waynevisser | Wayne Visser

July 10, 2013

Cycling is sustainable and healthy so why aren’t more of us on our bikes?

Article by Wayne Visser

An International Sustainable Business column for The Guardian

In March 2013, London mayor Boris Johnson – already feted for his pay-as-you-go Boris bikes introduced in 2010 – announced plans for the longest bike route in any European city. This is part of a £1bn bid to double the number of Londoners who cycle over the next decade.

This is certainly welcome news for a city that hopes to reduce its carbon footprint by 60% by 2025. Currently, the average Londoner emits 9.6 tonnes of CO2 per year, which is lower than New York (10.5 tonnes), but almost three times Stockholm (3.6 tonnes), despite Sweden having a far colder climate. Cycling is one obvious way to make a dent on our carbon footprint in the west. But are we convinced?

According to the CTC, the UK national cycling association, a person making the average daily commute of four miles each way would save half a tonne of carbon dioxide per year if they switched from driving to cycling per year. If the UK doubled cycle use by switching from cars, this would reduce Britain’s total greenhouse emissions by 0.6m tonnes, almost as much as switching all London-to-Scotland air travel to rail.

There are obvious health benefits from cycling as well. One classic study found that, while people are killed each year in the UK while cycling (in 2012, 122 cyclists died), many others die prematurely because of lack of exercise. The study estimated that regular cycling provides a net benefit to personal health that outweighs its risk of injury by a factor of 20 to one. If anything, the situation is more extreme today, with estimates that, if things don’t change, 60% of men and 50% of women will be obese by 2050.

The charity, PleaseCycle says the benefits of cycling are demonstrated with some handy statistics. It reports that 79% of employees wish their employers had a more positive outlook on cycling and a 20% increase in cycling by 2015 could save £87m in reduced absenteeism. The charity also claims there is up to 12.5% difference in productivity between exercising and non-exercising employees and regular cycling can reduce a person’s all-cause mortality rate by up to 36%.

Even the economic benefits are compelling. The specialist economic consultancy SQW showed that, an increase in cycling by 20% would release cumulative saving of £500m by 2015. A 50% increase on current cycling rates would unlock more than £1.3bn, by reducing the costs of congestion, pollution and healthcare.

So why aren’t more of us cycling? Surely it’s not that we’re all just lazy? This is where I believe we can learn some lessons from other countries – the Netherlands in particular. The Dutch have turned cycling into a national pastime and the bicycle into a cultural icon: wherever you go in the country, there are swift-flowing rivers of cyclists.

The population of the Netherlands is under 17 million — roughly twice that of New York or London — yet they make more cycle journeys than 313 million Americans, 63 million British and 22 million Australians put together, and they do so with greater safety than cyclists in any of those countries. Londoners only make around 2% of journeys by bike, and New Yorkers even fewer, at only around 0.6% of commutes. Meanwhile, in the Netherlands on an average working day, five million people make an average of 14m cycle journeys.

So why, in an age desperate for more sustainable transport solutions, has the Netherlands succeeded so spectacularly where others have tried and failed?

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Related websites

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Cite this article

Visser, W. (2013) Cycling is sustainable and healthy so why aren’t more of us on our bikes? The Guardian, 20 June 2013.

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June 11, 2013June 11, 2013

!nspire Better! A new blog

An !nspiration shared is a change multiplied. I recently created a new blog called !nspire Better! This is a place where I share stories that are inspiring me and, more importantly, inspiring a better world.

You can find the blog at http://inspirebetter.blogspot.co.uk
Follow us on Twitter @inspirebetter
Like us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/InspireBetter
Email us on inspirebetterblog@gmail.com.

June 9, 2013

Ireland Notes 1996

12 May 1996

Aran Island. As I sit here on a stone bench out the back of the Lodge, sun caressing my body and playing hide and seek among the clouds, views of green fields diced up by stone walls, listening to Irish love songs on my walkman – this is contentment! These Aran Islands have a stark and barren beauty that touches the soul. The feeling here is one of wholesome living. On our first day here – Wednesday – I cycled to the northwest end of the island, a 12 mile round trip. The day seemed timeless. Together with Niroshini and Ayala, I lingered on beach, flat-rock, volcanic sea shore and cliff – a perfect day!

