The Good and Bad for Bicycle Parking

Just saw two stories on Carectomy about bicycle parking, one good and one bad. First, the good. At the San Fransisco baseball stadium, Giants' AT&T Park, the S.F. Bicycle Coalition helps to offer valet parking for bikes at events there. People who rides their bikes to the park don't have to worry about finding a place to lock up their bikes. There is covered storage for about 200 bikes available.
Now for the bad. The New York Times recently moved their office to a new building. This new building was promoted to be green and sustainable. The designers seemed to have left out one relatively small, but important, aspect - bike parking. Several Times employees commute by bike, and at their old building they had good parking. At the new office, they have none. For a while, a friendly security guard let one worker bring in his bike through a freight elevator. But, that suddenly stopped. Out of frustration, some employees began locking their bikes to parts of the building outside. Eventually, the Times created a small room to store bikes for employees, but seems to be inadequate for number of commuters, and requires a permit.
To me, this is just another example of big businesses touting that they are green or environmentally friendly or sustainable, but overlook some of the most simplest and obvious things we can do make a real difference.

Nature Bats Last

"Nature bats last" - a quote from Joel Staunton of Polyface Farms.
How true this is when we consider the forces of nature, especially during this time of wildfires throughout southern California. Whether it be floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, droughts or wildfires, these Mother Nature wake-up calls reaffirm the fact that humans cannot completely control the cycles of our natural world.
Me and my family were in close proximity to the fires in San Diego county, but thankfully not directly in harms way. It is always very disheartening to see anyone's home and property destroyed. During this fire it happened over and over, almost to the point where it became mind-dumbing to see it on TV.
We try our best to make comfortable living spaces for ourselves. Our houses protest us from the elements and provide a home for our family, pets, and belongings. Over the years our homes have continued to encroach on the wilderness. Doing so provides cheaper land for building houses and lets us live closer to nature. Of course, this comes at a cost. In doing so, we place ourselves closer to the potential destructive forces of nature.
In and of itself, wildfires are not a bad thing. It is just one of natures many cleansing cycles. The fire burns away the old overgrowth, provides natural fertilizer, and even allows some seeds to germinate. The problem for humans is that we like to live near this wilderness, so we become more vulnerable to its forces. We must accept that we can try to protect ourselves from these forces, but ultimately we do not bat last.

Little Things - Let Air do its Job

Another quick "Little Things" note. When you have things that need to dry, let the air do its job and dry them for you. When you wash your hair, let the air dry it instead of running a hair dryer. When you wash dishes, just leave them in the rack to let the air dry them. If you use a dishwasher, stop it before the dry cycle starts and just open the door. When you wash clothes, hang them outside on the line when possible. If you are concerned about them being too stiff from drying on the line, you can run them in the dryer for just a couple of minutes to soften them up. Besides using much less energy than drying clothes in a dryer, your clothes should last longer too. You don't have the dryer wearing out your clothes while they get tumbled around.
Anything that can be dried by air, let it. It's free after all.

You Can Take it With You

There is an interesting experiment going on at Public Radio's Marketplace. Their program host Tess Vigeland has taken upon the challenge of carrying around her personal trash for two (2) weeks. Everything that she would normally throw away now goes into a black trash bag that she carries around with her nearly everywhere. I say everywhere because there are limits, such as not taking the bag into restaurants or stores. But, she carries her bag from home to the office and back home every day. There is some thought provoking reading on her blog. It causes me to pause and think about just how easy we have it. We simply throw our garbage into the big trash container outside and once a week the garbage is hauled away and we never have to think about it again. It just magically disappears. The sad truth is, however, that it does not disappear. It ends up in landfills that are nearing their capacity. The waste in landfills do not decompose like many of us would think. It mostly putrefies and seeps into the ground, often contaminating underground water. Waste in the landfills also give off methane gas, since the matter breaks down in anaerobic conditions. What does not end up in landfills can get washed downstream and pollute rivers, lakes, and our oceans.
Tess does have a bit of an advantage. She has a compost pile in her backyard, unlike most people. She is able to place most food items in it. The one exception is no animal by-products (meat scraps, bones, etc), so when she inadvertently bought a whole chicken from the market, she forgot that she would be carrying it around with her for the next week or so.
If everyone had to take on this challenge it would really get us thinking about the amount of stuff we consume and just toss away. Well, at least I hope it would.

Car Free in SoCal

Can anyone live car free in Southern California? Apparently so. A family in Santa Ana has. Here is an article on their transformation from car poor to car free. They now bike just about everywhere. They utilize public transit also, and once in a while rent a car. They also have a blog about their car free journey. I believe that this type of shift in thinking is what will make our world a better place for everyone, not the thinking that everyone deserves a car and only adding more roads will cure our traffic problems. Because we know it won't.

Ladies, Fashion, and Bicycles - Saving the World

Some interesting stuff I have stumbled upon lately. First, I found this site about Copenhagen Girls. Despite the title, it is rather tame...photos and comments about the ladies of Copenhagen riding their bikes. What is cool about it is that they ride bikes in whatever outfits they are already wearing. They do not change into biking gear to ride. These ladies ride in style. They show us Americans that riding a bike is just an average way of getting around. You do not really need a car.

Here in America, there is a recent article called Spokes-Models. This is about NYC ladies also riding around on bikes in style. There is some controversy about this article, as some acknowledge riding the wrong way on roads and in general ignoring traffic laws. What I like about it, however, is that at least bike riding for pleasure and practical transportation is getting notoriety. And, what better way than to profile highly fashionable ladies?

And, for a little more about Copenhagen, here is a video showcasing a typical commute there. Can you count the number of cyclists?

