(SFFO "NFSJDBO No. 78 Fall 2009
The Social and Environmental Issues of Our Times.
Reclaiming the Streets
Take Back Your Neighborhood Our best strategies for creating the walkable, bikeable community of your dreams. 31 Ways to Walk More, Bike More Have fun, save money, and get healthy! Race, Poverty, and Transportation How transportation—or lack thereof— impacts low-income communities of color. The New Electric and Plug-In Cars Climate-friendly vehicles are coming to a showroom near you!
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Table of Contents Fall 2009, Issue #78 Across Green America
Green America is dedicated to creating a just and sustainable society by harnessing economic power for positive change. Green America’s unique approach involves working with both the consumer (demand) and business (supply) sides of the economy simultaneously.
In Cooperation....................................................................................... 2 Dancing in the Streets, by Alisa Gravitz
The Mail................................................................................................. 3
Green America’s programs are designed to: 1) Educate people about how to use their spending and investing power to bring the values of social justice and environmental sustainability into the economy, 2) Help socially and environmentally responsible businesses emerge and thrive, and 3) Pressure irresponsible companies to adopt socially and environmentally responsible practices.
Climate Action....................................................................................... 4 Energy Regulatory Chair Says “No New Coal Plants” • Amazon.com, Universal News Help Save Forests • Green America Calls for Stronger Senate Climate Bill
Responsible Shopper. ............................................................................ 7 Organic Vs. Conventional Food Study May Be Flawed • Survey Shows BPA Still Lining Food Cans
Green Jobs..............................................................................................25
Here’s what you can do: Reduce, reuse, recycle, and repair to conserve and protect the Earth’s resources. Read the Green American and Real Green for sustainable living tips for you, your workplace, and your community.
Green America’s Fair Trade Tour • New Bill Aims to Revamp US Trade Agreements • RugMark to Launch New Label for Child-Labor-Free Carpets
Reallocate the purchases you make from irresponsible companies to socially and environmentally responsible businesses. Turn to Green America’s National Green Pages™ to find green businesses.
News from Green America’s Green Living Programs
Restructure the way America does business. Green America’s programs are supported almost entirely by contributions from our members. Individual memberships begin at $20, business memberships at $85. All members receive our publications and access to our services. Business membership, pending approval, also includes a listing in Green America’s National Green Pages™.
Green Business News. ......................................................................... 28 Green Businesses Lead in Going Car-Lite AP Photo/Springfield News-Leader, Bob Linder
Reinvest in the future through socially responsible investing. Turn to Green America’s Guide to Socially Responsible Investing as your financial planning handbook. Use the financial services of Green America business members.
Classifieds............................................................................................. 26 I am a Green American. ....................................................................... 27
Feature
Reclaiming the Streets Introduction...................................................... 8 Race, Poverty, and Transportation..................10 31 Ways to Walk More, Bike More.................. 11 Biking Made Easy. ............................................ 14 When You Drive, Go Electric!.......................... 16 Take Back Your Neighborhood........................ 18 Four High-Impact Ways to Work with City Leaders........................ 20
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As a national nonprofit 501(c)(3) membership organization, all contributions to Green America are tax-deductible. We welcome your membership and contributions. Green America 1612 K Street NW, Suite 600 Washington, DC 20006 800/58-GREEN • 202/872-5307 info@greenamericatoday.org
Find the following helpful tools and inspiring articles exclusively on our Web site, www.greenamericatoday.org/go/reclaimthestreets. • Our Car-Lite Worksheet helps you save money and time. • The story of an innovative employee car-pooling program. • How one avid cyclist started a community bike share. • How Phoenix bikes refurbishes old bikes while helping at-risk teens. • FAQs on electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. • Info on how mixed-use zoning can make your area more liveable.
Visit our Web sites: www.greenamericatoday.org • www.greenpages.org www.socialinvest.org • www.betterpaper.org www.boycotts.org • www.communityinvest.org www.fairtradeaction.org • www.greenfestivals.org www.realgreen.org • www.responsibleshopper.org www.solarcatalyst.org • www.sweatshops.org
Green America’s Board of Directors Mo Alem • Bernard Brennan Dana Christianson • Nikki Daruwala Paul Freundlich • Russ Gaskin Alisa Gravitz • Priya Haji • Kathy Harget Eric Henry • Andrew Korfhage • Todd Larsen
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p In Cooperation Dancing in the Streets And Other Ways the Green Economy Makes People Happy et’s not go back to business as usual. As I write these words, the short-term economic prospects seem to be looking up. By the time you read these words, the situation could have taken a turn for the even better—or the much worse. No one knows what’s around the economic corner. Will the economy continue to improve, providing relief to families everywhere who are suffering from conditions made worse by the most recent economic crisis? Or will another economic shoe drop? Yet, there’s one thing we do know: Regardless of what’s around the immediate corner, we are all living under an economic system that is unstable, fatally flawed, and generating untold human suffering and ecological destruction. To prevent greater disasters ahead, we need to speed the economy from greed to green. Simply put, short-term economic recovery or not, we can’t afford to go back to business as usual. The green economy offers great wisdom on how to fix the flaws of the current system. In our last issue of the Green American, we took a broad look at green economy solutions. In this issue, we dive deep into sustainable transportation—an issue at the heart of creating vibrant communities, tackling climate change, addressing economic injustice, and, as it turns out, improving happiness—yes, happiness. People who live in cities and towns where they can walk, bike, and take clean, on-time mass transit to jobs, local businesses, community centers, arts, and culture enjoy a much higher quality of life than people who live in car-dependent areas. In “Reclaiming the Streets” (p. 8), our editor Tracy Fernandez Rysavy points out that two organizations recently ranked the most liveable cities in the world. Not a single US city made the top 20 in either study, largely because of the ills stemming from our country’s unsustainable transportation system. It is time to reclaim our streets—and use the wisdom of the green economy to drive less, walk and bike more, and
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FALL 2009
redesign our cities to move from gridlock to green boulevards. “No one,” says Parris Glendening, former governor of Maryland, “chooses to be obese, in poor health, or stuck in traffic.” Yet we have a transportation system that undermines personal health and life quality—and is also at the root of the When Hasselt, Belgium, created a walkable, bikeable, community-centered downclimate crisis, local town, it fostered a renaissance in community life. Above, Hasselt citizens participate air pollution, sprawl, in a “street tango.” latest in technologies to make biking the loss of farmeasier (p. 14). land and green space, deteriorating Turn the pages to learn how one town centers and the demise of small city decided to scrap a proposed third business, dependence on foreign oil, beltway around town in favor of free and growing economic injustice, and frequent buses—and is now enjoyas people without cars can’t get to ing a major renaissance in community increasingly distant jobs. life (p. 8). People are literally dancing Meanwhile, our car-dependent sysin the streets (see photo above). tem’s vaunted benefits—the romance To get people walking, biking, and of the open road and one-persondancing in the streets in your commuper-vehicle driving conveniences—are nity, check out our four high-impact increasingly lost to traffic jams, high ways to work with city leaders (p. 20), blood pressure, and road rage. Injury paying special attention to reaching out and death from car accidents touch to communities of color (p. 10). And everyone’s lives. And the high cost check out the special features we have of owning and operating a car chews on our Web site—from a worksheet up an average of $9,000 per year you can use to go car-lite to how to start per vehicle on insurance, gas, and a bike share to FAQs on electric and car payments. plug-in hybrids (www.greenamerica Members tell us that doing sometoday.org/go/reclaimthestreets). thing about transportation is the most As we worked on this issue, what daunting part of their personal journeys was most exciting to me was learning to sustainability. As one member told all the ways that each of us can make us, “When it comes to greening my own a big difference on transportation, this life, driving is my Achilles’ heel.” central issue of sustainability. And Adding to that, the reality is that US how, more than ever, these solutions car companies are becoming smaller are needed in tough economic times. and smaller. They will no longer be the Let’s go forward to a green econoengines of the US economy. my that reclaims the streets and makes In short, we need green solutions healthier, more vibrant, economically to transportation that will power prosperous communities for all. us forward. Here’s to dancing in the streets, That’s why, in this issue, we take an in-depth look at how to reclaim the streets—in your own life, in your neighborhood, and in your community. Start with our 31 tips for adding more biking and Alisa Gravitz, Executive Director walking into your life (p. 11), and the
