3 . A year ago, I sold my car and replaced it with an e-bike. Writing about climate change, I knew I was doing something good for the planet. Passenger vehicles are responsible for much of our greenhouse-gas emissions (排放). An e-bike’s small battery means less electricity, fewer emissions and fewer resources. They are clearly better for the planet than cars.

I had viewed replacing my car as an unwise choice. Living in Colorado, e-biking would mean freezing in the winter and sweating in the summer. In my opinion, it was not going to be fun.

However, I quickly learned that, as the saying goes, there is no bad weather, only bad gear. It was wearing gloves, warm socks, and a ski jacket when riding that prevented me from feeling cold. And even though it was 90 degrees outside, I didn’t sweat, thanks to my bike’s pedal-assist system. Honestly sometimes I didn’t even pedal (踩踏板), I just used the throttle (油门), sat back, and enjoyed my ride.

Then the savings caught my eye. Considering car payments, insurance, and gas, a car-centered lifestyle is expensive. According to American Automobile Association, owning and driving a new car in America costs $10,728 a year. My e-bike, by comparison, costs $2,000. After counting in all costs, about $50,000 will be saved over the next five years.

The actual experience of riding to work has been equally surprising. Biking to work was not unpleasant-it was truly enjoyable. Not only did I arrive to work more satisfied for having spent the morning in fresh air rather than traffic, but also I cycled my bike after a busy day at work and rode home down a street covered with changing fall leaves. I felt more connected to the natural surroundings around me.

Of course, it’s unrealistic to expect e-bikes to replace cars completely. There’s no need to sell your car to reduce carbon emissions greatly. Making short trips on an e-bike instead of in a car would likely save money, cut emissions, and improve health and happiness.

5 . Bright-line will officially begin its long-awaited high-speed train service to Orlando, Florida, on Friday. Here’s what travelers should know about Bright-line.

Bright-line serves Miami, Aventura, Boca Raton and West Palm Beach.Orlando service begins on Friday.

Bright-line aims to expand service to Tampa in its next phase.

Travel between Miami and Orlando is scheduled to take just over 3.5 hours, according to Bright-line’s website.

Bright-line offers two classes of service: Smart Fares, which is described as a “comfortable business class” with leather seats, power ports and free Wi-Fi, and Premium, which is comparable to first class with free snacks and drinks, priority boarding, checked bags and a special lounge.

One-way Smart fares between South Florida and Orlando start at $79 for a limited time for travelers 13 and older. The starting rate for kids between the ages of 2 and 12 is $39.   Additionally,   an automatic 25%off is applied to Smart Fares for groups of four or more people traveling together.

Premium fares start at $149.

Tickets can be purchased at Bright-line stations,on the company’s website and through its app.

Beginning this fall, students at select colleges and universities can receive up to 25%off Smart fares if they create their Bright-line account with their student email address.

The list of participating universities is available online.

Dogs and cats are allowed on Bright-line trains. The website’s pet policy says that pets must be leashed or crated while in Bright-line stations and on trains. The West Palm Beach and Fort Lauder dale stations have pet relief areas.