Back to School Traffic

With the start of the new school year comes lots more morning and afternoon traffic. In my neighborhood I see the long lines of cars waiting to drop off kids in the mornings. It is rather funny in some ways how parents, either knowingly or not, seem to abandon all sense of traffic laws around schools. They seem to be narrowly focused on the objective of getting their child as close to the entrance to the school as possible. This is often accomplished by double (or triple) parking in front of the school, pulling in to neighbors driveways, and making illegal turns of all sorts. It just seems like total chaos the first fews days or weeks of school. My daily commute takes me by a high school in the mornings. I am amazed at how many parents park in the bike lane along the street to use it as a drop-off zone. They also ignore traffic safety at the intersections by making left turns onto the already too crowded side road of the school, often blocking the intersection. This makes for interesting navigation around the school on a bike. Unfortunately there is no real alternate route, as this is the only road the crosses over a couple of canyons. There does not seem to be a good place for dropping off kids around this school, but after all this is a high school. It is not like the parents must make sure the kids are dropped off right outside the entrance. I think they can be trusted to walk a block or two if they can be dropped off on a nearby street.
Maybe there is not a good solution. The school was built when there was not nearly as many people and houses in the neighborhood. I am sure they did not anticipate the amount of vehicle traffic there would be when it was built. It's the same for many of the elementary and middle schools around, too. Of course, most kids back then also walked to school. Hmmm...now there's a crazy thought.

Have a Car Free Day

September 22nd is "World Carfree Day". This is a day when people should try to make it through an entire day without using their automobiles. It is on a Saturday, so many people should not need to worry about getting to work. I am sure most people don't know about this day, and wouldn't care if they did. But for those of us who do, it gives us an opportunity to think about our options to driving a car - at least for one day. Maybe you won't go anywhere, maybe you'll just walk down the street to a neighborhood store or visit a neighbor. Maybe you will dust of the bike and go for a ride. Some might even give public transit a try, if it exists in your area.
It would be way cool if the entire world actually did go car free for one day. Just imagine...

Reclaim Your Street

Back to school time is here for most kids, and there will be much more traffic in neighborhoods as parents rush off to get them to school on time. I live on a fairly busy street as it is, and when school starts I'll see about a ten-fold in the amount of traffic. This makes for a fun bicycle commute some mornings. Thinking of this leaves me wondering what can be done to calm the traffic that goes darting through my neighborhood each morning and evening. The city can and will only do so much. Speed limit signs are nice, if anyone actually notices them and more importantly, obeys them. We have a couple of electronic signs along our street that displays the motorist's current speed. More often than not, the displayed speed is above the limit, usually way above. We have traffic lights and crosswalks at just about every intersection. They bring cars quickly to a halt, and then quickly back up to speed again. My street is busy enough that speed bumps or other traffic calming measures will probably never be an option. And, short of a worldwide catastrophe, I doubt the number of cars will decrease anytime soon. So, I am left wondering what I can do to at least make the average motorist take notice that they are driving through my neighborhood and if nothing else be a little more alert than usual and maybe slow down a bit. I found a site that talks about reclaiming the streets, a do-it-yourself approach. Less Traffic has some articles that discuss this. By creating "intrigue and uncertainty", the motorist is forced to slow down and take an active role in driving down a street. This can be accomplished by getting the residents back out to their streets. The cycle of residents retreating to inside their homes because the streets are too busy and dangerous needs to be reversed. I admit that we currently will not let our children play in the front of the house unsupervised. On our street you rarely see people hanging around in front of their houses. It is a shame and needs to change. Some people have created "living rooms" out of their streets. More people need to take back to the streets - on foot, not in car. Back to school time is the perfect opportunity to raise the awareness to parents, teachers, and local community leaders that children can and need to walk to school. Obesity is continuing to rise, and kids need to exercise. Too bad kids and their parents are too scared to let them walk to school. Walk to School looks like a good program to at least begin to raise awareness. Now I have to see if I can get my local council member and school to participate. And I need to start planning a "living room" for the street in front of our house.

Everyone Needs One of These

Over the weekend I saw this commercial on TV about a little gadget that easily cuts open the plastic casings that many products come in today. Just about everything now comes in that wonderful hard plastic that makes the product look good, but is nearly impossible to open. The little gadget claims it can cut these things open like nothing. It sure did look slick on the commercial. My kids were watching too and my 6 year old son commented that we should get one of those. He also comments that we should get just about everything he sees on a commercial, especially toys. (Yes, kids are very impressionable, and I know he should not be watching that stuff anyway). I make the comment that we should just not buy anything that comes in plastic like that. Now my 8 year old daughter also hears this, and she comments that we would never buy anything then, since everything comes in plastic. Her comment was pretty accurate. So many things comes packaged for convenient display in plastic that it is not funny. It is such a shameful waste. Not only is there a lot of energy used to make this useless packaging, but the disposal of it also makes such a mess. Kids toys can be the worst. Toy makes obviously want their products to be attractive on the shelves, so they are encased in plastic and strapped in with many little wire ties, rubber bands, etc., that it is a parents nightmare just to open them. Last Christmas I know I spent at least half an hour opening just two of my daughters dolls.
I wish manufacturers would stop the gross plastic packaging and place their products in recyclable boxes. I can try to boycott these products as much as practically possible, but I think it will take a united effort to really get manufacturers to change.

Little Things - 50 Little Things

Here is a cool article that lists 50 little things you can do to help the environment and live a healthier life.
50 Ways to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
Although some of the information is specific to the San Jose/San Francisco Bay area, there are plenty of good ideas that just about everyone can use. Some may be obvious, some may be new to you. It is a great list to refer to for some inspiration.

Little Things - Grow Your Own

What better way to get back to nature than to get your hands dirty and grow your own food? The new revolution is taking place in our backyards and neighborhood garden plots. This article gives some good reasons to grow your own food - (http://groovygreen.com/groove/?p=1657).
With our global economy, food now gets shipped all over the world. We can practically have any type of food available to us year round. But, there is a cost to shipping food around the world. There is the obvious costs of fuel, and then there is the pollution created by shipping, and the potential for global spreading of any number of diseases and illnesses too. When you grow your own food, you know exactly where it came from and what went into growing it. If you are careful and raise your food organically, you can enjoy eating it knowing that you are not putting toxic chemicals into your body. Plus, you are doing a small part to help ease up the consumption of fuels and lower the amount of pollution related to food transport. Sure, your one small backyard garden won't make much difference related to the worldwide consumption of food, but every little bit does help. And, it is when many of us have the same attitude and all do our little parts that add up to a big change. Join the revolution.

