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September 20, 2017

leave the car at home

International Car Free Day is only a few short days away on Friday, September 22, 2017. People across the world in over 40 countries will come together and leave the car keys at home for a day to do their part in making the world a little more green and the roads a lot less congested.

While there are many ways to go car-free for a day including, walking, biking, taking the train, and staying home to telework, the benefits of doing so are even more plentiful. We’ve gathered the top four benefits of leaving the car at home (even just for one day): 

  • You will save money. It’s estimated that on average, people spend 25% of their annual income on commuting costs. By walking, biking, taking the train, or teleworking you won’t have to spend money on gas and parking. And, if you continue to go car-free beyond Car Free Day, you could ditch the car completely and not have to consider car payments, insurance, or repairs. Think about what you could do with your savings!
  • You won’t feel so stressed. It’s no secret the Washington, D.C. metro area has one of the worst commutes in America; in fact, the city ranked second on the list of the worst commutes in the US. Why not take a load off, hop on the metro and read that book you’ve been dying to scratch off your list? You don’t have to spend your commute stuck driving in traffic.
  • It’s better for your overall health. We know how hard it is to stick to those New Year’s resolutions of getting in more exercise. Commuting is both time-consuming and exhausting. Why not tackle them at the same time? Biking or walking to work (or even to the train or bus stop) is a great way to weave in more exercise into your schedule without having to compromise your time outside of work.
  • The earth could use a little love. Walking, biking, and even taking public transit will help reduce gas emissions and reduce your carbon footprint. Who wouldn’t want a cleaner planet?

Dropping the car keys doesn’t have to be a hassle; check out our recent blog post on just how easy it is to take participate in Car Free Day (hint: there are a ton of options!). And, if you take the Car Free Day pledge, you will automatically be entered for a chance to win awesome prizes and you’ll even get a coupon code for buy-on, get-one free Chipotle.

It is our responsibility to make the world a better, more sustainable place to live and going car-free on September 22 is a great place to start. Sign up for the pledge today.



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