Riding a bike is healthy, fun and a low-impact form of exercise for all ages.
Cycling can help to protect you from serious diseases such as stroke, heart attack, some cancers, depression, diabetes, obesity and arthritis.
Cycling is easy to fit into your daily routine by riding to the shops, park, school or work.
Cycling is mainly an aerobic activity, which means that your heart, blood vessels and lungs all get a workout. You will breathe deeper, perspire and experience increased body temperature, which will improve your overall fitness level.
The health benefits of regular cycling include:
increased cardiovascular fitness
increased muscle strength and flexibility
improved joint mobility
decreased stress levels
improved posture and coordination
strengthened bones
decreased body fat levels
prevention or management of disease
reduced anxiety and depression.
Cycling can improve both physical and mental health, and can reduce the chances of experiencing many health problems.
Cycling strengthens your heart muscles, lowers resting pulse and reduces blood fat levels. Research also shows that people who cycle to work have two to three times less exposure to pollution than car commuters, so their lung function is improved. A Danish study conducted over 14 years with 30,000 people aged 20 to 93 years found that regular cycling protected people from heart disease.
Many researchers have studied the relationship between exercise and cancer, especially colon and breast cancer. Research has shown that if you cycle, the chance of bowel cancer is reduced. Some evidence suggests that regular cycling reduces the risk of breast cancer.
2024 Bike Everywhere Day: Tomorrow May 17
Everett Transit will host a Celebration Station at Everett Station that will include:
Bike wheel curling challenge
2024 Bike Everywhere t-shirts
Prize giveaways
Bike checks
Information about new bike paths and trails that connect you to Everett and beyond
Bike locker information
and much more !
Bike Everywhere Month is hosted by Cascade Bicycle Club across the entire region, and filled with commuting challenges for individuals and teams, events such as Bike to School Day and Bike Bashes. Great events and challenges are also held by the City of Everett’s Public Worksdepartment. Did you know that they are planning major biking infrastructure improvements? Click the links to learn about the Fleming Bicycle Corridor or the Fulton Pedestrian and Bicycle CorridorCelebrating our biking community and bringing cyclists of all levels together to encourage the growth of Everett’s biking infrastructure. Games, bike safety checks, raffle prizes, biking maps, and more are available from Bike Everywhere Day partners!
Riding a bike is not only a great way to improve your physical and mental health, but also the health of the planet! Here are some of the ways you’ll be helping the environment just by replacing a few car trips with bike rides.
No Gas, No Pollution
By not using any gas, bikes don’t release harmful emissions that pollute the atmosphere, nor any carbon dioxide that contributes to climate change. Just moderate increases in bicycle use each year could save an estimated 6 to 14 million tons of CO2.
Harmful Chemicals Are Reduced
We usually think of gas as the only pollutant when it comes to cars, but they also use antifreeze and other fluids that are bad for the environment. Biking instead of driving cuts down on all of them.
More Bikes Equals Fewer Roads
More cars mean more roads need to be built, which causes water run-off that contributes to ground and water pollution. More bikes mean more bike paths and lanes which are more sustainable.
Noise Is Also Pollution
We rarely think of noise pollution when it comes to cars, that is unless you live by a busy street. Swapping bike rides for drives will make your neighborhood quieter to everyone’s benefit.
2024 Bike Everywhere Day: May 17
Everett Transit will host a Celebration Station at Everett Station that will include:
Bike wheel curling challenge
2024 Bike Everywhere t-shirts
Prize giveaways
Bike checks
Information about new bike paths and trails that connect you to Everett and beyond
Everett Transit will host a Celebration Station at Everett Station that will include:
Bike wheel curling challenge
2024 Bike Everywhere t-shirts
Prize giveaways
Bike checks
Information about new bike paths and trails that connect you to Everett and beyond
Bike locker information
and much more !