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The Mail
Sharing the Green EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Alisa Gravitz
Publications Staff Division Director Dennis F. Greenia EDITOR Tracy Fernandez Rysavy Associate EDITORS Natasha Abbas, Joelle Novey Senior Writer Sarah Tarver-Wahlquist EDITORial intern Cathy Wilson Editorial Advisors Alisa Gravitz, Denise Hamler, Todd Larsen online & special projects editor Andrew Korfhage GRAPHic Designer Jenny Thuillier illustrator Jem Sullivan PUBLISHER Denise Hamler Advertising MANAGER Rob Hanson green business sales & Development Coordinator Chip Py Additional advertising Natasha Abbas, Dennis Greenia, Denise Hamler, Chip Py
Development PROGRAMS directoR of Development Kathy Harget director of major gifts Christy Schwengel directoR of membership marketing Kelly Spring Direct marketing specialist Dana Christianson membership marketing COORDINATor Robin Wertheim
GREEN BUSINESS PROGRAMS DIVISION DIRECTOR Denise Hamler Deputy DIRECTOR Amy Belanger Green Business Division assistant Misha Deborah Clive business screening director Rebecca Shaloff senior researcher Tish Kashani BUSINESS membership coordinator Desireé Wolford green festival regional directors Chicago: Isabel Schecter, DC: Alix Davidson, Denver: Sarah Moss, San Francisco: Zakiya Harris, Seattle: Jenny Heins Special Projects & Advertising Manager Rob Hanson
corporate responsibility programs DIVISION & climate solutions DIRECTOR Todd Larsen Better Paper Project dIRECTOR Frank Locantore Better Paper Project coordinaTOR Keaty Gross responsible Shopper coordinator Victoria Kreha DIRECTOR, Social Investing & Strategic Outreach Fran Teplitz solar catalyst chief scientist Joe Garman
organizational systems chief business officer Russ Gaskin Director of Finance & Assistant Director of Administration Nora Marsh senior ACCOUNTant & benefits manager Linda Carpenter aCCOUNTs Receivable Jacqueline Petteway MEMBER SERVICES & operations manager Becky LaBounty Keyes MEMBER SERVICES Representative Talibah Morgan member services assistant Jesse DiLaura Data Entry Specialists Kitty Shenoy, Deanna Tilden ATTORNEY The Law Office of Lara Pearson, Ltd. technology director Mo Alem Senior Information systems analyst Bernadette Morales Gaskin technology consultant Hans Bauman Senior Web developer Shireen Karimi E-mail Communications Keaty Gross founder/president emeritus Paul Freundlich
Green American magazine (ISSN: 0885-9930) is free with Green America Individual Membership ($20/year) or Business Membership ($85/year). Back issues may be ordered for $6 by calling 800/58GREEN. We welcome requests to reprint articles; call 202/872-5327. To change your address or to receive information on membership or Green America’s Green Business Network™ services, call 202/872-5316 or e-mail info@greenamericatoday.org.
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I hope you are sending complimentary copies of your Spring 2009 Green American (From Green to Green) to cabinet ministers who should know about the work you have done for years. Your complimentary copy list should include the President. We have a local organization that has done groundbreaking work in keeping farmers on their land and building regional sustainability—a must for going from greed to green. CISA stands for Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture. Visit www.buylocalfood.com. Yes, it does seem we are living in a teachable moment, if you can find a way to reach beyond the choir. Claire L. Bateman Northampton, MA Editor’s Note: Claire, thanks for letting us know about this great resource. We agree—local, organic, healthy food for all is vital to a green economy. You’ll be happy to know that Green America executive director Alisa Gravitz has been sharing many of the ideas from the Spring 2009 Green American with the Obama Administration. She says they’re particularly interested in bolstering independent green businesses and in our idea for Green Energy Victory Bonds. Stay tuned to our publications and e-mail newsletter (sign up at www.greenamericatoday.org) for breaking news about these efforts.
Fall in Love with Your Bike All Over Again
In the last issue, Green America asked for ideas on growing the green economy (From Greed to Green, Spring 2009). I have fallen in love with biking. I used to get up in the morning and drive to the swimming pool or a hiking trail across town to get my workout. Now, I bike to work and 90 percent of my errands. Every day, I feed my whole self in one simple act—biking! I get exercise (physical), I slow down enough to see some of my neighbors (community), I get a taste of nature (spiritual), I save big time on gas money, and I save energy! Pam Wood E-mail
What Happened to the Holts?
I was wondering whatever happened to Sheila Holt-Orsted, who was featured in the Fall 2007 issue of Co-op America Quarterly (now the Green American)? Robert Moore E-mail Editor’s Note: We’re glad you asked, Robert. Sheila Holt-Orsted continues to work tirelessly against environmental racism around the country, while trying to get justice for her family.
Let us know what you think! We really love to hear from you. Call the editors at 202/872-5327, fax 202/331-8166, write the Green American, 1612 K St. NW, #600, Washington, DC 20006, or e-mail: editors@greenamericatoday.org. Subscription or member questions? Call us at 202/872-5316 or 800/58-GREEN, e-mail info@greenamericatoday.org, or write 1612 K St. NW, #600, Washington, DC 20006. As detailed in our article “Environmental Justice for All” in the Fall 2007 Getting to Zero Waste issue, Holt-Orsted’s father died of cancer and her brothers, sisters, and daughter all have health issues likely related to the highly carcinogenic and toxic trichloroethylene (TCE) contaminating the family’s well water. In the 1960s and ’70s, Scoville-Saltire dumped TCE in the landfill that sits 54 feet from the Holt farm. While the EPA and local authorities alerted white families in the area of the contamination in 1993, they did not warn the Holts until seven years later. (To read the article on the Holts, visit www.green americatoday.org/pdf/CAQ73.pdf.) Scoville-Saltire recently settled with the Holts for $2.6 million. Because it had also filed for bankruptcy, the company was legally required to pay only ten cents on the dollar of that amount, so the 12 members of the Holt family received $22,000 apiece. The NAACP filed a discrimination lawsuit and the National Resources Defense Council filed an environmental clean-up lawsuit against the city of Dickson, Dickson County, and the state of Tennessee on behalf of the Holts in 2007, both of which are set to go to trial in February 2010. “We have the top civil rights law firm and the top environmental law firm squaring off against the government,” says Holt-Orsted. “It’s going to be a battle, and the world will be watching.” Holt-Orsted gave a powerful talk about her ongoing battle at the Washington, DC, Green Festival in 2008. And on October 27th, HoltOrsted, Green America BEA Award-winner Dr. Robert Bullard, and representatives from impacted environmental justice communities across the South will hold a press briefing at 12:30 p.m. October 27, 2009, in front of the EPA Region 4 headquarters at 61 Forsyth St., Atlanta, GA. For more information, contact the Environmental Justice Resource Center at Clark Atlanta University, 404/880-6911, ejrc@cau.edu. “We’re trying to unite everyone in Region 4, highlighting the worst environmental racism cases from Kentucky to Florida, and asking the EPA for fundamental change in this beleaguered region” says Holt-Orsted. “We welcome all who want to join us—and bring signs!” Green America sent an e-mail alert to our members asking them to join the rally. To keep informed about future environmental justice efforts on behalf of the Holts and others, sign up for our e-mail newsletter at www.greenamericatoday. org, and visit Dr. Bullard’s Environmental Justice Resource Center Web site at www.ejrc.cau.edu. FALL 2009
Green American
Climate Action
www. climateacti o n. org
News and actions on curbing the climate crisis from Green America’s Climate Action program.
