I don't know whether this has been discussed much, but how can USMS support "going green," promoting and/or being supportive of being environmentally responsible for clean water to swim in as well as to drink?
Open Water swims, of course, are the perfect venues to remind us all to keep our waters clean for swimming. The Boston swim focuses on this; do other Open Water swims promote cleaner water? What do they do?
Can pool Masters swimmers, clubs, LMSCs promote being "greener"? Encouraging people to take shorter showers is one way. What are other ways?
I think it is a fine idea and good opportunity for USMS to promote this particular aspect of the environment. By the way, all the Great Lakes are down several inches, except for Lake Superior (where, at the moment, we don't have Open Water swims...but who knows, in the future???).
Jennifer Parks, Michigan Masters
My new job was very close to metro. I live very close to metro. College Park, where I swim, is also near to a metro station. So when I started the job, I ran the numbers:
Convenience:
I'm a 5 minute walk from my home metro station and work is a 15 minute walk (+ 5 minute free shuttle) at the other end. College Park has a metro station, albiet its about a 30 minute walk from there to the pool. Rollerblades or a UMD bus solve that. And I could get a ride back to the metro after practice from a teammate.
Time:
To work, with the walking, waiting and rides, its ~50 minutes to use the Metro. From work to College Park would be about 15 minutes to metro, 65 minutes on two trains, plus transit time from the CP metro to the pool, say another 15 minutes, for a total of 95 minutes. Practice starts at 630, so i'd probably need to leave work early or swim less of the workout.
On the way home, its a 40 minute train ride, unless I miss the 848 train at CP - then add 20 minutes.
Cost:
Metro to work: $3.20
Work to CP: $3.90
CP to home (rail to bus option: $1.70), full rail: $3.20
Total Metro Daily Cost: $8.80; $10.30
Driving:
to work: 13 miles; work to cp: 21 miles; cp to home: 11 miles == 45 miles total
my car gets ~22 miles per gallon; premium gas is $2.87 at the cheapest place i can find, so 2 gallons, $5.74
car insurance is about $3.39 per day.
car is almost paid off so we'll leave that out
total cost to drive: ~$9.15
since i have the car anyways, add insurance to the cost to take metro.
I opted to drive and am doing my best everywhere else to recycle and save energy.
My new job was very close to metro. I live very close to metro. College Park, where I swim, is also near to a metro station. So when I started the job, I ran the numbers:
Convenience:
I'm a 5 minute walk from my home metro station and work is a 15 minute walk (+ 5 minute free shuttle) at the other end. College Park has a metro station, albiet its about a 30 minute walk from there to the pool. Rollerblades or a UMD bus solve that. And I could get a ride back to the metro after practice from a teammate.
Time:
To work, with the walking, waiting and rides, its ~50 minutes to use the Metro. From work to College Park would be about 15 minutes to metro, 65 minutes on two trains, plus transit time from the CP metro to the pool, say another 15 minutes, for a total of 95 minutes. Practice starts at 630, so i'd probably need to leave work early or swim less of the workout.
On the way home, its a 40 minute train ride, unless I miss the 848 train at CP - then add 20 minutes.
Cost:
Metro to work: $3.20
Work to CP: $3.90
CP to home (rail to bus option: $1.70), full rail: $3.20
Total Metro Daily Cost: $8.80; $10.30
Driving:
to work: 13 miles; work to cp: 21 miles; cp to home: 11 miles == 45 miles total
my car gets ~22 miles per gallon; premium gas is $2.87 at the cheapest place i can find, so 2 gallons, $5.74
car insurance is about $3.39 per day.
car is almost paid off so we'll leave that out
total cost to drive: ~$9.15
since i have the car anyways, add insurance to the cost to take metro.
I opted to drive and am doing my best everywhere else to recycle and save energy.
