Meg has a J.D. in Urban, Land Use and Environmental Law. She focuses on maintaining the balance of community and environmental health, healthy lifestyles, and encouraging sustainable living.

Jake and I were in the city on Saturday. We had just visited the Ghirardelli Factory and ordered two of the most delicious ice cream cones known on the planet. Chocolate dipped waffle cones with Ghirardelli chocolate and coffee ice creams. Wow. We walked down toward the waterfront, found a park bench in the sun, and sat down to indulge in our afternoon treat. And then we heard it…

“Burn Fat, Not Oil!” The chanting was not overwhelming. The message, certainly something I can support. The scene, well, it definitely got our attention! It was the World Naked Bike Tour, in full view, and I mean FULL VIEW for all of us to see, riding their bicycles through the crowd. Their message was clear, that we should all get on a bicycle, or walk, or otherwise prevent the consumption of oil to get ourselves from place to place.

(Fair warning, these are images of the cyclists from Saturday, but I blurred out any body parts that were exposed.)

At first, the sight was shocking. Seeing a bunch of grown men and women riding through the streets of San Francisco, completely naked, was not exactly how I anticipated spending my Saturday afternoon or my Ghirardelli ice cream cone. However, after the shock had worn off, I began to see the method to their madness. They were trying to get people’s attention. Quite frankly, it worked, and now I am writing a post about it. Aside from the drastic measures to get people’s attention, which was clearly a success, I do think they have a good point. Too many people use up gallons and gallons of gasoline driving around. It might not always be feasible for someone to walk to the store, or ride a bicycle to work. However, it is important for all of us to do our part in reducing our dependence on foreign oil and coughing more pollution into our atmosphere. Plus, it’s much healthier to get out and move around.

I may not feel comfortable with the idea of riding naked through a heavily populated area (or any public area for that matter), but I do think the people involved in the World Naked Bike Tour on Saturday had a good point. Burn fat, not oil. Get out and move around, and don’t waste gas when it is clearly unnecessary.