Ride your bike

Anyone who covers short distances on foot or by bicycle gains fitness and joie de vivre. And all while doing good for the environment.

What can you do?

Those like Sarah Meier or Beni Turnheer who are cycling more and more will especially enjoy the Sunday morning croissant.

Riding a bike puts pressure on muscles, is good for the heart and easy on the joints – and the environment. Walking or cycling is of course more time-consuming than a quick car ride. Yet those who choose a climate-friendly means of transport for short distances act consciously – for their well-being and the climate.

• Whenever possible, use a bike instead of a car or other means of transport!

Additional information

In Switzerland, but also worldwide, mobility options and the desire for more flexibility are on the rise. According to the Federal Statistical Office (2016), the Swiss population covered an average of 36.7 kilometres a day in 2010. Motorised vehicles were used for around 60% of the distances. Leisure activities, at 40%, are the most important transport purpose, followed by commuting at 24%. In addition, the number of motorised road vehicles (excluding mopeds) has doubled since 1980 and reached 5.8 million in 2014. Around three-quarters of these are passenger cars. For the Swiss population, it means the equivalient of every second inhabitant having a car. The trend for motorcycles is even more extreme: since 1980, the number of motorcycles in Switzerland has quintupled.

Due to technological developments CO2 emissions from passenger cars fell by 34% between 1996 and 2014. Yet the increase in the number of cars on the road means CO2 emissions were reduced by only 0.3% during the same period.

Worldwide, the transportation sector is responsible for a massive contribution to the greenhouse gas effect.  And in Switzerland: at 30%, road transport is the biggest emitter of CO2.

Additional Tips

• In need of a car? Then register with Mobility Carsharing.
• The Swiss bus and train network is well established, reaching every village. So consider switching to public transport and leave the car at home.
• Carpooling: ride with colleagues and acquaintances who have a similar commute. The result is a reduction in CO2 emissions while increasing the car’s fun factor.

Questions about Climate Action?

Climate telephone

Do you have specific questions regarding climate action? Phone our climate experts, Bosco & Co, from 17:00 to 19:00 and Fridays from 12:00 to 17:00.

Tel.: 052 203 02 32

E-Mail

No time to telephone? No problem. Kindly send us an email at: klimafragen@myblueplanet.ch

Bosco Büeler

Bosco has decades of experience in architecture, building biology, climate protection and mobility. As co-founder of myblueplanet, and an active climate protector, is he our go-to expert for specific approaches pertaining the climate crisis.

Mehr über Bosco

• 1952 geboren in Flawil SG, Vater von drei Söhnen und neben vier Berufsabschlüssen seit Jahrzenten als Architekt und Baubiologe tätig
• Gastvorleser und Berater bei diversen Bauprojekten in 20 verschiedenen Ländern
• Tätig für mehrere Projekte im humanitären Bereich im Auftrag der Schweizer Regierung
• Mitgründer von mehreren Schweizer Organisationen: Schweizerisches Institut für Baubiologie (heute baubioswiss), Genossenschaft Information Baubiologie
• Generalsekretär der Baubiologie-Weltorganisation
• Konzeptleiter beim Neubau des Bundesamtes für Statistiken in Neuenburg (1991)
• Projektleiter/Mitarbeiter bei 200 weiteren Architekturprojekten
• Mitbegründer der Auto Teilet Genossenschaft (ATG), heute in neuer Form als Carsharing-Unternehmen Mobility bekannt
• Mitbegründer von myblueplanet
• Aktuell konzentrieren sich seine Tätigkeiten auf Expertisen im Bau- und Energiesektor und einige Dozententätigkeiten

Die Baubiologie wendet konsequent ökologische und gesundheitsverträgliche Methoden an im Bereich Architektur und Bau und hat sich in den letzten 30 Jahren zu einer komplett neuen Branche entwickelt. Dabei sind hunderte Firmen und tausende von Arbeitsplätzen entstanden. Bosco war selber bei dutzenden von Firmen Berater. Seit 1992 ist die Baubiologie eine Ausbildung mit eidgenössisch anerkanntem Fachausweis.