Dead Batteries

Yesterday evening my family and I went to the zoo. We are members, so we can go whenever we like. As usual, I had the camera in hand to catch those "Kodak moments". However, when I turned it on to take the first pictures of some flamingos, it did not respond. Dead batteries, with no spares. Oh well. I proceeded on to simply watch the animals. After a few moments, I realized that the experience was much more relaxing without the pretense of capturing the animals or family at the perfect moment. They were all perfect moments. I then began noticing much more that just the animals. I noticed the spectators and the surroundings. It almost became more fun watching the people than the animals. It was amusing in a way to see how individuals scrambled to the glass to capture that prize winning photo of a gorilla. I am willing to bet that most will never view the photos after downloading them to their computer (if they get that far). It was neat to just experience being there. I probably did miss a few prize winning shots, but I think the memories of the occasion will do nicely.

Cool New Free Magazine for Sale

There is a new cycling magazine on the market, and it's free. It is called "the Practical Pedal". This is a departure from the standard issue magazines. The first issue just came out, and it has some insightful articles, some informative and some just good philosophical ones. As the title implies, this is a magazine for the everyday practical cyclist. You can read it free online, download the PDF, or request a free printed copy. They will take a $5 donation for a year subscription to help with the costs. Sounds like a bargain to me!

Little Things - Use Less, Not Buy More

Continuing on the theme of Little Things we can do to save our Little Ones, an easy practice we can try is using less of what we already have. The concept is a departure from the general consumerism public mantra of buying the latest new whatever in order to save energy or pollute less. We are constantly being informed that we should replace our light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs, buy a new hybrid car to save gas and pollute less, buy a new energy-efficient appliance, buy solar panels to cut electricity use, etc. I wonder why we must buy more stuff in order to save energy or pollute less? Why can't we simply use less of what we already have? Instead of buying a bunch of compact fluorescent bulbs, which have environmental issues of their own, why not turn off the lights you already have in your home? If you just turn off a light, it truly does not cost you anything. Try using more natural lighting by opening blinds and curtains during the day. One could even go as far as tailoring their activities a little more to the natural cycle of daylight. After all, that is what humans have done for hundreds of years before. We don't need to abandon artificial lighting, we can just take some easy measures to use it less.
Hybrid vehicles have become more of a "green" status symbol than really saving the world. Even though they may pollute less during its use, hybrid cars produce more pollution and waste during the manufacturing and disposal process than most other vehicles. Their batteries require raw materials to manufacture and then must be disposed of once they are no longer useful. If one must drive a motor vehicle, a small fuel-efficient gas or diesel car may serve just as well, and in the overall life of the car may produce less pollution. If you already have an economical car, there is not much advantage to spending thousands of dollars for a new hybrid.
Energy efficient appliances are excellent to look for when your current appliance no longer works. It is not really a practical excuse just to go out and buy a new one. Refrigerators are usually the post power hungry appliance. Even if you have an older one, you still need to investigate the cost of a new one, and how long it will take to recoup that cost with the energy savings. If you have a second refrigerator, like one in the basement or garage, unplugging that one can save you a bit of money, especially if it is an older one. You can save a bit of money by using your dryer less, or not at all. During the warmer months, washed clothes can be hung out on the line to dry. Some can even dry clothes indoors. This only costs you the clothesline, and will save a bunch from running the dryer less. If clothes are too stiff from drying on the line, a few minutes in the dryer will soften them.
Solar panels are a good idea. The problem is that they are still quite expensive. They will probably run you about 15 to 20 thousand dollars to get a setup for your house. They will take many years to pay for themselves. Again, using less electricity costs you nothing. If the price of solar panels comes down and the price of electricity increases dramatically, then they might be worth the investment.
Water can be saved using a poor man's greywater system. There are lots of resources on this on the internet, put a simple way to start is placing a bowl or small bucket in your sink or shower. As you use the water from the faucet, whatever ends up in the bowl or bucket can be used to water plants outside. Some use the water from the shower to help in flushing the toilet. Another way to save a bunch or water is to reduce your lawn. If you live in an area that needs a lot of water for irrigation, you can check into replacing some or all of your green grass with other plants that use much less water. You can also check into replacing the grass with other items like wood chips, gravel, etc. These require no water, and no mowing.
There are many new gadgets on the market that one can purchase to go "green". Some are worthwhile, some are just status symbols. Taking a good look around and seeing where you can use less is the cheapest and quickest way to that green status, at least in my opinion.

Are you doing your part?

Something I heard on the radio last week got me to stop and ponder. There was a comment made, something about war being something in which everyone in the country should be doing their part. The point was that when a country goes to war, it is not just the soldiers in battle who are at war, but it is everyone in the country. All of a country's citizens should be doing something to help with the war effort. Since America is at war with Iraq, shouldn't all Americans be doing something to help with the effort? As I was pondering this, I discovered this article on Alternet. If you look around America today, can you really tell that we are at war? Do you see many citizens making sacrifices for the war? I see everyone consuming mass quantities of junk same as ever. I still see people driving large vehicles and uses as much gas as ever. I don't see many people conserving resources to ensure that there are enough for the war.
If we look back to previous wars, especially back to WWII, we see a much different homefront that we do today. In the WWII era, citizens conserved resources. Many workers rode their bikes to work instead of driving. Homeowners planted their own gardens (remember Victory Gardens?) so that the commercial farmers would be able to grow enough to feed other countries affected by the war. People bought less and made what they had last longer to ensure that there were enough resources and goods to help the soldiers and affected countries. How much are we sacrificing today to truly help rebuild Iraq? Are we today living in smaller houses, moving closer to our work, and doing more with less? I haven't seen much of it. It has become popular to say that we are going green and helping the environment, yet we are consuming and producing more pollution that ever.
Maybe we should take a closer look are how the country dealt with previous wars, and take a few lessons from it. Or, have we become so technologically advanced and affluent that we can now fight a war with another country, and not even feel the effects at home?

