First off, the No Impact Project is looking to recruit more interns. Please read about it here. Now, onwards…
So funny. Lately, I’ve been asked if eschewing elevators in favor of the stairs during the no impact year wasn’t a bit extreme? I always say that it made for good exercise and took less time than waiting around.
Well, now it turns out that New York City itself if promoting taking the stairs: “Walking up the stairs just 2 minutes a day helps prevent weight gain. It also helps the environment.”
Maybe No Impact Man is not so extreme after all!
Maybe we could start calling New York “No Impact City.” It could start a blog, write a book, make a movie and promote the whole idea to others. ;)
As the City’s health commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley told the New York Times City Room Blog:
Over the last 60 years, physical activity has been engineered out of daily lives. About 25 percent of people get exercise and 75 percent simply do not, he estimated. “If we’ve engineered physical activity out of our daily lives, we can engineer it right back in just as easily,” he said…
…Studies have shown that if the average adult climbed two minutes of stairs every day, it would overcome the weight-gain trend that American adults are experiencing, said Karen Lee, the deputy commissioner for the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
Happier planet, happier people!
And speaking of burning calories instead of fossil fuels, I wanted to remind you that I am riding my bike in the Climate Ride at the end of the month. We’re riding to demonstrate that we care about the climate.
You can read more about Climate Ride here and sign up to join in here.