Virescent

In preparation for National Bike to Work Day Friday, a couple of articles on How We Bike. Reuter’s says “Less”, in the last couple of years- but now that gas is getting more expensive, maybe “More”.

According to the National Sporting Goods Association, the number of Americans who bike “frequently” — 110 days a year or more — fell almost 10 percent in 2007 to 3.7 million people.

Similarly, the number of people who ride bikes at least six times a year fell to 35.6 million in 2006, the lowest since the survey began in 1984, from 56.3 million in 1995.

They think this may have to do with parents not allowing kids to bike on “unsafe” streets, and people getting older and being less physically active. A friend pointed out it may have to do with increased availability of public transportation. I think it may also have something to do with growing suburbanization. People are living further and further from work in all the new developments springing up, so it’s impractical to bike to where ever they work.

But I understand the national hesitation. It’s scary riding a bike down a highway, or through a city- our streets are designed for cars, and maybe pedestrians, but not bikes. The article mentions that when bikers are given lanes, the incidence of biking increases.

Tomorrow is the day to test it out. (Or Monday. Or any day! Any day you like!) There are detailed maps of Alexandria’s bike paths at the LocalMotion website- and they also have links to maps of bike paths in DC, Arlington, Fairfax, and a few other places in Virginia linked at the bottom. The Meet-up for Alexandria bikers is at Market Square- on King Street in front of City Hall- tomorrow, and you might also find some experienced bikers to ride with toward your destination there.

Maybe you already bike to work, though. Maybe you are ready to really get into biking rights, to get in those automobile’s faces and claim the roads. Take a cue from these people in LA, who’ve organized large biking groups to take the freeways at rush hour- given the state of transportation in LA, they move faster than the cars do. Sure, it’s technically illegal, but it’s certainly a statement. The bi-renegades are trying to raise awareness of the need for better transportation infrastructure, especially bike-safe roads. They’re catching flak from bikers who’d like to work with the city to change transportation systems, and from angry car drivers who consider them a menace. But they contend that the only way to drive change is to show how broken our systems are, so the illegal rides might continue.

There you have it. Beginner or bone-fide biking beast, have a great time tomorrow!

The event is sponsored by the Washington Area Bicycle Association (WABA), and rallies have been organized at “pit stops” around the region. They’re printing up 7000 teeshirts, so you’ll be biking in good company- they promise biker convoys.  In Alexandria, the rally features food and raffles and such.  Maybe I should bike over to the rally, then walk to work.  Only the raffle prize is a free bike, and I already have one bike I don’t use enough.

So do it!  My commute is so short now as to not justify biking- I’ll be walking.  But if you want to borrow my bike…

Well, lots of people. NYC is walkable. And Subwayable. And busable. But it’s always jammed with cars and trucks and limos and taxis. Where do those people come from (probably not Manhattan)? Where are they going? They’re certainly not getting there too fast. Yesterday the NY City Council, at the urging of Mayor Bloomburg, sent a “home rule message” on to the state government in Albany- they want to start charging cars that drive below 60th street in Manhattan. 8$ a trip, and 21$ for trucks. They’re going to use the money to improve public transport in the city.

The new Dem Governor Paterson and the old Rep Senate Majority Leader Bruno both are in favor of the measure, which has to be passed by the state government by April 7th in order to receive a bucketful of federal funds for the project. The Dem Speaker Silver doesn’t seem too pleased with the bill, and it will probably need his support to get through.

While the politicians wrangle, the people complain. They complain of already-crowded subways, of pollution from the traffic, about being charged to move around in their own city, about all the taxis with only one passenger, about higher and higher taxes, about limited access for the poor, about just wanting some time on their own on the drive to work: they complain about everything, really.

The probable pros of the plan include reduced emissions in the city, fewer accidents, more carpooling, time (and gas, thus money) saved for everyone who continues to drive, revenue for the city, and improvements to the bus and Subway systems that would be greatly appreciated. Cons include possible loss of income for businesses, and um. Doubts that it will work? That seems to be most of the practical argument against it- the public transit won’t get better, the state will be a jerk and do something else with the money, whatever. London experienced similar complaints and obstacles when it implemented its congestion pricing plan, but has seen success in trip reduction, pollution reduction, and trip time reduction- and only a very small loss of business revenue attributable to the congesting pricing. That doesn’t mean that people in London love the idea and think it’s working well, though.

The argument comes down to one of ideology. There’s little doubt that the measure would clear the air and the roadways, and favor more efficient (better) systems of transport. That’s good for the city. For the citizens though? Does a tax or toll on where one drives represent an unacceptable limitation on human freedom?