Little Things - Save a Car Trip

Here is a little thing that most people could do to help out themselves and the environment. Try to just once a week replace a car trip with walking, biking, or taking public transit. If the distance is short enough, walk or bike. This could be a trip to the local store, a visit to a neighborhood friend's house, visit to the neighborhood park, etc. I would suggest this over attempting to commute by bike, as commuting takes more planning and is time specific. Commuting can be explored later on. Think of a trip you usually take by car at least once a week. It should be a local, convenient trip you can make by foot or bike. For me, I like to make a Sunday morning trip down to the local grocery store to pick up bagels for me and the kids. It's about 1 1/2 miles round trip, something that is easily done by bike. Even walking if fun if we have the time. Since I am only getting some small items, I don't need to worry about how to transport a bunch of stuff back home. To make the trip more adventurous, I sometimes attach the bike trailer and take the kids. They get a blast out of riding in the trailer, and they get bagels as a treat. Other times we take the trailer to the ice cream shop for a milkshake. They really get a kick out of that.
These types of outings are good in a few ways. For me, it gets me out in the neighborhood to see it in more of a personal level, rather than zooming by in a car at 40 MPH. I also get a little exercise. Riding a bike with a trailer isn't too difficult, but it does get the blood pumping. For the kids, it gives them something to get excited about. I get to spend some quality time with them. Plus, they get accustomed to seeing bikes used as practical transportation. A trip to the store or ice cream shop does not necessarily mean a trip in the car now. If I ask if we should take the car or bike trailer to the store, the answer is almost always "bike trailer!".
So, as one gets acclimated to the routine of making one trip a week without the car, it's easy to branch out to maybe one or two other trips by bike or walking. It is just one little thing that helps us all.

Little Things to Save Our Little Ones

Here's the deal; I read lots of stuff telling us how the world is in a bunch of trouble and will spontaneously combust any minute now if we don't stop doing this or don't start doing that to save it. Most have good intentions and are trying to get the message out that we are destroying the world, if not for us, for our children and their children. Many stories point out what is wrong, and not much is said about what we can do about it. Some point out many things we can do, but unless you are already doing them or are already in that mindset, they are just simply too overwhelming for the average person to relate.
What I am mulling over is a way to create a list of things that the average person can do. These would be little, everyday things that would be the small steps to larger things. These things don't need the pretense that they are to "save the world". They can just be little things to make the person feel better about themselves and their environment. And, this would be not just a list, but an explanation of how-to and how it would benefit the person and the environment. I'm sure something like this does exit out there in many forms, but I will make an attempt to put together something, if for no other reason than to keep my own actions in check.

Car Sin City

Last Friday I had the day off, so I did one of my favorite things and took the car in for service. As much as I wish me and my family were car free, we just aren't there. We have one small car that my wife uses and I try to keep that car as reliable as possible. So, I took the car in for its scheduled oil change and wheel alignment that was due since we just had 4 new tires installed. Yep, getting the tires was a lot of fun, too. I took our car to the neighborhood service center and dropped it off. This was in very much a business district. The service was going to take at least 2 hours, so I headed off for a walk. I knew there was a bike shop not far away. As I started walking, I realized just how much this area was mainly built just to serve the automobile. I passed dozens of businesses that catered to either buying or maintaining the auto. There were new and used car dealerships, car rentals, all types of service including general fix-it shops, brakes, air conditioning, tires, collision repair, painting, upholstery, and so on. One can only appreciate the volume of businesses by walking this area. As you drive by in a car doing 40 or 50 MPG, it just doesn't register. I made it to the bike shop in only a few minutes. Actually, I made it there too soon, as they weren't even open yet. So, I killed some time at a coffee shop, then looked around a nearby office supply store for a bit. I then headed back to the bike store and perused the wonderful, very expensive bikes. Since this was a Friday morning and they had just opened, there were not many customers. I had the fortune of being asked about 10 times if I needed any help. There are always plenty of people offering assistance when you are just looking, but of course there are none to be found when you actually need their help. Well, after a few minutes looking around, I was wishing I was riding my bike rather than waiting on my car service. After a couple of hours are up, I head back to the service center. I see the car is still up on the lift. After waiting a few minutes, I decide to head out again for a walk in the other direction. I pass yet more car dealers this way. After a few blocks I make my way to another bike shop. A little more time looking around, and even more wishing I was riding, then a quick stop for some lunch and back to the service center. It is now over 3 hours and the car is almost ready. Another 10 or 15 minutes waiting and it is finally ready.
Now that my bank account is a bit smaller and I have shot over half of a vacation day, I have our car back with a fresh oil change and wheel alignment. Spending some time on foot in a car-centric district really gives you an appreciation for just how much our economy gains from everyone driving. And by that I mean that the economy as a whole gains, although I think many, many people lose out from it. It sure would have been nice to take the money I spent on servicing the car and made a down payment on a sweet multi-thousand dollar bike!

