2 Mile Challenge

The United States has the highest bicycle ownership per capita in the world – but it’s at the bottom of the list for using them. Combine this with the fact that forty percent of everyday travel in the US happens within 2 miles of where people live – and you have the basis for the 2 Mile Challenge.

The idea is simple – with 4 out of every 10 trips from your home being to the library, a coffee shop, grocery store, or even to work lasting two miles or less, why not take your bike. Each of us has a great opportunity to cut back on car trips without sacrificing much time or expending too much effort. Realizing a great opportunity to help fight climate change, Clif Bar created a game to see how many car trips could be replaced with a bike instead.

They are awarding a $25,000 grant to each of three nonprofit organizations helping to lead the charge. All you have to do is register, choose a team, and start pedaling your bike to earn points. By inputting your address in to the handy map widget they built, you can see just how wide a two mile radius around your house is, and how many everyday trips fall in this range. If 1 million people replaced a 2 mile car trip once a week with a bike ride, CO2 emissions could be reduced by 50,000 tons per year. The more people out there swapping cars for bikes equals more fun and more impact towards fighting climate change.