Digging Yourself Out of the Blizzard? You Need a Bike Plow

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Craig Smith, inventor of the "Bike Plow"

via Makezine

No really, you read that right. Bike plow, the green and easy way to clear your driveway and street of snow.

While the East Coast is digging its way out of the snow and Canada braces itself for more, one man from Milwaukee, Wis., has a solution that’s not only sustainable, but it’ll help you burn off a few extra calories and make sure your grand-kids will have snowy winters for many years to come — is there a down side to this?

(More on TIME.com: 50 Best Inventions of 2010.)

Craig Smith has a 90 foot driveway and for only a couple of inches of snow, he doesn’t see the point in firing up his snow thrower. The genius amateur inventor strapped a plow to a bike to get the job done in a quick and environmentally friendly way.

Here’s what Craig had to say about his bike plow: “The custom 3-wheel bike with sidecar was made years ago, a replica of a bike my childhood friend had. Last winter I added a snow plow accessory … My bike plow makes it easy to make a few runs up and down the driveway to make 2 or 3 piles that can then be easily hand shoveled off to the side. A lever pulls up or lets down the plow with a rope and pulley. Pulling the lever all the way back cantilevers the rope and pivot point so it locks in place. The plow blade is hinged with a bungee cord, so hitting a discrepancy in the road allows the blade to flop and give like a real plow. The bike can turn on a dime so raising the plow and returning up the adjacent path is quick and easy. I can do ‘reverse’ by pushing down on the front wheel with my foot to roll it backwards.”

(More on TIME.com: Snowstorms Hit the East Coast – Again.)

Don’t worry, Craig’s aware that his neighbors think he’s a bit odd.