Cycling for a better environment
Rhine-Waal team covers 2,643.3 kilometres over three-week competition
Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences was recently represented in the 2016 Stadtradeln Kleve competition by a team of 21 members of the University. The annual competition encourages bike commuting as a way to get exercise and help reduce CO2 emissions, noise and traffic congestion. Over the course of three-weeks, the Rhine-Waal team commuted a total of 2,643.3 kilometres (1,642 miles) by bike, preventing the emission of around 375.3 kilogrammes of carbon dioxide!
Each year, participants in the Germany-wide STADTRADELN (‘urban cycling’) campaign vow to do their part for the environment by leaving their cars at home and commuting by bike as much as possible. The city of Kleve held its STADTRADELN event between 26 June to 17 July 2016, which saw the participation of companies and individuals alike, including a team of 21 bike enthusiasts from Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences. The professors, administrators and students of the Rhine-Waal team commuted an impressive 2,643.3 kilometres in total. “I’m very happy to see that we have so many active cyclist and bicycle enthusiasts at our University”, said President Dr Heide Naderer. “Naturally, as a cyclist myself I wasn’t going to let the opportunity to participate slip by. Next time we’re sure to see even more participants get involved and do something for themselves and the environment.”
The goal of the STADTRADELN campaign is to raise awareness for the benefits of bicycle commuting and highlight the need to support bike infrastructure and planning for politicians and public.