ast March, President Obama appointed Jon Wellinghoff as the new chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), which regulates the transmission of oil, electricity, and natural gas, as well as natural gas and hydropower projects. A month later, Wellinghoff set off a firestorm among critics when he noted that if the US ramps up renewable power sources as fast as he hopes, “we may not need any [coal and nuclear plants], ever.” Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC), a nuclear power advocate, was quick to respond that, “To suggest a few sources of alternative energy alone could handle our future energy needs—in place of new nuclear or coal plants— defies reality.” But Wellinghoff—a Green America member—agrees with Green America’s Solar Catalyst program that technology available today can be rapidly scaled up to provide power even in areas of the country with cloudy skies and low winds. For instance, Wellinghoff told the New York Times, present-day concentrated solar plants can store solar power for up to 15 hours. And the plug-in
Amazon.com, Universal News Help Save Forests
Online retail giant Amazon.com and online magazine retailer UniversalNews onDemand.com have launched a new campaign to promote magazine publishers that use post-consumer recycled paper—in partnership with Green America’s Better Paper Project and Next Steps Marketing. A tree is logged every second for magazine paper. Through the “Better Paper for People and Planet” promotion, Amazon now features a special section on its site for 35 “Recycled Paper Magazines,” including Shape, Fast Company, Mother Jones, ReadyMade, The Nation, and Every Day with Rachael Ray. Universal News highlights eight titles on its home page that print on recycled paper. “This step by the biggest online retailer is a crucial component of rewarding those magazines that are taking very real steps to reduce climate change and deforestation by using recycled paper,” says Frank Locantore, director of the Better Paper Project. The Better Paper Project is working to expand the promotion to other online and brick-and-mortar
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FERC
Energy Regulatory Chair Says “No New Coal Plants” L
FERC chair Jon Wellinghoff told a US Energy Assn. forum that the US may not need any new coal or nuclear plants ever, since renewables are becoming cheaper and the technology to store this energy more reliable.
hybrid electric vehicles coming to market in 2010 can also be used to store renewable power and feed it back into a “smart grid” during peak hours. (For more information, see p. 16.) Wellinghoff also told the Times that there’s more than enough renewable retailers, to help build awareness of magazines committed to environmental leadership.
Contact: Green America’s Better Paper Project, 202/872-5307, www.betterpaper.org. Amazon.com’s “Recycled Paper Magazines” section: www.amazon.com > books > magazines > recycled paper magazines. Find “Better Paper” magazines on the Universal News home page: www.UniversalNewsonDemand.com.
Green America Calls for Stronger Senate Climate Bill
In June, the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES) made history as the first climate change bill to pass the House and reach the Senate. Though the bill is an important first step toward increasing renewable energy and curbing the climate crisis, Green America and our allies are calling on the Senate to pass a stronger version of the ACES bill. The House version of the ACES bill sets a timetable for the US to reduce its global warming emissions 80 percent by 2050 through a combination of renewables, a smart grid, low-emission vehicles, and efficiency measures. Green America would like to see some vital changes made to the Senate version,
energy to meet demand, from “tremendous” solar in the Southwest to hundreds of gigawatts of developable wind power in the Midwest. And concurring with Green America’s Efficiency First! message, Wellinghoff said the US can reduce energy usage by 50 percent, so the rest of our energy needs can be easily covered by wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass. Wellinghoff’s comments are a slight departure from the Obama administration’s past stance on renewables. The president plans to ramp up renewable energy to meet 25 percent of US demand by 2025, though he has said new coal and nuclear plants will be necessary to meet demand in the meantime. Some Hill watchers view Wellinghoff as an energy maverick departing from the administration, but others say that his comments could signal a more hardline stance in favor of green energy by the administration. Contact: Keep informed about Green America’s efforts to advance green energy and curb climate change. Sign up for our free e-mail newsletter at www.greenamericatoday.org.
to strengthen the bill even more: • A faster timetable for the transition to solar, wind, and other renewables; • A cap on emissions that would reduce US greenhouse gases by 25 percent by 2020; • The exclusion of nuclear power as an energy source; • An increase in the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to clean up dirty coal plants; • A reduction in allocations for polluting companies, so they pay for their global warming pollution. “ACES is a start, but we have a long way to go for legislation that addresses the scale and scope of the climate crisis,” says Todd Larsen, Green America’s director of corporate responsibility. “The progress we’ve made so far has resulted from tens of thousands of citizens nationwide calling for action on climate change that meets the scale of the problem. We look to the Senate to step up to the plate. The future of our economy and our society hangs in the balance.” Contact: Ask your senators to strengthen the Senate version of the ACES bill. (Find contact information for your senators at www.senate.
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n June, a study from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine alarmed organic advocates with the claim that organic food is nutritionally no better than conventional food. The London School claimed its study was “the most extensive systematic review of the available published literature on nutrient content of organic food ever conducted.” Scientists from The Organic Center m (TOC) and the Environmental Working Group m (EWG) separately reviewed the study, and both concluded that the London study is flawed. The London study found that for ten of the 13 nutrients analyzed in studies over a 50-year period, up to February 2008, no significant differences existed between organics and conventional foods. EWG and TOC point out that the London researchers downplay the fact that organics came out significantly better in three nutrient categories: Organics contained more beneficial phosphorus and titratable ac-
Survey Shows BPA Still Lining Food Cans
As reported in Green America’s popular Heal Your Home guide (Spring 2008), bisphenol-A (BPA)—a substance used to make hard plastic bottles and food can linings—has been associated with hormone disruption, cancer, neurological defects, infertility, and obesity. A new study released in June by the University of Cincinnati is now linking BPA to heart disease in women. Dr. Scott Belcher and colleagues found that “low doses” of BPA can cause increased occurrences of arrhythmias, or irregular heartbeat. Due to the specific ways in which women’s bodies respond to estrogen and estrogen mimickers like BPA, the study says women are at a higher risk for these effects than men. Precaution advocates continue to pressure companies to phase out BPA. Several states have introduced bills that would ban BPA from children’s products, such as baby bottles and sippy cups; Connecticut, Minnesota, New York’s Suffolk County, and the city of Chicago have passed such laws. Some US retailers, including six major baby bottle manufacturers, have withdrawn BPA products voluntarily.
