France is on a mission to create a more sustainable and eco-friendly country! They are driven to make changes within their country to better take care of our planet, which they hope will be spread across the world. Other countries that prioritize green initiatives are Sweden, Switzerland, Norway, and Japan! It’s encouraging to see that changes are being made to make a more sustainable living environment for the current generations and generations to come!
It’s no secret that cities are a huge air polluter in any country. Vehicle traffic is one of the leading causes for this. Tons of cars piled into one area, stuck in traffic, pumping pollutants into the air is why we have the smog-filled cities that we see today.
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France has launched an initiative that will help clear air pollution in their high traffic cities, such as Paris. They want to encourage people to ride bikes and scooters instead of cars. And what is the best way to motivate people to do something? Pay them! France and other European countries have established a tax incentive that pays people who bike to work instead of driving. This is reducing cars within the city and making a huge impact on the carbon footprint there.
Some cities are even banning cars in downtown areas. They encourage public transportation or bikes as an alternative. They might also increase gas prices to discourage people from driving into the city for work. The mayor of Paris is being very active in making changes to the city to encourage alternative transportations. The city is becoming increasingly more accessible to pedestrians, bikers, and scooter-ers. The decrease in traffic helps the environment and makes the residents happier as well!
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Another change that some U.S. and European governments are implementing is turning some cities into “walkable cities”. This just means they are making changes that will encourage people to walk instead of drive their cars. For instance, they are repurposing some car lanes and on-street parking lanes as bike lanes or public transportation lanes. They are also starting to expand sidewalks to encourage people to walk more than ride!
Another inspiring example of companies doing what they can to reduce carbon emissions is an electric bike company. They are beginning to use cargo e-bikes to transport their electric bikes instead of delivery vans. Not only were the vans slower and stuck in traffic, but they released an incredible amount of emissions as well. The smaller bikes will decrease the amount of time it takes to make deliveries and help out the environment align the way.
It’s inspiring to see the ways companies are making actionable changes to help our planet! While it is important that we all do our part, it is more impactful when large corporations make changes. This is because their impact is larger than one individual (obviously) but it also sets an example for other people and businesses to do the same!