June 11

Two years ago today my grandfather passed away. This makes it what I guess is called a bittersweet time for me, as tomorrow is my birthday. I think about him often, and especially today I am taking some time to reflect on his life. The more I reflect, the more I realize that my values and views on many things in life somehow must have come from him. He was always a man who neither wanted, needed, or asked for much. He seemed to be able to make do with what he had on hand. He commuted to work in a used VW Beetle. He saw automobiles an simply a mode of transportation. They were not status symbols or vanity items. He even had a small farm and never needed and SUV. Once he hauled a calf in the back of a Beetle with the rear seat removed. He raised many of the vegetables that his family ate. For a while he raised some cattle. He never intentionally hurt anyone or anything. He never saw a reason to pay someone to do a job that he could do himself. However, he was one to work with family or friends when needed. My grandfather served in the military during WW II. He never talked about it. I think he was proud to serve his country, but probably did not stay one minute longer than he had to. He always voted for the independent person in elections. He knew the typical Republican or Democratic candidate was just more of the same status-quo. I am sure he knew that his vote was "wasted", but I think it was more of the principle. He never seeked fame or fortune, and although he never made a lot of money, he was never poor.
When me and my sister were young, he always had time for us when we would visit. He did not seem to mind letting us "help" around the farm. I don't think I ever saw him loose his patience. My grandfather lived a fairly long and good life. He was a decent, down to earth practical man, and I miss him.

Bicycle Accommodations

I was just browsing the Bicycle Fixation web site today, and ran across this interesting article. The author Gina Morey writes about our automobile infrastructure and its lack of accommodations for cyclists. She specifically gets into the problems related to where you park your bike once you arrive at your destination, whether it be a store or your work. This is something that doesn't get mentioned much. Everyone likes to talk about bike lanes, which routes are the best for cycling, etc. But, what do you do when you want to stop by a store on your ride? A few establishments actually have decent bike parking facilities. Most are lucky to have any sort of bike rack. And the ones that do are not fit to use. Some are around the side of the store, out of site so that a potential bike thief has plenty of opportunity. Sometimes you might find a decent light pole or sign you can lock up to.
I once visited a dentist office using my bike, and upon arriving did not find a bike rack of any sort. I found a handicap parking sign nearby, so I locked the bike to it. I was out of the parking spot, not obstructing any pedestrian or auto activity in any way. When I came out from the dentist office, I found a note taped to the top tube of my bike. It said if I parked my bike there again it would be taken away by the property management. I was instructed to park at the nearby trolley station. I did not visit that dentist again. I should have contacted the property manager, but I have no idea who it is now. I am sure regular bike riders have encountered numerous situations like this. One does have to take parking into consideration when looking for an establishment to visit by bike. Unfortunately, the number of people who attempt to utilize this practical mode of transportation for shopping or commuting are so low that most managers or owners don't even consider them. I was a bit surprised at Gina's discovery that even places like Whole Foods hadn't considered bike parking. Actually, the more I think about it, it does make sense. Stores like Whole Foods seem to be more tailored to the yuppie crowds, who are more likely to drive yuppie SUVs than actually ride a bike for transportation. They are more likely to think that switching to compact fluorescent light bulbs and using reusable grocery bags will save the world than reduce or give up driving an automobile.
I think Gina has the right idea. We need to contact the people who can make the changes needed to accommodate the few and brave utilitarian cyclists out there.
I have often wanted to stop by one store or another while on my commute, but after riding by and seeing no bicycle parking facility, just kept on going. I decided to wait until a day I had to drive to work to make the stop. I hate the idea of needing to drive to work just so I can feel comfortable in having a parking space when I stop by a store on the way home. I wonder how many cyclists feel the same way - they would shop by bike or commute to work, but without any decent bike parking, just give up on the idea. I am fortunate that I can park my bike in the building where I work, but if I could not, I am not sure if I would be riding. If places of work and stores could be accommodating of the brave cyclists, they may go a long way in increasing bicycling as a viable mode of transportation.

Memorial Day

Another Memorial Day has come and gone. Along with it, adds for automobiles, furniture, and every type of consumable good you could ever want. It is also the unofficial start of the summer season. Holidays like this always leave me feeling a little confused. It is a day for remembering our fallen military men and women, but that seems to get lost in the commercial aspect of celebrating. I guess most holidays have become that way. For many people, this was just another 3 day weekend. Even my relatives who served in the military don't seem to outwardly acknowledge the day. My grandfather served in WW II, but he never talked about it. Maybe some don't want to remember. However, I'm sure many would like to know that those of us who did not serve in the military are grateful to those who did.

So, how does one show their gratitude? I can fly the American flag on my porch. I guess I could place a cheesy little ribbon on my car that says I support the troops. (I find it a bit ironic to see one of these on an SUV, especially an SUV from a foreign company) I didn't really know what to do, so I went on a bike ride. I rode to a national cemetery for the military. It is always mesmerizing to see the number of graves. They stretch by the thousands over several hills. If I cannot "do" anything for them, at least I can silently pay them a moment of gratitude.
The more I think about it, I guess the best way to honor our military is to just keep doing the things we do...after all, by their fighting for our freedoms and giving their lives, we all have the right to buy that new SUV and grill up hamburgers and hot dogs.

Met an old friend today.

I met an old friend on my bike ride to work this morning. Actually, I have no idea what his name is. For the last 2 or 3 years, we have passed each other, off and on, while riding to work. He traveling westbound and I traveling east. For a long time we passed and did not acknowledge one another. I don't know if he even recognized me as the same fellow riding each morning. Then I would occasionally give a small wave, and sometimes get a shout back from him "hey" or "mornin'". For the last several months I have not seen much of him. I think our timing has been off...since my kids started school I have been a little later departing than before. We met this morning with a wave and "hey".
I must admit that he seems to be a more diligent commuter than me. I have also seen him riding on several occasions while I, for one reason or another, chose to drive in to work that day. Seeing him out there pedaling while I am driving this bohemoth cage of steel and puffing out all sorts of polluting gases never failed to make me a bit ashamed of driving that day, and a bit jealous. Some days I had no real choice in the matter, family or work obligations that would have made a bike commute nearly impossible. But, there have been a few days where I was simply too tired, or too lazy, to ride in. Seeing my old friend out there always puts me back on course.

Forget about bike to work week.

