Donor Highlight: People Powering A Movement To Drive Less, Bike More

DONOR HIGHLIGHT

PEOPLE POWERING A MOVEMENT TO DRIVE LESS, BIKE MORE

BY LAUREN JENKINS

Drop those car keys! We’re nearing 2 million miles biked for everyday trips in our second annual “Drive Less, Bike More” campaign thanks to the many Americans who have discovered their next trip to the store, coffee shop, or elsewhere is possible by bike.

We couldn’t have launched this transformative campaign without the generous support of Mark Makulinski and the Makulinski Family Foundation. It’s donors like Mark, with big gifts and with small gifts and everywhere in between, who power our movement to make biking safer, easier, and more convenient for more people. What motivates donors like Mark to invest in big changes in the way Americans think about bikes?

“I started biking just for transportation— to ball practice or school,” Mark said about his early experiences with biking. “I had four siblings and my parents didn’t have time to take me around, so I had to make my own transportation.” Even today, bicycling is a main means of transportation for Mark. A big bonus is that it doubles as a form of exercise, too, after an injury put an end to his recreational running. “Today, I’m going to ride my bicycle to Walmart to pick up a few items, meet my wife for lunch and then ride back. I’ll probably end up with 15 miles—no biggie.” But he also told us, “I believe you don’t have to give up a car to ride a bicycle or give up bicycling to drive a car. I still drive my car when needed and ride my bike. You can assimilate both into your life.” That’s exactly the kind of thinking the League is hoping to inspire with the “Drive Less, Bike More” campaign. You don’t have to turn your life upside-down and sell your car to make an impact. Just converting one or two short car trips per week to bike trips does the trick, because short trips make a big change!

The thinking has already changed over the last few years. According to Mark, “When I first started biking climate change wasn’t talked about. Now, everyone knows putting more carbon into the air is not good, to understate it. They say the least efficient car trips you can take are short trips like a drive to a local store. So you can do your part to mitigate carbon emissions and save the environment by simply reducing the number of short trips you take by car and instead replacing them with a bike ride.” While we often focus on the impact of these small changes to the world at large, we also can’t forget how taking more short trips by bike can impact your neighborhood. “The one thing I have always said is that bicycling unites the community. It really does build up a community spirit,” Mark said. “I’ve met people in my neighborhood while riding my bike from just saying hi while waiting at a stop sign or traffic light. When you’re inside a car you don’t have as much opportunity for interaction.”

We’re so grateful for people like Mark who are investing their resources into our movement to build a Bicycle Friendly America for everyone. Through bicycling, we can make our communities stronger, safer, and friendlier.

This holiday season, be a part of this change and make your own donation to the league: bikeleague.org/give