Bike to Work Week is just days away! From Monday, May 28 through Sunday, June 3, UFV will be participating by encouraging staff, faculty, and students to commute to school by using a sustainable form of transportation – bicycling. Biking is a zero emission form of transportation which helps significantly reduce your carbon footprint! There are several bike racks and bike lockers around campus so you won’t have to worry about finding parking when you get to school!

Bike to Work Week was initiated in 1995 by a group of cyclists in Greater Victoria that committed themselves to increasing commuter cycling in their community. The very first event had approximately 500 participants but has been rapidly growing ever since. By 2017 there were 44,523 registered bikers!

SustainableUFV, in collaboration with Campus Recreation and Wellness, will be running a contest on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Essentially, during Bike to Work Week participants will take a selfie on their bike ride, tag @SustainableUFV in the picture, and post it to social media for a chance to win some great prizes! All further details can be found on our pages.

Additionally, you can register under “UFV – Official 2018” on biketowork.ca and track your distances for a second chance at some prizes!

According to the Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines, adults ages 18 to 64 should strive to get 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity aerobic physical activity per week, where each session is either 10 minutes or more. Participating in physical activity can improve your mood, help with concentration, reduce mild depression, and have a positive effect on your self-esteem.

Considering that we frequently encounter steady inclines in the lower mainland, there is no doubt that you can get a great workout in by riding your bike. Thus, biking to school will serve as a method of transportation, a way to be more sustainable, and a positive contributor to a healthy lifestyle.

So… get ready to dust off your bikes and let’s get this show on the road!