What’s The Harm In Driving?

You might tell yourself, what can one little person do to harm the world? Well, there’s a lot you do on a daily basis. Most of us start our day by either going to work or school. Here’s the thing: Most of us drive there or take public transportation when we could easily walk or, if it’s a little farther, bike there. In the morning you’re just so tired and all you want to do is relax, drink your coffee, and eat your breakfast. Trust me, I understand but everyone needs to start doing their part because at the rate we’re going it’s not looking good for us.

According to Brookings, “Over 76 percent of Americans drive alone to work every day, while another 9 percent carpool with someone else. Considering that ACS counted 150 million workers in 2016, that’s at least 115 million cars and trucks hitting American streets every day. It’s no wonder congestion is so pervasive during morning and afternoon rush hours.” Some people may not understand the harm in driving. Cars release CO2, which is one of our Earth’s main problems creating climate change. If you haven't heard, our Earth is going through some big problems. Sea levels are rising, which is making floods in places like Florida.

The DOT project is a project that we’re doing for our 8th grade science class at Oyster Adams Bilingual School. Basically, we have to one thing that’s eco-friendly for one month like going vegetarian or taking shorter showers. I chose biking to school instead of getting dropped off and talking less public transportation. On a normal school day, I would get dropped of at school and after school I would take two buses home. Now I go biking to school and either walk home or take one bus. This is something a lot of people should start trying because it’s not that hard, it’s something that is easy, and it’s good for our world and our bodies.