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iStockPhoto
Organic vs. Conventional Food Study May Be Flawed I
Scientists from The Organic Center and the Environmental Working Group say a London study that found no nutritional benefits in organic food over conventional food is flawed.
ids. And conventional foods contained more nitrogen, which may be linked to cancer. Both groups also note that the London study fails to take into account Sunoco, a manufacturer of BPA, recently limited its sale to products that aren’t targeted to children under three—bowing to shareholder pressure spearheaded by Green Century Capital Management m , a socially responsible mutual fund company, and the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said in June that it would reassess the safety of BPA. Green America, Green Century, and a coalition of investors representing over $26 billion in assets sent a letter to FDA commissioner Margaret Hamburg applauding this decision. Several industry groups, however, contend that BPA is safe, and food companies continue to line cans with BPA. In April 2009, As You Sow m , a shareholder action nonprofit, and Green Century surveyed 20 major food companies, asking about their use of BPA. The survey found that all 14 of the companies that responded use BPA to line food cans: Hain Celestial, Heinz, Nestle, Kellogg, ConAgra, General Mills, PepsiCo, Campbell, Coca-Cola, McCormick & Company, Kraft, Hershey, J. M. Smucker, and Del Monte. Heinz emerged on top of the corporate giants surveyed, because it is
the use of pesticides and chemical additives in conventional food, which have been shown to have marked effects on human health. And the London review also includes studies from the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s that analyze crop varieties no longer grown. Today’s conventional crops, it says, may have even less nutritional content than crops from those decades. Finally, the groups say the London study failed to include 15 studies published since February 2008 that found nutritional advantages on the side of organics. In particular, those studies have shown that organic food contains higher levels of vitamin C and cancer-fighting antioxidants. “The London study is not supported by the majority of the science. We should not attach too much significance to its findings until it can be replicated,” says the EWG’s Richard Wiles. Contact: EWG: www.ewg.org/node/28162, TOC: www.organic-center.org/science.nutri. php?action=view&report_id=157
currently using less-toxic alternatives to BPA in baby-food can linings. Heinz, Hain Celestial, and Nestle all said they were developing plans to phase out BPA. Bottom-dwellers Del Monte, Hershey, and J.M. Smucker all refuse to take any action at present beyond monitoring the industry. And Chiquita, Dean Foods, Hormel, Sara Lee, Sysco, and Unilever refused to respond to the survey. Green Century and As You Sow plan to release an updated BPA report later this year. “We hope this report will help companies move away from risky BPA and towards safer alternative packaging materials, where available,” says Emily Stone, Shareholder Advocate for Green Century. Contact: As You Sow, 415/391-3212, www.asyou sow.org; Green Century,800/93-GREEN, www. greencentury.com.
Visit ResponsibleShopper.org Green America’s Responsible Shopper.org details the environmental and social performances of over 150 major corporations across 25 industries. For more on the companies mentioned on this page, check out the “Food” and “Beverage” industry categories.
m designates approved member of Green America’s Green Business Network™
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Reclaiming the Streets
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wo organizations recently ranked the most liveable cities in the world. To come up with their respective lists, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) research firm and the UK magazine Monocle looked at a range of factors, including infrastructure, education, overall environment, amount of crime, cultural opportunities, entertainment, opportunities for small business, and forward-thinking environmental policies. The result—when it comes to quality of life, US cities lag far behind those in many other developed countries in the world. Not a single American city made EIU’s top 25 (Pittsburgh came in at 29), and only Honolulu made Monocle’s top 25 list at number 11, in part for its progressive plans for a comprehensive light rail system and for the many small-scale, independent businesses dotting the city’s landscape. European and Asian cities dominated the lists, with Canadian and Australian cities following closely behind. What makes a city liveable? For Monocle’s editors, transportation played a significant role. When explaining its choices, the magazine touted transportation-related factors for most of the top 25, from Paris’s bike-friendly policies to Stockholm’s plan to cut greenhouse gases, in part by levying a $7 daily “congestion charge” on cars entering the city; to number-one pick Zurich’s efficient public transportation system. Clearly, how people get from A to B has a huge impact on their quality of life. For one, relying almost solely on a car can contribute to a sense of isolation in a time when strong community ties are more important than ever. When discussing the liveable cities lists, travel writer Pico Ayer told NPR’s Tom Ashbrook that what kept US cities out of the top spots could be “the absence of neighborhood.” He says, “[In places like Tokyo,] the scale of the neighborhoods is human-sized. There are people traveling by public transport or buses or bicycles, not cars, which makes a big difference.” Then there’s the pollution factor. The airborne toxins generated by cars—from fine particulate matter to volatile organic compounds to nitrogen dioxide—have been linked to increased asthma; cancer; and heart, lung, and autoimmune
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diseases. A 2009 study from the University of California– Berkeley found that people exposed to high levels of trafficrelated pollution were 20 percent more likely to die at any given time than people with low exposure. Traffic-related accidents also are the ninth leading cause of death in the US, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. And transportation is responsible for nearly one-third of our total global warming emissions in the US, making it a significant contributor to the climate crisis. For safer, more cohesive communities; cleaner air; and a cooler planet, it’s time for a cultural shift that takes us out of our cars and into the streets, where everyone can help create vibrant, healthy, and truly liveable cities for all.
How one City Made the ShifT In the mid-1990s, the city of Hasselt, Belgium, wasn’t much different from many comparable US cities in terms of transportation. Each year, 300,000 commuters came into Hasselt, which has a population of 70,000, from outlying areas—most of them making the journey by car. People had started moving their homes and businesses toward the outskirts of the city, creating a donut effect with fewer residents and anemic retail businesses in the center. Only three bus routes offered travelers an alternative way in, and they did not have a reputation for being punctual. Consequently, from 1987 to 1999, car ownership in Hasselt grew by 25 percent, while the population only increased by 3.3 percent, says Rob Beenders, Hasselt’s current deputy mayor. Hasselt is the fourth largest city in Belgium, but it held the dubious honor of first place for car ownership throughout the country, as well as the worst car accident record in the Limburg province. Two main “ring roads” circled Hasselt’s external border and its interior. To help ease traffic congestion, harried city officials started planning a third ring road. But then, on the advice of a green consulting group, Hasselt’s then-mayor Steve Stevaert halted construction, because he had a plan: Put more buses on the road, and let residents ride them for free. And turn half of the inner ring road into a pedestrian thoroughfare that would encourage walking and biking and revitalize Hasselt’s commercial center. Although Stevaert’s critics initially dismissed the idea, it wound up working beautifully.