Bike Everywhere Month is hosted by Cascade Bicycle Club across the entire region, and filled with commuting challenges for individuals and teams, events such as Bike to School Day and Bike Bashes. Great events and challenges are also held by the City of Everett’s Public Worksdepartment. Did you know that they are planning major biking infrastructure improvements? Click the links to learn about the Fleming Bicycle Corridor or the Fulton Pedestrian and Bicycle CorridorCelebrating our biking community and bringing cyclists of all levels together to encourage the growth of Everett’s biking infrastructure. Games, bike safety checks, raffle prizes, biking maps, and more are available from Bike Everywhere Day partners!
This is a fundraising sale for WSUE Horticulture Club.
Plants provided at the sale have been cultivated by student members of the club. The types of plants include various houseplants, vegetable starts, and flowers to transplant.
It is being held during a campus showcase, so other student groups will be presenting projects, etc. So, there will be other interesting attractions as well.
Today! Plant Swap Event 10 am-2pm at Whitehorse Crit Space
So what is a plant swap Event, exactly? It’s an opportunity for local plant lovers to come together, meet each other, and exchange plant clippings, full plants, even pots and seeds.
Humans need plants for survival, but we also need them for their basis in the long-term health and sustainability of our environmental systems. Plants improve the environment in many ways, like releasing oxygen into the atmosphere, absorbing carbon dioxide, providing nutrients to animals, and regulating the water cycle — all things we need to sustain life on Earth.
The majority of the oxygen we breathe comes from plants. This is because plants use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to convert energy into a form that other living things can use, oxygen and power in the form of sugar.
One of the biggest threats to the Earth is the high amount of carbon within the atmosphere from fossil fuels and manufacturing. But through photosynthesis, plants help reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere by storing and using it. Undoubtedly, plants are natural air purifiers; the more prominent and leafier the plant is, the better it absorbs carbon dioxide and produces more oxygen.
The water cycle keeps water moving above and below the surface of the Earth, and plants help regulate the stormwater runoff. Plants and trees absorb water after a storm, saving cities money from maintaining and pumping out excessive runoff.
The role of green infrastructure includes planting vegetation across a town or city to leverage the capabilities of soil and vegetation to infiltrate, redistribute, and otherwise store stormwater volume, with the potential to fulfill additional environmental, social, and economic benefits.
In addition, vegetation returns water into the atmosphere through the soil. As a result, around 10% of water in the form of water vapor goes back into the atmosphere, regulating and replenishing the Earth’s stock of water for the next rainfall and keeping energy running naturally.
Creating a secure place for animals to live is crucial to sustaining biodiversity. Unfortunately, urban sprawl worldwide has impacted our ecosystem by disturbing animal populations. The most effective way not to disturb animal populations is by giving wildlife a natural refuge.
Healthy plants also provide humans with a source of energy and food. Plants play an essential part in our environment and our diet. They provide us with the nutrients, vitamins, minerals, and fiber we need to survive. In addition, we need plants to feed farm animals, which we utilize for meat and dairy products.
Another way plants save energy is by reducing the costs of heating and cooling buildings. For example, planting a tree on the west side of your building can reduce the demand for electrical grids. It decreases the sun’s effect on the outer walls and roof temperature, which means that heating and cooling your home will require less energy, reduce the environmental impact, and save you money in the long run.
Reduce the Effects of Climate Change
One of the most significant natural issues today is climate change and the burning of fossil fuels. Burning fossils results in high levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the air we breathe. But, this is when plants come into play. On Earth, terrestrial and oceanic plants store carbon dioxide from the air to decrease the number of polluted gases in the environment.
You can grow trees that reduce the pollution level and stave off global warming, including yellow poplar, silver maple, oak, pines, and blue spruce. We all must understand the role of plants in our environment.
Holy Horticultural Hyperbole, Plantman! The Plant April 25th, 10-2.
You have a thing for free stuff, I hear. Luckily, you can grab up a load of plant stuff and all it will cost you is a smile! It’s Plant Swap time, where we bring in great green gobs of growth to the Whitehorse Crit Space and you come and take it off our hands. All you need to do is have something to put your treasures in as you cart them away.
