£12.00
Think Outside The Box by Jonah Ramchandani and Celia Knox
Every week, eight billion people pack themselves into Otis lifts. That’s the equivalent of the entire population of the world filing in and out of airless steel boxes just to shave a few moments off their travel time. And as well as the claustrophobia, there’s the carbon cost: in just 15 seconds, a lift consumes the same amount of energy as a lightbulb does in a whole day.
Taking the stairs, on the other hand, is spacious, sustainable and pretty damn cool. What other form of upward travel offers ever-changing vistas, endorphin-filled finishes and mobile phone reception? What other floor conjoiners feature in T.S Eliot’s Lovesong of J Alfred Prufrock and are the subject of Led Zeppelin songs?
So, next time you’re waiting for that shrill elevator ding, break away from the crowd and let your feet take you higher.
And if you’re the commitment-making type, step up and pledge to take the stairs here.