From gridlock to green Boulevard Stevaert’s administration ratcheted up the number of bus routes from three to 11, and converted two lanes of the paved inner ring road to a cobblestone carriageway lined with 400 trees—allowing only buses, bikes, and pedestrians to travel this “Green Boulevard.” To overcome its previously spotty record for on-time arrivals, the bus system started running m designates approved member of Green America’s Green Business Network™
Reclaiming the Streets
www.greenamericatoday.org
Taking it to the streets With the urgency of the climate crisis, concerned citizens can’t wait for Washington to address our transportationrelated woes. Green America’s Low-Carbon Energy Acceleration Plan (LEAP) calls for rapid deployment of carbon-reducing technologies available now, to curb the effects of global warming. In addition to scaling up solar and wind, increasing overall energy efficiency, and other strategies, LEAP includes a strong component related to transportation: replacing gas guzzlers with super-efficient plug-in hybrid electric vehicles is a big part of that (see p. 16), but even more important is driving less. Not only will less driving reduce greenhouse gases, but it will reduce toxic air pollution and curb the obesity epidemic by encouraging regular exercise. It’ll make local communities more liveable, building resiliency for tough times as citizens get out of their cars and meet each other on the streets where they live. It’ll save lives, preventing deadly auto accidents. And it’ll save money on fuel and car maintenance. This issue of the Green American provides a blueprint for those who have wished for a vibrant, more walkable and bikeable community like Hasselt to take matters into their own hands. Start in your own life, mapping out the nearby locations you frequent the most and try walking or biking to them instead of driving (p. 11). Turn to p. 14 to find out how the latest biking technology makes it easier than ever to get where you’re going via pedal power. Then, walk outside your front door and get together with neighbors to “reclaim your street,” with techniques on p. 18 to calm traffic and bring neighbors together. Finally, go out into your community. Use the advice on p. 20 to work with local government officials to make your city more walkable and bikeable. No conversation about transportation would be complete without a discussion of the race-based inequities in our public transit systems. On p. 10, find out why all of our transportation efforts must help grant equal mobility for all. As Hasselt’s former mayor Steve Stevaert noted, once people start demanding cleaner, greener ways of getting from A to B, city officials will have no choice but to listen. And then, citizens and politicians can work together to shape the vibrant, liveable communities that will sustain local businesses and the environment for generations to come. —Tracy Fernandez Rysavy, Editor European Communities, 2009
every five minutes along the Green Boulevard, and every 30 minutes on the dot to other areas around the city. It might sound like an expensive proposition, but it made economic sense to Hasselt officials. Building a third ring road would have cost several billion Euros, notes Godo Stoyke in The Carbon Charter (New Society Publishers m , 2009), along with the hidden costs that come with increased traffic and the air and greenhouse pollution associated with it. The free buses cost the city 1 million Euros a year, or 1.3 percent of the annual budget. With the money they saved, Stevaert’s administration started creating more bike paths, and adding street lights and benches to the retail district to make it more inviting. From 1996 to 2006, the number of passengers riding Hasselt’s buses rose nearly 1,200 percent, from 360,000 to 4,600,000 annually. And business came back to Hasselt in droves. “In social terms, Hasselt is a much more pleasant environment for living, working, and enjoying leisure,” notes a case study by the Scotland nonprofit Lighthouse on Sustainability. “Overall, the Green Boulevard has led to the regeneration of Hasselt, with more people relocating to the city centre; while the local economy has been boosted as more people shop or enjoy leisure time in a pleasant environment.” Rob Beenders puts it more succinctly: “Free buses bring people together!” In fact, the city’s vibrant, walkable retail district now ranks among Belgium’s most popular shopping areas. Jobs around the Green Boulevard increased by 200 percent, from 1,000 to 3,000, says Beenders. A 2007 study by the Belgian magazine Testaankoop ranked Hasselt as the city with the highest standard of living, with the highest credit for that honor going to “the excellent public transit system, bicycle infrastructure, and general contentment of the citizenry.” Former mayor Steve Stevaert says that the wild success of Hasselt’s buses cannot be attributed solely to the fact that people travel for free, but to citizens who demanded better ways of getting around. “[The bus system’s success] was possible because the demand for public transport increased; because only after an increase in demand, you will be able to find a wider public consensus to invest in public transport,” he writes in The Environmental Aspects of Transport and Mobility (Springer, 2007). “A parliament does not refuse to invest if the buses are overcrowded.” And not only were Hasselt’s citizens willing to rapidly shift from a car-centric mindset to a more community-centered way of traveling and living, but they continue to work with city leaders to improve the Green Boulevard. In the future, Hasselt planners hope to invest in a free light rail system, shift the free bus system to hybrid vehicles, and offer an innovative wireless service that will send information about empty parking spaces to those who do drive via GPS systems, so cars won’t circle endlessly looking for parking. “When I speak to people about green living and climate change, one of the most frequently asked questions I get is how we can make our sprawling, car-centered cities more walkable and bikeable,” says Green America executive director Alisa Gravitz. “The lesson cities like Hasselt give us is that the power is in our hands. Green Americans can lead the way in demanding cleaner, greener, more equitable transportation for all. And when local politicians won’t think outside the car-centric box, it’s possible to take to the streets and start the most creative work ourselves.”
(previous page) Citizens bike down Hasselt’s car-free Green Boulevard. (this page) Hasselt’s free buses run every five minutes from the Green Boulevard, making it easy to go car-free in the Belgian city. FALL 2009
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Race, Poverty,
and Transportation
o conversation about walkable, liveable communities would be complete without discussing the environmental justice aspect of transportation. Having access to a vehicle provides opportunity—to get to school or to the library to research employment ads, to visit your bank for a loan application to start a business, to arrive on time for work and get back home again for dinner with your family. This kind of access can also be a matter of life and death—a reality brought to light in the wake of Hurricane Katrina’s devastation of the Gulf Coast. Not since the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955 have the race- and class-based inequities in our national transportation system been so glaringly obvious. While the Army Corps of Engineers had warned that the levees protecting the city of New Orleans were in danger of breaching in a severe hurricane, the city’s evacuation plan for such an occurrence relied heavily on people using their own personal vehicles to get to higher ground. That left the 130,000 people in New Orleans who didn’t own a car stranded and unable to leave as Katrina bore down on their homes—most of them poor, black, and residents of the Ninth Ward. Greyhound ceased commercial bus operations before Katrina was scheduled to hit. Although then-Mayor Nagin claims he called for public buses to come into the Big Easy to help those in need escape the treacherous winds and rising flood waters, the buses never came. In the days following, many photos surfaced of those buses sitting underwater, empty. The lucky car-less residents of New Orleans crammed themselves into the Superdome sports stadium, finding themselves abandoned for five days in stifling heat, in the dark, with no running water, food, or working toilets. The unlucky ones ended up dying in the streets. “Katrina shone the national spotlight on vulnerable populations who face transportation challenges in everyday life as jobs and opportunity flee to distant suburbs—where public transit is inadequate or nonexistent and where persons without cars are literally left by the side of the road before and after disasters strike,” says Green America BEA award winner Dr. Robert D. Bullard, director of Clark-Atlanta University’s Environmental Justice Resource Center (www.ejrc.cau.edu). As Green America members work to make their cities and towns more liveable, it’s vital to pay special attention to low-income communities, particularly communities of color, and work to ensure that they’re not left behind.
Disturbing inequities Low-income families are hit hardest by the costs associated with transportation. Americans spend an average of 18 percent of their income on transportation—the largest spending category other than housing, according to the Center for Neighborhood Technology. But households earning less than $30,000 spend 24 percent of their income on transportation. 10
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During Hurricane Katrina in 2005, hundreds of public school buses that were supposed to be used to evacuate low-income residents were left abandoned.
Much of those costs come from work commutes, and people living in communities of color often have to travel the longest distances to get a job. “No other group is more physically isolated from jobs than African-Americans,” write Drs. Robert D. Bullard, Angel O. Torres, and Glenn Johnson in Race, Place, and Environmental Justice After Hurricane Katrina (Westview Press, 2009). They point, in part, to UCLA scholar Michael Stoll’s research, which found that more than 50 percent of African-Americans would have to relocate to achieve as equal of a distribution near jobs as Caucasians. While having access to public transportation can mitigate these commuting costs, city planners have historically overlooked low-income communities of color when creating public transit access points. As those working in the environmental justice movement have been quick to point out, these areas are most likely to find themselves bisected and trisected by massive highway projects that isolate residents even further. This phenomenon is especially unfortunate considering that black households are 3.5 times more likely to lack a personal vehicle than whites, and Latinos are 2.5 times more likely. Without a car and access to transit, low-income families of color find that the vast percentage of potential jobs are out of reach, perpetuating a cycle of poverty and unemployment.