Please Email with any additional questions to sustainability@everettcc.edu and get your calendar marked in green for Plant Swap on April 25th
What You Need to know about the impact of Plastic on Human Health:
From production to disposal, plastics wreak havoc on human, plant, and animal health and cause immense amounts of waste in our ecosystems, clogging our land, air, and waterways. Plastic pollution in particular poses a serious threat to all life on Earth because of the toxic nature of the chemical additives used during the production process. Recent research reveals plastics are able to enter into the human bloodstream, permanently residing in our bodies until the day we die.
Plastics are a pervasive and dangerous issue, likely hitting us harder than climate change ever will. If we do not figure out solutions, or the severity of the issue, life as we know it faces an impending deathly threat. To tackle these challenges, we must first understand how plastic harms human health.
How are plastics detrimental to human health?
Did you know the most commonly used plastic products carry toxic chemicals easily inhaled and ingested by humans? In fact, the incineration of plastic waste in the disposal stage disperses these chemicals into the air and causes the contamination of water and soil, lethal to all people who inevitably come in contact with it.
Every time someone litters at the beach or fails to dispose of their waste properly, they contribute to the spread of toxic chemicals into the environment. This is because ocean waves and radiation from the sun break down plastics such as water bottles, producing microplastics. Microplastics float around in the environment, carrying chemicals used in plastic production along with them and end up being consumed by people through food, water, and breathing them from air.
Studies have shown microplastics significantly damage cells in the human body, leading to serious health effects, including cancers, lung disease, and birth defects. Not only this, but toxic chemical additives in plastics can alter hormone activity in the human body which disrupts reproduction, growth and cognitive function. Microplastics also act as vessels for pathogens to enter the human body which increases the spread of disease.
We must recognize how the dangers of plastics for human health are also an issue of human rights and environmental injustice, as the question of who experiences these health effects the most is connected to where you live and the air you breathe.
Children and infants in the womb are most vulnerable to the harmful effects of plastics due to the early stages of human development being particularly sensitive to hazardous chemicals in the environment. Exposure to plastics has been found to increase the risks of birth complications, lung growth and childhood cancer. Crucially, this means plastic pollution will continue to wreak havoc on our lives and earth for generations to come.
The United States is one of the top contributors of plastic waste globally. The impacts of plastics on human health are particularly concerning due to the difficulty of removing plastic from the environment once they have entered ecosystems.
Join the fight to End Plastic Pollution and together we will make a difference in raising awareness and reducing the impact of plastics on human health.
Save the Day
EverettCC “Plan Swap Event”
Holy Horticultural Hyperbole, Plantman! The Plant Swap Returns April 25, 10-2.
You have a thing for free stuff, I hear. Luckily, you can grab up a load of plant stuff and all it will cost you is a smile! It’s Plant Swap time, where we bring in great green gobs of growth to the Whitehorse Crit Space and you come and take it off our hands. All you need to do is have something to put your treasures in as you cart them away.
Right now is your opportunity to help out with donations of green things for the Swap. Think of any plants, seeds, bulbs, or implements of destruction you might want to donate for the swap and wander them over to drop off inside the Maintenance Office from 7-4 Monday-Thursday before the swap, and we’ll add them to the inventory. We’ve got people (like the incredible Dennis & Jill Ryan, the EvCC Grounds crew and WSU Horticulture group) that have already donated and potted up a ton of stuff for you. They can take your donations and get them sorted and appropriately potted.
So come on down and help the cause with some of your donations. More times and details are to be revealed as soon as we make them up, so send questions to sustainability@everettcc.edu and get your calendar marked in green for Plant Swap on April 25.
We know that the plastic pollution problem is HUGE.
Sometimes it feels like our society is just starting to figure out that plastic isn’t great and eliminating single-use plastic should be the goal. Single-use plastics are disproportionately polluting our oceans and strangling our marine life, kills our wildlife, plants and natural habitats, emits dangerous greenhouse gases that exacerbate global warming, and somehow, even makes its way back into our own bellies as microplastics.
