So much of our lives are spent in a car. Whether it’s driving to work, scooting around kids to friends houses and other activities, or running to the post office, we really are stuck in a car-centric culture. But today’s guest is trying to get us out of that rut, one bicycle at a time.

Donna Matturro McAleer is the Executive Director of Bicycle Collective, a group of non-profit bike shops refurbishing donated bicycles and putting them into the hands of those in need, focusing on children, Newly resettled refugees, immigrants, individuals experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity and more.

In this episode, they explore the broader economic, environmental, and community impacts of making bicycles accessible as a form of sustainable transportation. We’ll also hear about the Bicycle Collective's programs, sustainable business model, and pandemic growth.

Eccles Business Buzz is a production of the David Eccles School of Business and is produced by University FM.

• Donna Matturro McAleer | LinkedIn
• Donna Matturro McAleer | 2024 CEO of the Year - Utah Business
• Bicycle Collective
• David Eccles School of Business (@ubusiness) • Instagram
• Eccles Alumni Network (@ecclesalumni) • Instagram

In a car-centric country where transportation poses significant barriers to economic stability, bicycles emerge as a transformative tool.

[03:32] If you think about it, Frances, In Utah, in our country, we are a car-centric country. But if you think about transportation, transportation is a formidable barrier to economic mobility. Access to nearly everything associated with economic progress and upward mobility, whether that's getting to school, getting to a job, getting to a job interview, fairly priced goods and services, medical services, healthcare, depends on the ability to get from one place to another efficiently and in an affordable manner. And that's where a bike can really be a transformative tool, especially in a place like Salt Lake City and throughout this state where so many resources may be concentrated within a few miles.

Choosing a bike over a car can cut your carbon footprint by 67% and transform communities

[08:22] Choosing a bike over a car just once a day reduces the average person's carbon footprint from transportation admissions by 67%. So, that's just once a day. Think about if you use it as your primary form of transportation, a moderate increase in bicycling each year could save 6 to 14 million tons of carbon dioxide. So, there's huge, huge impacts that bicycling has on the individual, on the community, on the economy, and on the environment, all in a positive way. It's not a trade off of one or another. We get to experience all those things with biking.

Bicycle Collective is a resource for everyone

[20:16] Bicycle Collective is really for everyone. Whether you are a first-time cyclist or maybe you want to try a new discipline, but you want to get in at an affordable level. So, maybe you never tried mountain biking and you want to get a mountain bike or you want to start road riding or, hey, I've been road riding, I've been mountain biking, but I want to be a bike commuter. We are a great resource for cycling enthusiasts, first-timers.