Nope, unless you can point me to the section in the constitution where “driving whenever and wherever I feel like for free” is listed. Roads are public areas, sure- except they’re owned and maintained by the public, the government, and the government has a right to limit access to them. Plus, they’re not limiting access to the roads- you can still take a Subway or bus or bike or walk below 60th as usual- you can even still drive or taxi, you’ll just be paying for the privilege. Even limited-government libertarians like user fees, right?

I’m sure the plan could be better than it is. I’d like to see it include more bike lanes and safe bike racks. I’d like to see them put a concerted effort into fixing up the public transport before they institute the charge, to give people an attractive alternative (and put to rest many of the complaints about the plan in the first place). But I think congestion pricing is a good thing for NYC.

Of course, I never intended to drive there anyway.

Tomorrow: monthly goal update!

As of March 5th, this blog was six months old. As of September, I’ve started packing my own lunches, biking to work (when I wasn’t riding the bus), made a shopping bag and “audited” my plastic use, tried out some resolutions to make my holiday season sustainable, culled my belongings, and attempted composting a few times- all in an effort to live better, whatever that means. Biking and culling were the biggest successes. I haven’t started a good composting culture yet, and I have still have an odd relationship with plastics.

The biggest change I’ve made, though, wasn’t due to a monthly goal at all. By moving to Old Town (necessitating the culling and negating the biking to work), I’ve decreased my footprints of all kinds (except the kind that I actually walk with). It’s allowed me to sleep more, get more exercise, and use stairs at home instead of the elevator. After the flurry of move-driving, my car sat unused for almost a week: barring some specific errands and classes, it’ll stay right where it is. Since it’s been sitting, the price of gas has gone up 15 cents a gallon. The closest grocery stores- Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Giant, MOM’s, and the farmer’s market- are all well stocked with organic and/or locally grown foods. Now I have to pay utilities separately, and I can have more direct control over how much energy I use- since I’ll know how much it is. And I have three house mates who are wonderful, and wonderfully tractable, and whom I’m secretly (not very secretly) hoping to inflame.

Inflame with sustainability, that is. Anyway. A while back, I took myself to task for not having defined what sustainability means. I’ve worked on that a bit, and I’ve come up with something round about but better than nothing.

One definition of sustainable living isn’t going to pertain to everyone- and it shouldn’t. Everyone’s got a different pet “green” issue- no plastic vs no cars vs global warming doesn’t exist because it’s cold out vs no nukes, etc. I’m not a zealous environmentalist. I don’t think this problem can be solved with one fix (no oil!). In order to live sustainably, I must first and foremost be an open environmentalist, willing to consider differing points of view, and informed enough to determine which makes sense. Next, I must live practically and thoughtfully, with a view to finances and the human, environmental, and moral costs of my actions. Under this all, though, I must be able to live- work and play and learn and all that stuff. So much of sustainability is seen as limiting- we can’t do this because of those whiny polar bears, we can’t eat that because of the toxic wastes. I think the emphasis should be on how much can we do, individually and as humanity, while still living within sensible boundaries- how much can I do with how little?

The unanswered question there is, how little is little enough? I’ll leave that hanging for now. I suspect it has something to do with “little enough so that everybody can use the same amount”, but given the different ways to measure that (carbon footprint? resource use?), and that merely by living in the US I’m using way more than my fair share, it’s intractable. The answer to climate change and sustainable living is not “move to a developing nation and start subsistence farming”.

I think large environmental issues will only be solved through meaningful government and industry action, and only after we make some big technological innovations. I’m not holding my breath for government or industry help, though, and I’ll do my small part to vote with magic machines and my money (for all it’s still worth) in the meanwhile.

That’s what I’ve got. Muddled, but let me know what you think. I appreciate discourse, after all- that’s first!

Odds and Ends: I never did hang up that biodegradable plastic bag from Harris Teeter outdoors (I forget where I promised this, but I did, and someone asked a while ago, and I still haven’t done it). When I find one, I’ll hold onto it until I get some duct tape, and fulfill my promise. Also, remember that debate I was having with the conservative blogger? It’s been so long since she called environmentalists Nazis and cited the Heartland Institute as a more authoritative body than the IPCC on the question of climate change that you’ve probably forgotten- I had, hurrah for archives. I pointed out certain factual and logical inaccuracies, she responded with silence, so I’ll take the Godwin’s Law victory and let it lie.

Thanks for your time, and your comments, and I’m excited for the next parts.  Keep coming back, but, oh ho, you’ll have to, since I cleverly told you all about the last six months without revealing March’s goal!  Mua hahaha.  Ha.  I’ll let you know once I think of it, or by Wednesday.

