Cargo shorts redeem cargo skirt’s cycling ‘fail’

My transition into a full-time cyclist came with a learning curve, specifically concerning which clothes work, which clothes don’t work but can be made better and which clothes will NEVER work.

In the case of clothing that will NEVER work, I have to simply start over.

A cargo skirt from an online retailer fell into the NEVER-work category. The skirt was great! It had plenty of pockets, which were definite pluses to a person who does not want to be encumbered by carrying a bag. But the skirt also offered too little room to move in, for me to safely ride my bicycle.

If it was simply a matter of length, I could have worked with the skirt by wearing it with leggings or such. But being difficult to move in, sealed the skirt’s fate.

I sent the skirt back to the online retailer and opted instead for shorts that came with all the same wonderful features: My favorite color! Plenty of pockets! But in contrast to the skirt, the shorts provide an advantage of being easy to move in on a bicycle. And that makes all the difference.

Rogue Commute Challenge update

One workplace down: the Ashland School District has formed a Rogue Commute Challenge team. I am now promoting formation of a team at the church where I work.

Rogue Commute Challenge

In the spirit of reducing our carbon footprint, of enhancing personal wellness and honoring the interdependent web of life, I'm asking co-workers if they'd be interested in forming “Rogue Commute Challenge” teams.

Local businesses form teams and from May 9 to 15, participants log their walking, biking, carpooling, teleworking and transit trips into the “DriveLessConnect” database.

At the end of the week, trip miles and team participation will be totaled and a Rogue Valley workplace will be declared winner of the 2016 challenge. Individual participants are also eligible for prizes.

Winter cycling depends on infrastructure, maintenance

In winter, non-cyclists often volunteer their opinion that it’s too cold or too wet to ride — in spite of being confronted by the contrary evidence of my being out and about by bicycle.

‘The Red Bicycle’ by Jude Isabella

In North America, a young boy, Leo, saves the money he earns by doing work for his neighbors so that he can purchase a new bicycle. When he outgrows “Big Red,” his beloved red bicycle, he donates it to a bike-relief organization that transports it to the West African country of Burkina Faso.

“Big Red’s” story is told in The Red Bicycle by Jude Isabella with illustrations by Simone Shin (Kids Can Press, 2015).

This book offers an informative look at what can be accomplished by bicycle, when the luxury and privilege of automobile driving simply do not exist.

Take back the tap for ‘environmental justice’

Ashland Food Co-op in Ashland, Ore. has eliminated the
sale of single-serving bottled water.
Photo from the Ashland Food Co-op website, www.ashlandfood.coop 

Continuing with my suggestion that a nonprofit organization focus on individual impacts as part of an “Environmental Justice” campaign, “taking back the tap” could be another essential plank in an “Environmental Justice” platform.

‘Environmental Justice’ campaign must emphasize personal choices

In correspondence to an organization planning an “Environmental Justice” campaign, I urged that it consider the role of individual choices made by organization members.