A bridge to opportunity Katrina exposed the transportation crisis in the US, and should be a lesson all groups working for liveable communities keep at the forefront. If individuals, community organizations, and city planners take right action, transportation can become a bridge—connecting all neighborhoods in a city and providing critical access to opportunity for everyone, particularly those who need it most. —Tracy Fernandez Rysavy m designates approved member of Green America’s Green Business Network™
Reclaiming the Streets
31 Ways to
Walk More, Bike More How to Overcome the Obstacles Standing Between You and Your Bike or Walking Shoes hat’s the easiest thing you can do to create a community that’s pedestrianand cyclist-friendly? Get out and walk or bike more yourself, adding in public transportation when needed. By getting out on your street, inviting your neighbor for a leisurely bike ride, or committing to taking transit to work, you’re contributing to a cultural shift in America—a shift from cars and congestion to a healthier, more independent, Earth-easy way of getting around. Just setting a good example with your own transportation habits can go a long way toward catalyzing this shift, says Kathleen Osher, founder and executive director of the Transit Alliance in Denver, CO. For example, Madolyn Jones took regular weekend outings with her girlfriends around the Denver metro area, but they always went by car. Then, Jones realized that it would be simple enough for the group to travel by bicycle—they’d be saving gas money, spending time in the fresh air, and demonstrating to everyone they met on the way how easy it could be to go about your business by bike. “It might not sound like much,” says Osher, “but if you walk, bike, or take transit, and you encourage other people to try it and talk about it, it will slowly change the world!” Too many people leave bikes in the garage and walking shoes in the closet because they see bumps in the road when it comes to walking or biking as part of their daily lives. The obstacles people cite when naming the reasons they cling to their cars include long distances, hectic traffic, unpredictable weather, and the need to haul people and things around town. All of these are reasonable concerns—and fortunately they’re relatively painless to surmount. Here’s Green America’s guide to embracing carbon-free transportation, one trip at a time, while enjoying the outdoors, getting exercise, and having fun. —Sarah Tarver-Wahlquist
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By going car-lite or car-free, you’ll enjoy fresh air and exercise more often, save money on gas, and demonstrate to your fellow community members the joys and ease of walking, biking, or taking public transportation.
GOING THE DISTANCE
Biking or walking isn’t as scary as it seems—in fact, 40 percent of trips taken in the US are fewer than two miles from home, according to the League of American Bicyclists, so integrating more biking and walking into a daily routine is often convenient and manageable. When starting to bike or walk more, however, you don’t have to quit driving cold turkey, says David Mozer, director of the International Bicycle Fund m (IBF). “It’s like any new activity—you build up to it, and you can sort of train for it,” says Mozer. Kathy Holwadel, the 53-year-old president of Cincinnati’s pedestrian and bicycle advisory committee Bike/PAC, began biking in November 2006 at age 50, when she got nervous about rising gas prices. After three years of pedal practice and testing bike routes, she now bikes at least five days a week as her main form of transportation, and she has also completed two 500-mile bike rides across Ohio. First steps
• Before you try to commute by foot or bicycle, invite a friend or www.greenamericatoday.org
neighbor on a leisurely walk or bike ride to test how much you can handle. • Visit a local bike shop to make sure your bike is in working order (especially the brakes). • Mix walking or biking into your commute. To build endurance, drive to work, but stop short of your workplace (walkers, try a half-mile; bikers, try two miles). Then bike or walk the rest of the way, gradually increasing the distance each week. When you feel comfortable • Practice biking or walking to the store, school, or work on
a day when you aren’t rushed. It’ll help you figure out how much time to allot for travel. • If there are public transit stations nearby, try biking or walking there. Your workplace might be outside your range, but the bus stop, subway, or train station may be walkable or bikeable. • Ask neighbors who work close to or in your office if they want to commute together using foot or pedal power. • For bicyclists, ask members of a local bike group if they’ll bike around town with you and FALL 2009
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Economic ReclaimingAction the Streets for Africa show you the ropes. Some cities have
programs like San Francisco’s Bike Buddy, which pairs experienced cyclists with novice cyclists to ride together around the city. “When you bike commute, that’s often the best part of your day, as opposed to a commute being drudgery and the worst part of the day,” says Mozer. “Hopefully, things click well, and you’ll soon be enjoying yourself out there.” RESOURCES: According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 26 percent of people who aren’t biking don’t have access to a bike. See if your city has a bike share program by visiting IBF’s www.ibike.org/ encouragement/freebike/index.htm. (And read how to start one at www.greenamericatoday.org/go/ reclaimthestreets). Local bike shops often refurbish bikes and sell them at a discount, and don’t forget garage sales and Web sites like Freecycle.org, eBay.com, and Craigslist. org for used bicycles. If you want to buy a new bike, check out Lightfoot Cycles m (www.lightfootcycles.com), Mt. Airy Bicycles m (www.bike123.com), and Xtracycle m (www.xtracycle.com).
FACING YOUR FEARS
“How can I possibly be safe in that traffic lane next to all these cars?” is the concern Green America member Lucy Gigli hears from many prospective bicyclists as part of her work with the group Bike Alameda. Walking near traffic worries pedestrians, too. But don’t be intimidated by the cars and trucks that seem to dominate the roadway—you have the right to walk or bike to your destination without hesitation, and there are plenty of ways to do so safely and confidently. Be visible to drivers, so they make
way for you. • Bicyclists can increase the likelihood that drivers will easily spot them by riding near the center of
their lane, using hand signals when turning or changing lanes, attaching an LED safety light to their bike, and wearing a reflective vest at night. Pedestrians should also use LED safety lights and consider reflective vests so motorists can see them, especially at night. Follow the law
If you’ve ever had to slam on the brakes because a fellow motorist has swerved in front of you without using a turn signal, you know how unsafe rule-breakers can be on the road. Avoid jaywalking—motorists aren’t watching out for pedestrians to cross the road outside of crosswalks. If you’re biking, follow traffic signals, use hand signals when turning or switching lanes, and try not to weave between street- and sidewalk-riding. Practice makes perfect: Plan a walk-
ing or biking route based on how comfortable you are alongside traffic. • Call your city hall, city transportation department, or department of parks and recreation to see if your city has a bike map, which highlights not only city streets, but bike lanes, bike paths, and sometimes one-way streets, steep hills, and public transit stations. • Bike paths allow you to travel with less traffic. Main streets are also good choices: For pedestrians, there will likely be more sidewalks and crosswalks. And for bicyclists, there will likely be more traffic signals— rather than blind intersections—and even bike lanes. • Solicit advice from a local bike group about your bike-travel plans, because they’ll likely have tips on the best and worst paths and streets to use. • Some local bike groups offer bike education classes, which can provide resources and direct contact with bicyclists who know how to navigate your city. RESOURCES: For the League of American
Bicyclists’ list of bike education courses
The 2009 Transportation Bill
Congress spends about $60 billion a year on transportation in the US, and a whopping 95 percent of that money goes to highway construction and repair, says Walkscore.com, a nonprofit that rates US cities on their walkability. With a chunk of the recent economic stimulus package also going to transportation, the US may spend even more this year. It’s time to call your members of Congress to demand a significant expansion of funding for walkable and bikeable communities. Sign Walkscore.com’s online petition demanding that the federal government triple the funding for walking, biking, and public transit infrastructure; build a world-class light-rail network; and fund “Complete Streets” programs (see p. 22) to make roads safe for everyone. Visit www.walkscore.com/transportation-bill.shtml to sign the petition, and consult www.house.gov and www.senate.gov to get contact information for your representatives. 12
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and instructors by state, visit www. bikeleague.org/programs/education/ course_schedule.php.
