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Living and Wellness

Walking Is Good for Your Health — and the Environment

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You might know that walking is a great way to increase physical wellness, lower your blood pressure, and increase your overall mood — but did you know that walking for your commute is also healthy for the environment?

RELATED: 5 Tips and Tricks to Prevent a Walking Injury

According to WalkPittsburgh, an initiative with a mission to make Pittsburgh “One of America’s Most Walkable Cities,” commuting by foot has many positive effects on the environment, such as the reductions in air pollution, carbon footprint, and gasoline usage.

WalkPittsburgh.org and the WalkPittsburgh app provide resources and support to encourage more people to walk more often, as well as:

  • Improve pedestrian safety
  • Communicate the health and economic benefits of walking
  • Ensure that walkability is factored into transportation and development plans

Just how much gasoline have WalkPittsburgh members saved by walking for their commute? See the graphic below.

UPMC_WalkPittsburgh_FINAL_R1

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Headquartered in Pittsburgh, UPMC is a world-renowned health care provider and insurer. We operate 40 hospitals and 800 doctors’ offices and outpatient centers, with locations throughout Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, West Virginia, and internationally. We employ 4,900 physicians, and we are leaders in clinical care, groundbreaking research, and treatment breakthroughs. U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside as one of the nation’s best hospitals in many specialties and ranks UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh on its Honor Roll of America’s Best Children’s Hospitals. We are dedicated to providing Life Changing Medicine to our communities.