Elevators + Escalators

There's a Whole Foods Market next door to my apartment, which I frequent 4-5 times per week. As you enter the building you're presented with 3 options to get to the actual market 2 stories above. There's an escalator going up, a set of stairs right next to it and a hidden but accesible elevator. Every time I enter I see a familiar sight, perfectly healthy adults (young and old) choosing to take the escalator instead of the stairs. This, to me, is a microcosm example that justifies the reputation of the U.S. as both wasteful and unhealthy.

Some of the people I see on the escalator will no doubt spend time in a gym later that day on a treadmill or stairmaster. What REALLY kills me is when people use the escalator to get back downstairs. Gravity's on your side! Use it! If Americans got used to walking more (up stairs, down stairs, around town) I'm sure it would help the nation to become healthier. It certainly can't hurt.

The escalators at Whole Foods are running the entire time the store is open, 8am-10pm. That's 14 hours of electricity used to continuously power moving stairs. What if there were a button to activate the escalator when needed? That way no power is wasted when the store is a ghost town. Everytime less power is used, fewer fossil fuels are consumed and there is less air pollution from power plants.

That said, when I see someone who is injured or otherwise incapable of using the stairs, I believe that the escalator is a wonderful creation. And I certainly won't begrudge anyone in a wheelchair for using the elevator. Going up several stories in a tall building is also an ample justification for taking the elevator (particularly if you're in a business suit).

Although I'm being preachy, I'm not perfect either. But I'm trying. When given a choice between taking the stairs or using an escalator, I'll exercise my legs 99.8% of the time. My escalator usage is limited to times when I...

• ...have an excessive amount of luggage at the airport or train station.
• ...am on crutches due to an injury.
• ...am too tired/hungover to care to exert myself.
• ...have had a really horrible day and don't care about the environment.

Finally, I don't feel that a capable adult using an escalator is a bad person. It's more likely they haven't thought about the implications of using it. So, I hope that you may consider it next time and look for the stairs if you're going up 3 stories or less.