It's that time of the year again...bike to work week. I'm sure the nation is all buzzed about millions of people making the switch from driving their cars to riding a bike to work. Ha, ha. I think that the only people who even know, much less care, about bike to work week are the ones already doing it. Don't get me wrong, I do admire the concept and the organizers who try to spread the word. What I think we need, however, is a little something closer to home and easier if we really want to get people on their bikes. For most, I am sure the idea of riding a bike to work is almost unthinkable. How about something more manageable, like "bike to the corner store day", or "bike to a neighborhood friend Sunday". These are things almost anyone with a working bike can do, unless they live in remote areas where the nearest friend or store is several miles away. Running an errand or visiting a friend would be much less stressful than planning out the logistics of getting to work on time. Start out with riding down the street to pick up a quart of milk or a six pack of beer. Head over to a friends house to visit for a bit. Nothing stressful...even if you get a flat or your bike breaks down, just walk the rest of the way. No need to bring along a change of clothes or worry about arriving all sweaty.
I think this way more people could get introduced to biking in a whole new way. Maybe they would even see the pleasure in it, all the while doing a little something nice for our planet.

Portraits of American Mass Consumption

A good friend of mine just turned me on to a web site for artist Chris Jordan. His site has some amazing photos that portray the darker side of America's love affair with mass consumption. Check out his exhibits "Running the Numbers" and "Intolerable Beauty". Note the size of the prints. They would be mind boggling to see in person. Also make sure to check out his exhibit "In Katrina's Wake".

Contamination in our food supply, again.

I was just looking through a couple of CNN articles about hogs, and now chickens, eating tainted pet food. Seems that melamine, possibly along with cyanuric acid, has been added to some variations of wheat and rice gluten from China that end up in pet food. On some farms the hogs and chickens are fed surplus pet food as part of their diet. The FDA has assured us that there is very little possibility that humans will become ill from this. They have investigators in China trying to figure out the source of the tainted products.
In the case of chickens, Indiana found that 38 chicken facilities had fed chickens contaminated feed. An estimated 2.5 to 3 million people have eaten these chickens. Several hundred hogs from farms in 3 states entered the human food supply that were fed contaminated pet food.
With a global economy and industrialized factory farms, a contamination like this can be far reaching. As much as the FDA would like us to think everything is safe for human consumption and they are on top of it, I am sure there is no way they can maintain the quality control they claim.
I have read many case of the FDA and USDA not being able to, or wanting to, perform the necessary testing involved to assure that these types of contamination do not happen. The enormous scale of factory farming also creates a likely scenario for a single outbreak like this to lead to illnesses and deaths all over the country, possibly the world. Think back to how wide-spread the E. Colli outbreak in spinach became. The globalization of our economy and consolidation of our farms may be good for the profits of a few, but their lasting and long-term effects on humans and our planet can be devastating.

Thank Your Lucky Bees

There has been a lot of disturbing news lately about honey bees. An epidemic called “Colony Collapse Disorder” is wreaking havoc on honey bees all over the world.
The worker honey bees seem to vanish and never return to the hive. This latest study by scientists is theorizing that cell phones are the problem. The theory is that cell phone radiation is interfering with the bees’ navigation system. They leave the hive to forage for pollen and nectar and never return. Honey bees are vital to man’s existence on earth. Einstein was quoted as saying that if bees disappeared “man would have only four years of life left”.
The good news is that there are still people trying to save our bees and keep them thriving. Check out the blog "Car Free Family" and Paul's new service “Car Free Bees” and “Path to Freedom” We need a lot of good people like these.
I don’t know if the cell phone radiation theory is true, but I feel certain that mother nature has a way of revenging herself.

The Wonderful Commute

It has been about a week since I have commuted to work by bike. Had to use the motor vehicle for various reasons...work related issues, family commitments, etc. But, yesterday I got to ride again. Wow, was it great! It was a chilly morning, and the evening ride home was chilly with a gusty headwind. Normally I might have complained a bit about the headwinds, but after a week of not being able to ride, it was wonderful. When I got home I felt calm and peaceful, unlike the days when I drove and got home jittery and irritated. Makes me wonder how people can drive to work every day...day after day after day. I think it would make me go insane.

Cycling Plus Traffic Equals Irrational Fears

I commute to work by bike most days, probably average 4 days a week. I have a co-worker who also rides sometimes. He used to commute by bike too, fairly regularly. We also go on weekend rides once in a while. He has not been riding a lot lately. He is one of those who seems to have a thousand excuses why he was not able to ride in to work. Well, it really does not matter to me. I ride because I want to. I don't care who else rides. The thing that got me today though, was him talking about cyclists getting hit by cars. He was talking about cyclists getting hit from behind and how careless drivers are. Then he mentions how crazy he was to have been riding his bike on the road these last few years. He talks like he is never going to ride on the road again. I dropped the subject, but down inside it kind of got to me. It is hard enough for the regular driving masses to even consider riding a bike to work. But, now I have a seasoned biker who is now scared to ride on the road. I can appreciate the concern he might have, but doesn't everything in life has some risk? Isn't driving your car an inherently risky endeavor? Aren't there something like 40,000 people killed each year in America from auto accidents?
I guess I am just still in a traffic rant, but where does it end? Everyone keeps complaining about how bad traffic is, but they just keep on driving. Do people not realize that they are the problem? Until people stop driving so much, none of these issues will get any better.
I am reminded of an article I read a while back on culturechange.org. It was something about horses and cars. If the rider of a horse let go of the reins, the horse would do its best to avoid trouble. If a driver of a car let go of the steering wheel, the car was all to happy to go crashing into the nearest obstacle in its path. Not that I am for going back to riding horses...well, almost.