Handmade update: Knit scarf, three inches done, one completed stripe.

And Happy Whatever You Do to you and yours.

See, it’s a metaphor: my ecofriendly transport, wrapped in the inefficient lights. I’m getting better, but I’ve got a ways to go.

I’ll declare it official. I rode in today, did not injure myself in the slightest, and figured out what all those gears are for: now, I am a person with a bike. My nice Biking Person even fully secured my crate, so I’m in business! Specifically, the business of riding my bike around for no money. I’ll keep it up- and declare a new (goal for the month) now. I’m going to work on cutting down on plastics: getting and using my own grocery bags, examining food packaging, finding recycling options, perhaps even committing some crafts- whatever I can think of (or YOU can think of. Tell me! I’ll do it!) to not have to throw away plastic stuff this month. I use the term “month” loosely, of course. I am aiming for “life” here- but I’ll start with this month.

This week, The Economist’s environmental topics column green.view is on the Prince of Monaco and his environmental efforts (one example: environmental taxes on the annual yacht show: oh, the life!). But he is being criticized for not having done more already. Skeptical Columnists: “If you care so much about the environment, Prince Albert, why aren’t you offsetting the entire country’s carbon outputs and being the first country to go carbon neutral? Kvetch Moan Judge.” Can princes, or even people, who care about the environmental impacts of their actions still do non-environmental things? Or do they have to abandon all unsustainable ways of life immediately and huddle in fields for warmth, moving every 15 minutes so as to not disturb the plants beneath? I bet you know what I think the answer is. An earlier green.view presents the arguments of the people who think that population reduction is the only way to save the planet. Scary, hunh! Both of these columns go on to point out that a balance between humans and nature must be struck (and that rising population is not tied to increased environmental destruction, so we don’t need to kill anyone off). Moderation is a good answer- it’s worked since at least the Greeks. Our current mode of life is unsustainable, yes. Changing our lifestyles and developing the technologies that reduce our impacts on the earth is going to take time, and much more combined effort than Monaco raising yacht taxes.

Some groups are encouraging lifestyle changes by taxing each other, and trading their own carbon credits in groups of 15 or so. It’s a start. People are encouraged by group meetings, “confession”, and occasionally fines to keep their emissions below a certain level, and to reduce them steadily. So yes, Skeptical Columnists, we’re not all sustainable yet, but take a (short) cold shower and change out your own lightbulbs (CFLS, please!). Then start encouraging concrete, discrete changes, lead by example, laud good faith efforts, and stop throwing the first stone at your own glass house because of the log in your eye. And Monaco will get there.

One last thing: Monaco can’t be the first carbon neutral country, since The Vatican already is. Thanks to a donation from Hungary, their carbon emissions for the next few years will be offset with the planting of a forest. The Pope is teaching respect for the environment as a gift from God. He’s also focusing attention on the issue since environmental changes disproportionately impact the world’s poor: his efforts are paying off in the Philippines. Talk about leading by example.

I secured the crate on my bike today, and packed up to bike to work. I got a little lost, dropped my milk crate, found my milk crate, found myself, got really sore legs, almost got hit by a car, was blinded by the morning sun, and whanged my ankle so hard on a pedal while walking my bike that I limped until lunch. And it was all fantastic! No, seriously. I’m starting to understand Biking Persons better. The views from a bike are much better than from the bus, the air is much fresher, there are way more creepy tunnels and underpasses to zoom through, and a lot of people are out walking adorable dogs, so you can say good morning to them and be very pleased you’re not picking up dog doo at 7am. At work, my bike looked very fetching parked with all its new bike friends.

A view from my route: this is my creepy tunnel. And that is inside my creepy tunnel. It’s one of many tunnels on the path, but it’s definitely the creepiest. But it’s cool, Mom! The path is well-marked and safe. I learned that a) my bike needs a few adjustments; b) I am out of shape to an Escheresque degree; and c) my milk crate has too many degrees of freedom with it’s current 1-bungee attachment. These are all easily fixed, and I’m very happy with the project: it’s wonderful to get home after work and feel the deserved dual exhaustions of a long workday and a good workout. Also, it turns out that my gel seat pad is strong evidence for the benevolence of God.

I also made it to Politics and Prose tonight, saw part of the talk, and picked up Break Through. Nordhaus, or perhaps Shellenberger, told me that they were under the impression that the book was printed on recycled paper. I didn’t press the non-toxic ink point. These guys talked a lot about Big Things, and sweeping cultural change, and massive economic restructuring, and other Important Stuff, but this book is not about what ordinary people can do to live a sustainable life, except I guess become lobbyists for their movement. I’ll let you know if it’s worth a gander once I read it.