Of all the plastic produced today, over half is designed to be single-use, and less than 9% is recycled. We need to stop ocean pollution and plastic waste at the source, and that means changing our individual behaviours too.
Below are some Tips for Getting Started on a Plastic-Free Life:
1. Invest in a reusable water bottle
Globally, over a million plastic bottles are sold every. single. minute. Investing in a reusable water bottle is one of the simplest ways that you can stay hydrated without contributing to one of the largest sources of single use plastic.
3. Say no to plastic bags
More and more stores are banning plastic bags (or by “banning” we mean, charging for them too). If you want to help the planet and also save yourself the five cents for a plastic bag at the store, bring your reusable tote bags whenever you go shopping.
5. Avoid single-use plastic to-go containers
We love a world of convenience, but we certainly don’t love a world filled with plastic. Cooking or packing your lunch is a great way to avoid plastic or Styrofoam to-go containers.
6. Shop “Zero Waste” where you can
We know it can be challenging to find a good zero waste or bulk food store, however food markets are a great option for those looking to cut out single use plastics from their food shop. Farmers markets usually have a great selection of fresh produce, minus the plastic. Shopping locally also helps to support local farmers and limits the amount of carbon emissions from food transportation.
7. Ditch the Clingfilm
When storing food, it can be easy to reach for a disposable plastic lunch bag, or clingfilm. Instead of choosing to keep leftover food in disposable plastic containers, invest in some reusable food storage containers, or nifty beeswax wraps that can keep your food fresh without the plastic!
8. Don’t forget single-use plastics in your bathroom
We usually think about single-use plastics in terms of food and drink, but don’t forget about the plastics in your bathroom! From toothbrushes, shampoos, lotions and potions, the plastics in your bathroom can add up! Try opting for bars of soap instead of body wash, seek out plastic-free alternatives where you can, and if you’re feeling adventurous, give solid shampoo a try!
9. Quit smoking!
This is probably a good tip for anyone. But if you care about plastic pollution, then you should have even more incentive to kick the habit. Cigarette butts are one of the most common items found in beach cleans and can easily be mistaken for food by birds and sea life. Quitting smoking can help your wallet and your health.
Holy Horticultural Hyperbole, Plantman! The Plant Swap Returns April 25, 10-2.
You have a thing for free stuff, I hear. Luckily, you can grab up a load of plant stuff and all it will cost you is a smile! It’s Plant Swap time, where we bring in great green gobs of growth to the Whitehorse Crit Space and you come and take it off our hands. All you need to do is have something to put your treasures in as you cart them away.
Right now is your opportunity to help out with donations of green things for the Swap. Think of any plants, seeds, bulbs, or implements of destruction you might want to donate for the swap and wander them over to drop off inside the Maintenance Office from 7-4 Monday-Thursday before the swap, and we’ll add them to the inventory. We’ve got people (like the incredible Dennis & Jill Ryan, the EvCC Grounds crew and WSU Horticulture group) that have already donated and potted up a ton of stuff for you. They can take your donations and get them sorted and appropriately potted.
So come on down and help the cause with some of your donations. More times and details are to be revealed as soon as we make them up, so send questions to sustainability@everettcc.edu and get your calendar marked in green for Plant Swap on April 25.
We are Hiring!
Positions in the Sustainability Office provide a unique opportunity for students to impact the future of EvCC’s sustainable growth and management. Students working in the Sustainability Office are also responsible for assisting with developing and implementing future sustainability projects and programs at EvCC.
Participate on the Green Fee Committee as a voting member
Gather batteries and bulbs from campus recycling stations for proper disposal
Gather old printer cartridges from recycling stations, box up for shipping.
