The news is out! ‘Do you have a blog sir?‘ the pupils at my school have asked quite a few times in the last couple of weeks. A lot of them would benefit from a nudge in the right direction when it comes to finding a more environmentally friendly way of getting to school; Henley has its fair share of Chelsea tractors as you can imagine but must rank as one of the least threatening cycling areas in the country. So I have recently started to respond to their question with a question of my own; ‘Yes, have you read any of it?’ to which the answer has been invariably ‘no’… The kids prefer to watch the videos of commuting cyclists crashing or being squeezed by lorries. I don’t suppose they are the biggest adverts for ditching the bike so don’t show them to your parents kids!

However, they now all have a reason to read this blog as next week is Bike Week 2011. So here is a message direct to my pupils; get out of your parents’ 4x4s and onto your bikes! You might actually enjoy it. In fairness the school already has a good contingent of regular bikers but of the 900 pupils who attend, I estimate that under 50 actually cycle. About four or five members of staff are also regular cyclists. So come on! Oil up your bikes this coming weekend and do yourselves and the environment a big favour by cycling to school! If you do it for Bike Week, you never know; it may turn into Bike Month, Bike Term, Bike Year and perhaps even Bike Life!

It’s such a pity that Bike Week is sponsored by Team Green Energy, an outfit set up to applaud the alleged green credentials of EDF Energy. Have a look at the following two diagrams. The first is for Ecotricity, my own energy supplier. The second for EDF Energy. You can see all the other companies’ ratings by here. Make up your own mind.