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EVERY DAY CAN BE EARTH DAY ON A MOTORCYCLE
April 19, 2022
While Earth Day 2022 is technically Friday, April 22nd, we believe that every day is earth day when you choose to ride.
Every car trip not taken provides an environmental benefit. As regular riders, we can save money and use less gasoline. Gas-powered road motorcycles often get 45+ miles per gallon (far better fuel efficiency than most cars). Using less helps ensure that public lands, adjacent parks, and national forests are part of the riding experience for the rest of our lives and for future generations.
Riding makes sharing the road easier for everyone by easing traffic congestion. Having smaller vehicles on the road means everyone gets to their destination more quickly and with less stress on the road itself. You even help to make the road safer for cyclists. Safe bike lanes mean more people exploring the world on two wheels. The more riders on two wheels, the better! As it turns out, a little efficiency of traffic flow goes a long way to aiding conservation efforts.
Even producing motorcycles is better for the environment than other vehicles. The smaller size of a motorcycle means that companies will save on raw materials (which are coming in increasingly limited quantities) and that transporting the finished bikes from the factory to the showroom floor takes less energy and produces less waste.
WHAT IS EARTH DAY?
Earth Day is about educating and activating the environmental movement around the world (read more about the Earth Day Network and its campaign partners and other not for profit partner organizations here).
The goal is to find ways everyone can make a continued effort to protect the environment.
This year Earth Day is on Friday, April 22nd.
WHY WE CARE
Every day involves outdoor experiences as a motorcycle rider.
We get to see the wild beauty of nature with no guard rails as natural treasures provide the backdrop to our riding. Protecting these vistas is a long-standing American tradition that started with Teddy Roosevelt and the formation of the national parks.
That's why Harley-Davidson has a number of initiatives in place focused on sustainability:
improving fuel economy and reducing emissions for combustion products
working with our suppliers and through the upstream tiers to reduce the impacts of the entire supply chain
using less energy and an increased mix of renewable energy in factories and offices (and encouraging efforts for energy producers to be carbon neutral)
advancing and leading the industry in electric motorcycles
defining our approach to carbon credits and offsets with a focus on supporting sustainable development and resiliency
The real-world actions based on these initiatives range from the simple, such as paperless billing for your insurance policy, to the expansive, such as the installation of 8,000 solar panels on the roof of Harley-Davidson's Pilgrim Road factory in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin.
HOW CAN I HELP?
Here are a few ways (outside of riding a traditional motorcycle) that you can make an impact. Some are big, and some are small, but when it comes to conservation efforts, every little bit helps.
Choose Alternative Vehicles
Going from traditional gas-powered engines to an electric bike doesn't have to be difficult.
Electric motorcycles have gone from an unobtainable concept to the future of the motorcycle industry. Harley-Davidson has a reputation as an innovative company, and when you look at our range of electric motorcycles and electric bikes it's easy to see why even after 100 years of making motorcycles.
The LiveWire™ and Serial1 offer two different experiences for seeing the world on two wheels—and both are worth exploring.
Human Powered Riding
Your road riding doesn't have to be limited to vehicles with engines. Riding a pedal bike can be an easy way to commute or exercise. The muscles you use cycling will help your stamina on long-distance motorcycle adventures.
If cycling isn’t for you, you can still choose to explore your world on an electric bike. Harley-Davidson’s Serial1 bikes offer up to 125 miles of range per charge.
And for the next generation, we’ve developed electric balance bikes.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Finding ways to make changes that allow us to reduce what we consume, reuse what we can, and recycle materials is a great step in the right direction.
This can be as simple as choosing to bring your own bags to the groceries, choosing paper over plastics, or switching to paperless billing where possible.
Get Involved In Your Community
There's nothing like seeing environmental impacts close to home to spur people to make changes. If you want to celebrate Earth Day with your neighbors, think about joining a community cleanup. You can get exercise while freshening up your neighborhood.
BOTTOM LINE
We want to do our part to keep our environment clean and ensure that we can share it with our children and grand-children when they start riding on their own.
Just choosing to ride your motorcycle more is a great place to start, which is easy when you can hear the call of the open road just outside.