Watch this space.