Help cover campus Sustainability events and work as backup of other team members
Sustainability Officer
Student chair of the Green Fee Committee (GFC)
Organizing and hosting the GFC meetings and events
Attend all ASB Senate meetings and provide updates to the ASB Senate
Prepares annual budget with the RCM for GFC, presents this to ASB Senate for review
Checks sustainability email and participates in outreach and email response
Data and Programs Coordinator
Checks and enters energy data through EnergyCap and utility invoices into EvCC Portfolio Manager profile
Checks sustainability email and participates in outreach and email response
Attends GFC meetings and events, reports any spikes or anomalies it utility use to RCM
Earth Day is an annual event on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection.
The theme for World Earth Day 2024 is “Planet vs. Plastics”. This captivating theme aims to increase public awareness of the harmful effects that plastic pollution has on the environment and its inhabitants. It seeks to spark a global movement to significantly cut back on the use and manufacture of plastic. The official Earth Day organizers, EARTHDAY.ORG, are working toward a plastic-free future by advocating for a 60% decrease in plastic manufacturing by 2040. They encourage individuals, businesses, and governments to take concrete actions like:
Eliminating Single-Use Plastics: Say no to straws, plastic bags, utensils, and water bottles.
Recycling and Com[posting Responsibly: To reduce the amount of garbage that ends up in landfills, make sure that acceptable plastics are recycled and food scraps are composted.
Embracing Reusable Alternatives: Invest in reusable shopping bags, food containers, coffee mugs, and water bottles.
Advocating for Policy Change: Make sure your representatives are aware of the issue of plastic pollution and encourage them to take action.
Supporting Sustainable Businesses: Select companies that are dedicated to cutting back on plastic usage and making use of recyclable resources.
An excellent chance to become active in environmental action and significantly improve the earth is provided by International Mother Earth Day. Engage in neighborhood activities, plan clean-up campaigns, spread awareness in your neighborhood, and help turn “Planet vs. Plastics” into a reality.
Holy Horticultural Hyperbole, Plantman! The Plant Swap Returns April 25, 10-2.
You have a thing for free stuff, I hear. Luckily, you can grab up a load of plant stuff and all it will cost you is a smile! It’s Plant Swap time, where we bring in great green gobs of growth to the Whitehorse Crit Space and you come and take it off our hands. All you need to do is have something to put your treasures in as you cart them away.
Right now is your opportunity to help out with donations of green things for the Swap. Think of any plants, seeds, bulbs, or implements of destruction you might want to donate for the swap and wander them over to drop off inside the Maintenance Office from 7-4 Monday-Thursday before the swap, and we’ll add them to the inventory. We’ve got people (like the incredible Dennis & Jill Ryan, the EvCC Grounds crew and WSU Horticulture group) that have already donated and potted up a ton of stuff for you. They can take your donations and get them sorted and appropriately potted.
So come on down and help the cause with some of your donations. More times and details are to be revealed as soon as we make them up, so send questions to sustainability@everettcc.edu and get your calendar marked in green for Plant Swap on April 25.
We are Hiring!
Positions in the Sustainability Office provide a unique opportunity for students to impact the future of EvCC’s sustainable growth and management. Students working in the Sustainability Office are also responsible for assisting with developing and implementing future sustainability projects and programs at EvCC.
Participate on the Green Fee Committee as a voting member
Gather batteries and bulbs from campus recycling stations for proper disposal
Gather old printer cartridges from recycling stations, box up for shipping.
Help cover campus Sustainability events and work as backup of other team members
Sustainability Officer
Student chair of the Green Fee Committee (GFC)
Organizing and hosting the GFC meetings and events
Attend all ASB Senate meetings and provide updates to the ASB Senate
Prepares annual budget with the RCM for GFC, presents this to ASB Senate for review
Checks sustainability email and participates in outreach and email response
Data and Programs Coordinator
Checks and enters energy data through EnergyCap and utility invoices into EvCC Portfolio Manager profile
Checks sustainability email and participates in outreach and email response
Attends GFC meetings and events, reports any spikes or anomalies it utility use to RCM
