When it comes to shifting to a lifestyle that helps curb climate change, it requires doing less driving and more ‘active community’ (walking, rolling, biking, and riding the bus.) And building habits requires more than just not doing undesirable habits – we need a foundation and positive new habits to try.
A local directory is an important piece of a foundation to lean into active commuting and away from the most pollution-intensive way to get around.
How to make a local directory
- What is your current walking or biking distance comfort level? For the average walker, each mile takes about 16-22 minutes. While biking takes about 6 minutes per mile.
- Once a day during a week, walk or bike your comfort distance in every direction from your house. Either on a notepad or your phone, take down the different businesses and organizations you pass and what they offer.
- If you are open to riding the bus as well, take a practice tour of different routes from bus stops within the comfort distance range from your house. Take short breaks to walk around areas with clusters of interesting businesses to add to your list.
- Make a list of your top 10 most common driving destinations. Which alternatives are closer to your home?
- Design your own or download Tiny Planet’s Local Directory sheet to match your top driving destinations to ones that can be reached by walking, rolling, biking, or riding the bus.
Social destinations
Trying to figure out how to make a local directory for destinations for social events with friends that live across town? Here are three ways to reduce car trips for meet-ups. Add these destinations to your local directory too!
- Is there a midpoint between where everyone lives? If it’s within everyone’s active commute comfort zone, try to choose meet-ups in that area.
- Too much distance between where all of you live? Choose a place closer to one or a cluster of folks’ lives to cut down on people needing to drive to meet up.
- Review bus routes near everyone’s home. Is there any overlap that could easily create a meet-up area accessible by bus for everyone?