Cycling to work - not only on ”Sport and Health Day” | Umweltbundesamt

The UBA in-house mobility management has targeted and encouraged the use of bicycles in recent years as part of ecomobility.  Safe and easily accessible bike sheds were set up at the Agency’s sites as well as showers and locker rooms, and bicycles for official use were acquired. The Berlin site at Bismarckplatz had several car park spaces converted to bike stands located near the building entrances. Furthermore, a toolkit is available at all sites for small repair jobs.

The cycling to work campaign (Aktion ”Mit dem Rad zur Arbeit”) aims to encourage cycling as it is easily integrated into the daily routine. Doctors believe that living by an ”in moderation, but regularly” motto is effective prevention against the effects of lack of exercise. It is actually quite simple, for the positive effects on health can already be appreciated with 20-30 minutes’ daily exercise—and that is the time that most normal commutes to work by bicycle would easily cover. Moreover, every commuter who travels 5 kilometres to and from work by bike instead of car saves about 400 kilogrammes of ozone-depleting carbon dioxide emissions. A 10-kilometre commute adds up to 750 kilogrammes carbon dioxide, thus making a case for protecting the climate and the environment.

For this year’s health day the UBA is offering special repair service to cyclists and is campaigning for the intramural athletic and sports groups, which include a group of hobby cyclists and a racing team. There are also a number of other opportunities for the Agency’s staff members to take up a sports activity in their leisure time.