Traffic Problems – the Only Real Solution

Last night I attended a local meeting at our public middle school on traffic and safety around the school. We have had some incidents recently and over that last few years with students getting hit by cars at a busy intersection near the school. This meeting had our local councilman, a member of the school board, a traffic engineer, a nurse from the area children’s trauma hospital, and a few of our local enforcement officers in attendance. Part of the meeting was so our council member could boast about some measures he has taken to help with the traffic on our busy road and improvements with regard to the safety of the pedestrians (mostly children). I must give him credit for acknowledging the problem and at least making an effort. Although, I do recall that the major intersection where there are now stoplights, no turn on red signs, and countdown timers for pedestrians crossing did not exist before a school aged child was killed crossing there. When that tragedy happened there was no stop sign, no traffic light, nothing. But, it usually takes a tragedy to happen before any action takes place. OK, back to the meeting. The focus of the meeting was about measures that the city is planning to help ease the flow of morning and afternoon “drop-off” and “pick-up” traffic around the school. These measures were mainly just some re-striping of the lanes on the adjacent roads to allow left and right turn lanes, and take away a few on-street parking places near the intersections. It was enough to make some people feel good, but I don’t think it is nearly enough. The problem is that there is just simply too much traffic for the area. There is really little anyone can do to relieve the congestion and improve the safety except reduce the number of vehicles coming through the area. The school and surrounding neighborhood was built about 40 years ago when there was not so much traffic. That was when nearly all students walked or biked to school. Now they are all chauffeured to school by a parent. Everyone is scared to walk to school because of so much traffic. Yet, they are contributing to the very problem they want to solve. I wonder how many people see the irony in that?
If you want to see our roads get safer, there are two things I know of that can help. The first thing costs you nothing and you can start doing it the next time you get in your car – slow down. Just try driving at or even a little below the speed limit. I know, it is a pretty far out concept, but don’t worry…you will actually get to your destination about the same time you would have by speeding. The second option, and I know this one is a killer, is to not drive everywhere. If your destination is within a half mile to a mile, why not try walking? It really won’t take much longer that driving, and I know everyone can use the exercise. And, if you are really a crazy wacko, you can try riding a bike to some of the local destinations. I know it sounds absurd, but believe me, it is doable. I have done it several times. You just gotta try it. The bottom line is that nothing is going to solve traffic problems until there are fewer cars on the road.

The Death of Stillness

The Death of Stillness, I like that title. This is from an article on the Eartheasy web site by Richard Mahler. Taking time to be still and be in a quiet space gets harder each day. Everyone is always “busy” and surrounded by numerous distractions that we cannot seem to live without. We are never far from cell phones, PDAs, laptop computers, video games, TVs, and radios (oops, I mean MP3 players, or make that Ipods. Radios are so last century;-). The Industrial Age and the Information Age were supposed to make everyone’s lives easier and give us much more leisure time. And yet, everyone is always busy. Busy doing what?

When do we get the opportunity to really be away from it all? How far do you have to go to get completely away from the man made world and truly experience the solitude of nature? How far do you have to go to truly experience quiet? How many people ever even take the time to find out? Solitude and quiet time are necessary to get the mind and spirit refocused. It helps to bring clarity back to our thinking. It reduces stress.

We are not talking about a one or two week vacation once a year here. There needs to be at least a few minutes of quiet everyday. The body, mind, and spirit need to get completely unplugged from the busy world and given the chance to re-center itself. Try finding that place of quiet and stillness everyday. It might just save your life.

Wasting Time

One thing I need to learn to do better is waste time. I don’t mean mindlessly watching TV, but really taking time out to do nothing – just be. I recently had an opportunity to try it. I was putting our kids to bed while my wife was attending a school parent teacher meeting. I read to my son and got him in bed. I then read to my daughter and got her tucked in and was ready to leave the room. She said she wanted me to stay with her until mommy got home. OK, I’ll sit with you for a few minutes. As I am watching her slowly begin to doze off, I look around the room. One of our cats is lying on the floor. I notice how quiet it is in the house. There is no TV, just the radio next to her bed playing soft soundscape music very quietly. And then…I begin to think of all the things I need to or should be doing right now. My mind is rushing around while I am sitting still in the quiet. Why is it so hard just to sit and be still for even a few minutes? I tried my best to push away all the thoughts of stuff that I “need” to be doing. I just sat on the bed and watched my daughter fall asleep. That was the only thing that I needed to be doing. Nothing else really matters. The few moments like these are the ones that will make a difference to me years from now. I hope I can remain aware enough to recognize these moments when they happen. It would really be a shame to miss them.

How to change the world in 10 easy steps

Just a quick entry here to reference an article on changing the world regarding raising awareness of peak oil and global climate change...
Change the world in 10 easy steps

Conservative Does not Mean Conservation

There is more and more attention being made to global climate change and oil dependency lately, from both sides of the political arena. Even the conservative republicans are talking about it. A recent letter from our Republican Assembly person addressed measures to deal with “global warming”. She mentions that she is backing the President’s call to the American people to join the fight against global warming and oil dependency. This follows in line with California’s plans to reduce greenhouse gases and pollution over the coming years. There is mention of a “transition away from fossil fuels”, “demand for cleaner fuels”, and “clean tech investment”. Even BP (British Petroleum) is mentioned, as they will award $500 million for “Big Science” research into green energy. Chevron and ConocoPhillips are included because they want to create alternatives to fossil fuels. Well, of course they do! They all know that cheap oil is running out. Wouldn’t they be smart to get ahead of the “alternative fuels” craze so they can maximize their profits from them? What is really missing here is any mention of the word conservation. You never hear it mentioned in main-stream media. There is only talk of creating the miracle “alternative fuel” that will save us all and let us keep on living like we have been with cheap oil. Some big company or the government will save us – just in the nick of time. I am also displeased with the attitude that this is a “fight” against global warming and oil dependency. It is like they are an enemy. Well, they kind of are – ones that we created. There is no fighting necessary. Conservation of our resources can go a long way to creating a winning situation for all.

Going Green, at What Cost?

