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.

Transit agencies honored as ‘Bicycle Friendly Businesses’

The League of American Bicyclists has released this year's list of Bicycle Friendly Business awardees. Most interesting to me are transit agencies profiled among this year’s awardees. In the words of Rob Borowski, sustainability officer with Capitol Metropolitan Transportation Agency, “It’s only natural” to connect bikes and transit. “It’s the best way to expand the transit shed, and it greatly increases the flexibility of both modes of transportation.”

MicroLED lights for night bicycling

Winter holidays coincide with the year’s fewest hours of daylight and it gets dark ever earlier. Fortunately MicroLED lights lend a festive flair to my rides. They were an early Christmas gift from Jonathan. Add a bright yellow-green reflective rain jacket from the local hardware store and I’m confident that I’m doing the utmost I can to make myself visible to motorists.