Macy’s: Leave the Car at Home
By
Brad Aaron
12:03 PM EDT on April 23, 2008

J. Crew and W Hotels aren’t the only companies to promote cycling as of late. As part of its “Earth Week” campaign, Macy’s is running the above ad in local papers. Reads the copy:
Leave the car at home. Ride a bike or walk to work if you can. Discover your own route. Now that’s thinking on your feet.
Maybe it’s just us, but this seems half a step above greenwashing. With endorsements from household brands, be they in the form of corporations or celebrities, is cycling edging toward taking its place among light bulb changing and tree planting as a staple of mainstream environmentalism?
Brad Aaron began writing for Streetsblog in 2007, after years as a reporter, editor, and publisher in the alternative weekly business. Brad adopted New York's dysfunctional traffic justice system as his primary beat for Streetsblog. He lives in Manhattan.
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