CARRYING DONE CAR-FREE
It’s hard to imagine carrying a watermelon or four bags of groceries home from the supermarket by hand, let alone while trying to ride a bike. But once you feel confident traveling without a car, consider investing in some helpful contraptions to make it easier to run errands and even commute with cargo. (See p. 14 for some examples.) In comparison to the price of a car, along with its associated insurance and maintenance costs, a bike and some helpful attachments have significant economic and environmental advantages. • When it comes to carrying groceries and office paperwork, pedestrians can use a shopping trolley, a rectangular-shaped carrier perched on two back wheels, or a wheeled backpack to easily carry heavy items. Green America executive director Alisa Gravitz doubled the distance she could walk when she invested in her own “bag on wheels.” • For bikes, racks that sit on a bike’s back wheel or trailers that attach behind the bike can carry small loads. • Bike attachments also work well for commutes. Panniers (bags that hook onto the back of a bike) and rear racks are ideal attachments to hold paperwork, purses, and briefcases. Over-the-shoulder and messenger bags work as well. (Some bikers avoid backpacks, because they can add to sweat build-up.) • Bikes are also useful for carrying large items, if you get a cargo trailer. Don’t underestimate how much bike trailers can haul—Revolution Rickshaws m rents out cargo trailers in New York City that can carry hundreds of pounds. “We move a lot of big catering jobs, for around 100 people,” says Gregg Zukowski, the company’s owner. “We’ll move 500–600 lbs. or more between restaurants.” • To take small children on the road, invest in a special bike trailer with seats, or in child-size bike seats that attach to the back of your bicycle. David Mozer participates in a carpool to get his kids to school, and not everyone can bike. So he compromises by driving the kids to the school, parking his car, and walking or biking to the rest of his destinations for the day. “I cut my driving in half. I wasn’t pleased with driving, [but] I essentially only did one trip to the school,” says Mozer.
m designates approved member of Green America’s Green Business Network™
Reclaiming the Streets Web Exclusives
Find the following helpful tools and inspiring articles exclusively on our Web site, www.greenamericatoday .org/go/reclaimthestreets. • Calculate how much money you’ll save by walking, biking, or taking transit to your most frequent driving destinations by using our Car-Lite Worksheet. • Read how Mollie Gore helped create Santee-Cooper’s innovative employee car-pooling program. • Start a bike share for people who
can’t afford bicycles or who just want to try one out for a day. Eric Cornwell talks about how he founded the Athens Yellow Bike Taxi Service • Learn how Phoenix bikes refurbishes old bikes while helping at-risk teens. • Find out how mixed-use zoning can help your city become more walkable and bikeable. • Got questions about electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles? Senior writer Sarah Tarver-Wahlquist answers the ones we get the most in the Green America offices. RESOURCES: Check out Xtracycle m (www.
xtracycle.com), Revolution Rickshaws (www. revolutionrichskaws.com), Planet Bike (www. planetbike.com), sporting goods stores, and online retailers to browse bike accessories. Reusablebags.com m sells a foldable trolley for walkers.
CONFRONTING THE ELEMENTS
Snow, rain, steep hills, hot days. It just takes a little extra planning and practice to deal with the elements on foot or on bike. First Steps • Start practicing during warm, sunny weather, when the climate is
To sweat or not: Don’t let a little
perspiration stop you from commuting sans your car—walking or biking can be a fun way to incorporate exercise into your daily routine. • To sweat less, adjust your route to include fewer hills, or allow more time so you won’t have to walk or pedal as fast. • If sweat is inevitable, pack a spare outfit in your pannier or shoulder bag, so you can change when you get to work. Some commuters even bring a week’s worth of clothes to the office every Monday. • See if your workplace has a shower, or if there is a fitness center nearby that will allow you to use its showers for a small fee. If you can’t shower, don’t sweat it—many bike commuters say that cooling down for ten minutes and washing your face before changing clothes is an adequate substitute. A spray bottle and a hand towel can get you ready for the work day. Don’t let hills get you down
• Try powering up the ones on your shortest, safest route to see if you can handle them. Or, you can walk your bike uphill. “I live at the top of a one-mile steep hill,” says Holwadel. “I’m old, and I have weak lungs; if I can do it, anyone can.” • If you’d like some extra oomph to get up the steeper inclines, consider an electric assist for your bike (see p. 14), which can be especially helpful if you’re carrying cargo. • There are also ready-made electric bikes on the market to add some power to your pedaling. It can take anywhere from 30 minutes to eight hours for an electric bike to charge, depending on the model. RESOURCES: Visit your local sporting goods store for outdoor gear and cycling apparel. Lightfoot Cycles m (www.lightfoot cycles.com) sells different types of electric
assists. To browse electric bikes, visit www. optibike.com, www.schwinnelectricbikes. com, www.electriccyclery.com/catalog, or www.izipusa.com.
in Emergencies
You also might be sweating about the unforeseeable. When you have to bolt from the office to deal with a sick child at school or a family member in the hospital ... • Stash the cash you save on gas in your pocket in case you have to call for a taxi. Some organizations, such as Ecology Action in Santa Cruz, CA, offer free emergency taxi rides to people who walk, bike, or take transit to work or school. Check to see if your city has a similar program. • Ask for permission to leave your bike in the workplace in the event of an emergency. if your bike breaks down
Taxis are also useful if your bike breaks down. • If you’re worried about your bike getting a flat or breaking down, sign up for the Better World Club m ’s 24-hour roadside assistance for bikes, as well as cars. • Get to know your local bike repair shop so you’re prepared when it comes time to make repairs. • Or, join a bike group or ask neighbors who cycle for help with bike maintenance. Many organizations, like BICAS in Tucson, AZ, empower bicyclists to learn bike repair for themselves, offering workshops and tools to assist them. RESOURCES: To sign up for the Better
World Club, contact 866/238-1137, www.betterworldclub.com. For a list of local bike groups in cities across the US, visit The League of American Bicyclists’ site at www.bikeleague.org/cogs/ resources/findit.
—Cathy Wilson
courtesy of Revolution Rickshaws
welcoming to novice walkers and cyclists. As you become more acclimated to temperature cycles, it will be easier to ride in less-ideal conditions. • A rain jacket, gloves, extra layers, and weather-proof bags can protect you and your belongings from the rain or cold. • Many buses sport bike racks these days, so you can bus your bike home if the weather changes for the worse.
ous. The same goes for 95-degree heat waves and other severe weather events.
Cargo trikes from Revolution Rickshaws m make it easy to haul loads small and large. Gregg Zukowski, the company’s founder and owner, used his to move furniture when he changed apartments in New York City.
Don’t feel obligated to always
bike or walk—if the weather is dangerous, take the bus, call a taxi, or carpool instead. For instance, although Mozer says fresh snow is pretty easy to bike in, he warns that settled snow can be icy and dangerwww.greenamericatoday.org
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Biking Made Easy It’s raining, you just bought six bags of groceries, you’ve got your kindergartner with you, and you live at the top of a very, very steep hill. Couldn’t bike even if you wanted to, right? Not anymore. As more and more people are pedaling their way to a car-lite way of life, crafty green businesses are developing innovative new gadgets for bicycles and for bikers, making a bikecentric lifestyle more possible than ever. Here are a few of our favorite must-have bike gadgets. —Natasha Abbas
1) Billboard Large Deluxe Messenger Bag from Ecologic Designs m 303/258-1611, www.ecologicdesigns.com
Fun meets function with the waterproof Billboard Deluxe Messenger Bag designed by Green Guru Gear. Comfortably transport all your daily gear while also helping divert waste from landfills with this billboard messenger bag designed from recycled PET and old rubber bike inner tubes. While it might seem that a bag made from the remnants of a used tire would be sturdy but not stylish, guess again—because the front of this messenger bag is designed out of old billboards and banners, each sporting a unique design. Billboard Messenger Bags average about $100 and are available in both small and large sizes. All bags are sustainably made in Colorado.