I bought a bike Friday from Phoenix Bikes, which is a non-profit organization that takes old and donated bikes and repairs them for resale. Plus they teach kids how to repair and ride bikes, which is wholesome and commendable. It’s located in Arlington behind the Barcroft Park recreation center. My bike is a Peugeot, probably a model from the 1970s, and a good friend who is one of those biking people helped me pick it out, and gave invaluable advice on alterations and necessary accessories. The first lesson I learned about bike-buying was this, actually: Find someone nice who is a Biking Person and ask them. S/he will be able to tell you what to look for in a bike, and the stuff you will need along with your bike. S/he might also be able to fix your bike for you if it breaks, which is crucial. The second thing I learned about bike buying is that it’s probably going to cost more than you think, especially if you want to ride at all after dark. The Peugeot was an incredible $75, though most of the other adult bikes at Phoenix- and they had a great selection of bikes in really good shape- were from $125-175. For a more general comparison, in Spokes (a fancy bike-stuff store with several locations in Nova) I didn’t see a bike under $350 (though I didn’t look hard), and Wal-mart sells bikes for around $150.

Once you’ve got a bike, you’ll need a helmet (around $40 at the bike store, around $20 at Wal-mart). After that, gear is partially optional. Head and tail lights and reflectors are a good idea, and necessary after dark. Since I’ll be using the bike to commute, I also need a lock- on loan from my friend now- and a pack big enough for my lunch and a change of clothes, since I’ll be showering at work. Given the frequency of the commute, I’ll also need more exercise clothing, so that my cycling is not entirely laundry-dependent. In terms of luxuries, I sprang for a gel seat pad, because bike seats, especially old French ones, are tortuous. My bike came with a rack (which I considered a necessity), and I’ll be attaching a milk crate to it with a bungee cord, to make an ultra-stylish lunch/grocery carrier. So I got my set-up for ~$200, and the only other things I have left to buy are my own lock, a few clothes, and a car carrier for my bike, in case of not biking. Some of the items I got I could have gotten for less, and some aren’t entirely necessary, so a good kit could end up being ~$200 total if you prioritize and shop around.

The next step is to actually ride the thing, which I am looking forward to now that I have that gel pad. Alexandria has an extensive map of local bike paths, and one of them just happens to run right from my apartment complex to right near my office. From one jog along it, I remember it has a long creepy tunnel and a small ford.

The last thing I learned about bike-buying is that it’s difficult to get bike stuff from a Biking Person. This Biking Person will assume that you are a Biking Person yourself, when in reality, you may just want to be a person with a bike. Having my Biking Person friend around was a huge help, since he could deal with the other Biking Person in their code language, and explain it to me. I went to the bike shop all by myself, but I did feel intimidated by the Biking salesPersons, at least until I found my gel seat pad. Then I knew everything would be ok.

This month’s goal is progressing pretty well. I’ve been packing my lunch in this convenient and attractive rocket ship lunchbox, and keeping track of the things I still throw away in order to make/eat it. I’m wrapping my sandwiches in aluminum foil, since it’s easier to recycle (toss it in with the cans) as long as it’s clean- plus if you fold it gently, you can reuse it once or twice, so that’s cut down on plastic bags. The oatmeal creme pies are a constant source of package waste, as well as the granola bars, so either I need to find unwrapped snack foods, or snack foods with recyclable packaging. Apple cores I generally toss also, but as soon as I start composting I can start bringing those home, too.

Once I got used to the idea of thinking about lunch before 11:30am the day of, and procured a lunchbox, packing lunches was a lot simpler than I thought it would be. The food tastes a lot better than the frozen dinners I used to bring. I have spent more time cooking, but that’s not altogether a bad thing, though it takes a lot more thought at the grocery store. The nice thing is I can make a few things on Sunday (some chicken, some pasta, some other type of pasta) and have enough to combine in various containers throughout the week, so by “more time cooking” I mean “I have to cook one night.” This is a very large change for me. I feel like it might be building character, and now I finally have something to do with my cookbooks besides display them in an attractive manner.

I’ll have the final update (will she continue to purchase oatmeal creme pies?) in a couple weeks, but in the meantime, (goal for the month) I’ll be gathering the necessary equipment (bike, helmet, other things are also involved, I am led to understand) and starting to bike to work. This is more of a challenge than last month, since I like food, but I don’t very much like biking. The thing is I probably like jogging less than biking, so by biking to work I will feel compelled to jog less often. Expect photos of the ford I will have to cross on my way (yes, I will ford a stream on my ride to work) and my bicycle basket/rocket ship lunch box launch pad.