Subsequently, we had meetings with the island Cooperative and Credit Union, both inspiring modes for community empowerment and self-reliance. Time spent with our hosts, Dara and Tess, has been interspersed with discussions of Celtic Christianity, Island culture, and engaging in life in spiritual, academic and pragmatic ways. These have confirmed my sense that rootedness and involvement is one of the most effective ways and authentic means of responding to the issues of the contemporary world.

Yesterday, we all created a special ritual, consisting of walking seven times around a well (in accordance with ancient Celtic tradition), chanting “This is sacred ground on which we walk, for the spirits/nature/people are with us, which makes it sacred”, followed by a cleansing and blessing drink from the well. We then acknowledged the beauty above, below, around and within us in a Native American adapted chant, as well as imagining ourselves rooted to the earth and connecting our energies with it and each other. Finally, we made a procession down to the ocean to drum beat, where we symbolically cast our “baggage” upon the waves to be cleansed and washed away, ending with a vocal expression of the chakra energies.

Last night we joined the locals in the pub to soak up and join in with the music making – flute, whistle, fiddle, drums, accordion, banjo – a sound sensation! Today, we leave by ferry for the mainland. Before coming to Aran, we travelled via Belfast and Dublin. Most worthwhile was a visit to New Grange, a 5 000 year old prehistoric burial site with exquisite swirling patterns carved into the rocks, 18^th century graffiti, and a special Winter solstice sun-lighting effect. Being in the chamber, as well as walking among the standing stones around it, was simply awe-inspiring; almost a mystical connecting experience back through the millennia of time.

18 May 1996

I am on the ferry from Belfast heading back to Edinburgh. The field trip is over. Yesterday, I walked the 23 mile ancient pilgrim trail of St Patrick, from Ballintuber Abbey to the top of the Croagh Patrick mountain, passing over field, bog, road and rock, through sun, rain, wind, hail and mist. On the way we saw ancient burial sites and inscribed standing stones. We witnessed death and life in the same field – the skeletal remains of a sheep and a newborn lamb only hours old, swaying on wobbly legs trying to get its first suckle. I can imagine how such a pilgrimage might serve as a spiritual journey also – the ecstasy and the pain, losing the way and re-finding the path, the seasons, the cycle of life, the nourishment from the grove streams and the panoramic view from the mountain summit.

In my time in Ireland, I’ve come to appreciate the potentially dynamic role of music in culture and community, the value of roots and discovering one’s past, as well as finding ways in which to make a unique contribution to the world. Also, I have

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June 6, 2013October 24, 2013

The 7 Habits of Effective Sustainability Leaders

Article by Wayne Visser

Without bold and effective leadership – at a political, institutional and individual level – we will fail to resolve our most serious social and environmental crises. This short article summarises some of the findings from my work with the University of Cambridge Programme for Sustainability Leadership[1]. To begin with, we distilled the following simple definition:

“A sustainability leader is someone who inspires and supports action towards a better world.”

There are many characteristics (traits, styles, skills and knowledge) that are associated with sustainability leaders.[2] Our research suggests that the following seven key characteristics are among the most important in distinguishing the leadership approach taken by individuals tackling sustainability issues:

Systemic understanding
Emotional intelligence
Values orientation
Compelling vision
Inclusive style
Innovative approach
Long term perspective

Although it is unlikely that any individual will embody all seven characteristics of sustainability leadership, to give a flavour for each characteristic, they are illustrated below by observations from a selection of leaders, many of whom we have worked with and who demonstrate some of these qualities themselves …

[1] See for example, the Cambridge State of Sustainability Leadership publication series since 2011.

[2] See my paper with Polly Courtice for a more comprehensive review of these characteristics