Thursday at the Dallas Bike Plan open house, I was thrilled to see my hometown’s City Hall Council Chambers filled to standing room only with men and women in both professional and safety yellow attire speaking, writing, and envisioning their dreams for a bike-friendly culture in our community. Friday, the Museum of Nature and Science in Fair Park opened its summer exhibit on Water, chock full of interactive multimedia exhibits teaching alarming facts — one gallon of liquid soap washed down a storm drain can pollute up to 200,000 gallons of water.

Traveling to both events not on two wheels but by car, I felt guilty – especially in the wake of the environmental devastation in the Gulf Coast right now. As a professional woman in Corporate America with a full schedule, there are many factors that keep me from cycling as much as I’d like to – including the need to dress professionally and arrive safely, sometimes after dark. Fortunately my employer subsidized my pass for DART, with bike racks on buses and light rail that have greatly expanded my alternative transportation options. I’m also extremely lucky to have a boss who doesn’t care whether or not I’m at my desk as long as I get my work done, and smartphones make it easier to use the time I’m riding mass transit to safely check and reply to e-mail. I call DART the Poor Man’s Chauffeur – I text, talk on the phone and put on makeup; I arrive on time; and nobody gets hurt.

My neighbors who know how to ride a bike range from those who carpool, recycle, and otherwise do their part for our environment to others who feel frightened or helpless when it comes to literally putting their life on the line to pedal in our city’s streets. Somewhere in the middle, I have three ideas of meaningful ways we can all do a bit more this summer.

1) Get a reusable water bottle.
It seems simple enough, but disposable bottles of water (even if they’re recyclable) are effectively wrapped in oil (since plastics are petroleum-based). Resist the urge to buy a case of single-use containers and instead refill a more lasting canteen.

2) Use water-safe lawn and skin care products.
Our nation’s addiction to oil is deceptive because we don’t often see plastics, fertilizers, or soaps and lotions as petroleum products. In addition to water, more than half a dozen harmful herbicides and pesticides are flowing in the Trinity River because they were washed from our gardens into storm drains. As an alternative transportation-user who (as a courtesy to my friends and colleagues) must bathe or shower more frequently during hot summer months, I buy all-natural, petroleum-free skin care products at Dallas-based SoapHope.com (a company investing 100% of its profits in micro-loans to women-owned businesses – bonus!).

3) Help someone else figure out how to drive a bit less.
Whether biking to work with your neighbors or helping friends figure out how to ride more in their own neighborhoods, one of the biggest barriers to considering transportation alternatives is ignorance. If you’re reading this site I’m guessing you’re already on board, but sharing your knowledge of  routes and modeling good behavior (like wearing a helmet) helps raise awareness among others, gradually improving a safety culture for all.

Obviously none of these minor modifications to our convenience-driven lifestyle compares to the ultimate sacrifice made by the men and women in the U.S. armed services. But as our fellow Americans continue to serve bravely in a time of war, we can show their efforts are not in vain by creating a safer and healthier country.