"Green" is in. Even the general public is aware of it. Al Gore is pushing it. You can buy compact fluorescent bulbs to replace your energy wasting incandescent bulbs. You can buy a nice little hybrid car to save on the consumption of gas and cut down on the emissions. You can buy a new energy-efficient refrigerator to save on the electricity that old energy-wasting one is consuming. Yes, these are all noble ideas. And yes, using these items will produce less pollution than their typical alternatives; either by directly producing less pollution, or by using less electricity, which in turn pollutes less. But of course, like most things in our world, there are downsides to using these. Let's start with the compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL). If you ask anyone what they can do in their own home to save electricity and "save the world", one of the first things you will hear is replace you regular light bulbs with CFLs. They do use much less energy, plus they do not give off as much heat as regular bulbs. (Most of the energy that goes into regular bulbs are wasted in heat). Well, here is the catch. These CFLs contain mercury - a neurotoxin. Mercury leaking into the ground and then into our water is bad. Breathing the vapors from a broken bulb containing mercury is bad. And, what do you do with that CFL when it eventually goes bad? You throw it in the trash, right? And where does the trash go? To a landfill. From here, the broken bulb can leak the mercury into the ground. Sure, there is only a small amount of mercury in each bulb. But, as more and more people become "green", there will be more and more mercury going into the ground and water. Wait, what about recycling these CFLs to keep that bad mercury out of our water? Well, yes you can - if you can find a place that takes them for recycling. You cannot simply but these in your curbside recycling. You must find a place that takes them. You may be fortunate enough to have such a place in your town. For others, the nearest place could be many, many miles away. Are most people going to take the effort to take these to a recycling center? Nope. They just chuck them in the trash. The bulbs eventually get broken, either in the trash can, the trash truck, or in the landfill. Let's not forget that our trash collectors and landfill operators are probably breathing in the toxic mercury vapors every day.
Hybrid cars are good, they produce much less pollutants into the air, and are more fuel efficient. What could be wrong with that? Part of the problem with this, as well as with buying new energy-efficient appliances , is that there is more to pollution and energy consumption than just the operation of the item. Sure, your hybrid car produces less pollution while you are driving it, but what about the pollution created in making the car, and in destroying the car once it is discarded? The operating life cycle of a car only produces about 1/3 of the pollution. The making and disposing of the car produces the other 2/3. So, if you have a good working but less efficient car, then trade it for a hybrid, how much of the world have you really saved? Not only does your old car need to eventually be disposed, but now you have another car that will need disposing. With hybrids we also have to deal with disposing of the batteries, too. If your current car is beyond its usefulness, and you need to replace it anyway, getting a hybrid may be a good option then. But, just replacing your good working car for a hybrid really is not all that "green" overall. Maybe the better option is the sell or trade the old car and get another "less-used" car. You are cutting out the 1/3 production part of the cycle of pollution and energy consumption, since someone else has already paid for that part. If more people purchased used cars, we could actually reduce quite a bit of pollution and save a lot of raw materials.
A similar philosophy applies to things like appliances. If your old refrigerator is worn out and not worth repair, then buying a new energy-efficient one makes sense. To dispose of an older, but still good working one, just to get a new one, doesn't. First of all, it will probably take you a few years before the new one pays for itself in reduced energy bills. And, there is the whole making and disposing part of the pollution equation.
All this does not mean that we should just give up on these types of things. We just need to think of the bigger picture than just the actual operating savings or pollution. We should think of what we do with things in our lives this way, and in this order: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.

The Winning Attitude

The Superbowl was won yesterday by the Colts who beat the Bears. However, this isn’t about the game itself. This is about a coach who won the ultimate American football prize, the nice way. Tony Dungy is a coach who never talks down to his players or yells at them. He does not swear. He does not raise his voice. After the win, he acknowledged that you can do it “the Lord’s way” and succeed in the NFL. Most people would disagree, but he did it. He did not thank God for their win, as a lot of people do. Come on now, do you think God plays favorites? Why did the other team loose? Did they not pray hard enough? Nope, it is not about that. This is a coach who walks the walks every day. He leads by example. When you are genuinely nice, people notice. Dungy has the winning attitude. It’s the deep down desire to treat people with respect. If more people had it, the world would be a much, much better place.

Inspiring Poem

A little poem I am stealing to keep here as inspiration. I first saw it here. Then I found out it was written by Ella Wheeler Wilcox. I guess she was smart woman.

“It is easy enough to be pleasant, When life flows by like a song. But the man worth while is the one who can smile, when everything goes dead wrong.”

Great Quote

Here is a great quote I just stole off the internet...I hope the author doesn't mine.

"Bicycle wheels are actually Tibetan prayer-wheel substitutes. The more wheels that are spinning at any moment, the better the universe functions."

-Alan Goggins, CA; retired commuter
(“The Big Question”, Bicycling Magazine, March 2007)

Have a Mindful Year

The start of the year is a good time to re-evaluate goals and priorities. In general, resolutions are a waste of time, but reflecting on the past year and determining what we can improve upon can be helpful. Becoming aware of what to change or improve upon is the first step. Changing your attitude is the next. I have become aware that there can be great value in being mindful of ones thoughts and actions. Taking the time to really think about what you are doing and why can give you great control over your life. Be aware of the present moment. Are you acting out of habit, or are you evaluating why you are doing what you are? Are your actions helpful or harmful to you or others? Are they improving your quality of life or needlessly wasting valuable hours? In addition to being mindful of your actions, consider taking the time to be grateful for the things around you on a daily basis. Even offer gratitude for the simplest of things. When you are in a grateful state of mind, the daily things that make up life feel much more fulfilling. Try it.

Oh, what a ride!

Over the holiday break I got the opportunity to go on a bike ride. Over the last year, just about all of my bike riding has been commuting. It was quite a treat to get out for a ride on my “fast” bike. What a mental shift it was to just go riding without any obligation to get somewhere. I had forgotten how liberating it is to get out and ride just to ride. I have got to do more of this type of riding this year.