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Green Living Blog: Go green with an electric bike

Canadian Living
Culture & Entertainment

Green Living Blog: Go green with an electric bike

Green Living Blog logo After reading this post, don't forget to enter our contest – you could win a new dishwasher. Plus, do you have your own story to tell? Send it to greenchallenge@canadianliving.com (no more than 300 words, please), and you could win one of 30 daily prizes. Today's winner is Angela Smith of London, Ont.
Living in another country helped me appreciate what Canadians do for the environment. But, it also helped me realize what more I could do.Last year, we returned to Canada after living in England for three years. Our first year there, we lived without a car. Walking everywhere got us in better shape. I bought a pull trolley to carry groceries home when I walked the 2.5 kilometres to the store. With no curbside recycling, that trolley also carried plastics and papers to a recycling centre on the other side of town. Now back in Ontario, we live in London, but my husband works in Toronto – a two-hour commute. Unfortunately, his job and the distance from our family required us to get a car. We couldn't stay as green as we would have liked. But, my husband still mostly uses the train on the days he travels to Toronto. I wasn't finding it as easy to get all my errands done here as it had been in England. Southwestern Ontario isn't as pedestrian friendly. Not wanting to make things worse by becoming a two-car family again, we found an environmentally friendly solution: an electric bike for me! Charging the battery costs about 6 cents and I get between 20 and 30 kilometres per charge. I get to most places in the city while getting fresh air and exercise (okay, I admit, the motor does help on hills). I also use a pretty, tapestry-covered shopping trolley to pull groceries home from our nearest supermarkets. I've gotten over the hang-up of it being an "old lady" thing! I am glad to be back in Canada where recycling is so established. But keen to be greener, I decided to try my hand at composting too. Feeds my garden – and a few mice, I'm sure!
Thanks to Angela for sending in her story – and don't forget, if you still haven't entered, there's still time to send your own story to greenchallenge@canadianliving.com. Stuffed and Starved/water pitcherAngela wins a copy of the book Stuffed and Starved by Raj Patel, courtesy of HarperCollins, and a Clear2O Home Water Filtration System. Today's code word: trolley Read more: • Cut your gas usage by up to 30 per centTips on reducing your car useWhy hybrids are the way to drive

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Green Living Blog: Go green with an electric bike

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