2) Cargo Trikes
from Lightfoot Cycles m 406/821-4750, www.lightfootcycles.com Why settle for two when you could have three? Three wheels, that is. With Lightfoot Cycles’ broad range of cargo-hauling trike models, you can have all the capabilities of an automobile, but through pedal power. Lightfoot trikes come in a variety of models meant to meet cyclists’ varying needs. All-around trike models like the Courier are designed to hold a cargo box or child seat, where more recreational models like the Sprite are lighter and sportier. Extra-wide trikes like the Roadrunner accommodate people with varying physical needs. A rain canopy or plastic “Rainshadow” shell, also sold by Lightfoot, fits around some models, protecting riders and cargo from the elements. If you’d like an extra boost up hills, the trikes can also be equipped with electric assists. “Our most consistently popular products have been our recumbent trike models that provide cargo capacity to carry groceries, passenger capacity to carry one or two children, a small adult, or a big dog, plus adaptive options for people with a bum knee, bad back, weak hand, and so on,” says Rod Miner, Lightfoot’s founder. Lightfoot trikes are manufactured at the family-owned business’s home base, Singletree Farm, in the Bitterroot Valley of Montana, where sustainable forestry, solar energy technologies, and green building initiatives have been practiced for nearly 20 years. Prices start at $2,500.
3) Via Mezza Low Step Foldable Electric Bike from iZip m 877/284-2453, www.izipusa.com
The hybrid electric iZip Via Mezza gets you where you need to go—either by old-fashioned pedal power, or with an extra kick from the electric motor. Since this bike can reach up to 25 miles per hour, in many cases you can travel faster on it than by car, because you won’t have to sit in traffic. At approximately 58 pounds, the Via Mezza’s lightweight frame also folds up, making it as easy to carry as it is to ride. The sleek design also includes a rack for transporting items. Available for $650 from iZip, the Via Mezza also includes a rechargeable battery and charger, which can be plugged into any standard outlet. To find other electric bikes, visit www.electriccyclery.com, www.izipusa.com, www.optibike.com, or www.schwinnelectricbikes. 14
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m designates approved member of Green America’s Green Business Network™
Reclaiming the Streets Xtracycle cargo kits help you turn your everyday bicycle into a “Sport Utility Bike”
The FreeRadical extends the back wheel of your bike to accommodate cargo carriers.
4) Stokemonkey Electric Assists
from Clever Cycles m 503/334-1560, www.cleverchimp.com/products/stokemonkey If you really want to go car-free on all fronts, but haven’t won the Tour de France, one helpful option is the “Stokemonkey” electric assist, an electric motor that can be added to bikes with an extended back wheel, such as those with an Xtracycle FreeRadical attachment (see #5). In fact, the Stokemonkey was designed to perfectly complement the FreeRadical. The Stokemonkey empowers bikers to be able to truly make a car-free lifestyle possible. You can bike unassisted, then turn on the Stokemonkey when you need an extra boost—climbing hills, crossing long distances, or hauling cargo. As described by Clever Cycles, based in Portland, OR, “Stokemonkey is different, designed for bikers who want to continue to ride on their own power most of the time, but want a more capable car alternative some of the time.” With the kit itself costing about $1,300, and the battery and charger packages in the $375 range, the Stokemonkey does require a bit of an investment, but one that will quickly pay for itself the more trips you make by bike rather than by car. Other companies selling electric assist add-on kits for all types of bicycles include: www.lightfootcycles.com, www.bikemotor.com, www.bionx.ca.
5) FreeRadical and Cargo Kits
from Xtracycle m 888/537-1401, ext.1; www.xtracycle.com Got a favorite bike but just can’t seem to haul around everything you need on it? With the help of the Xtracycle FreeRadical and the company’s cargo-hauling kits, any bike can be retrofitted to carry groceries, kids, camping gear, and even pets. The FreeRadical attachment adds an additional 15 inches to the rear wheelbase of a bicycle. Once you’ve installed the FreeRadical, your bike is ready to accommodate whichever of Xtracycle’s range of cargo trailer kits meets your hauling, transportation, and commuting needs. The Family Van Kit, for example, will essentially turn your bike into an SUB— Sports Utility Bicycle—with room to accommodate child seats as well as cargo. If you’re flying solo on an extended road trip with a ton of gear, the Adventure Kit is a good bet with room to haul up to four panniers. With Free Radicals available through Xtracycle for $250, and cargo kits ranging from $250 to $400, you won’t find a more affordable SUV.
6) The Down Low Glow
from Rock the Bike m 888/354-BIKE, www.rockthebike.com The majority of nighttime bike-car accidents are caused by issues with side visibility, since most LED bike lights only aim forward or backward. In what can only be described as a really bright idea, the Down Low Glow bike light, available in six colors, envelopes bikers in a halo of neon light, providing bikers with maximum visibility at night. By utilizing what the manufacturer calls “GSR Technology”—short for “Gimme Some Room”—the Down Low Glow attaches to the frame and projects light ten feet in all directions around the bicycle, making the bike appear to take up more room on the road than it actually does. And since it appears that you need more space when you bike with one of these nifty lights, cars will actually give you more space. Don’t worry about being weighed down by a lighting system, because the Down Low Glow weighs one pound. It is also designed to fit bikes of all sizes, including recumbent trikes. The systems is available in both a single and double tube, with a single tube system with charger available for $115.
www.greenamericatoday.org
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When You Drive,
Go Electric!
ack when the Toyota Prius was just a dream in some renegade engineer’s head, no one thought drivers were ready to sacrifice the space and heft of the day’s popular SUVs in favor of smaller, ecofriendlier cars. That engineer, Shigeyuke Hori, persisted, however, taking the Prius from an idea to a concept car to a “gawky” vehicle launched on the Japanese market in 1997, note Daniel Sperling and Deborah Gordon in Two Billion Cars (Oxford University Press, 2009). At the time, “Toyota saw the Prius as an experiment with only a five percent chance of succeeding.” To the astonishment of Toyota’s upper management, the Prius skyrocketed past these low expectations, rapidly reaching sales of 2,000 per month in Japan and prompting the company to launch a US counterpart in 2000. By 2007, the Prius was the eighth best-selling car in America and the winner of countless awards and critical accolades, including being named Consumer Reports’ “top overall value” out of all 300 vehicles the nonprofit magazine tested in 2009. In 2005, Hori received Wired magazine’s RAVE award for “mavericks and dreamers” who “change the way people think about culture, business, and science.” Of course, Hori had a little help—in the form of every person who took a chance on the little green car that could. When we reported on the incredible possibilities of electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) in 2008 (see www.greenamericatoday.org/pdf/ CAQ72.pdf), there weren’t many of these cars making their way to market. Automakers, particularly in America, were stubbornly holding on to old, inefficient technologies that pollute our air and contribute to climate change. Just one year later, every major car manufacturer now has plans to deliver an EV or PHEV to the market in the next few years—some as early as 2010. And consumers are ready: a 2009 poll by Rasmussen Reports showed that 40 percent of consumers say they are very or somewhat likely to buy an electric car in the next ten years. It’s no wonder car companies are finally catching on—electric cars can meet drivers’ needs while resulting in less greenhouse gases and pollution and a greater use of renewable energy.
How They Work The big difference between an electric car and the average internal combustion vehicle is that EVs are run on batteries instead of gasoline. They can be plugged into a regular outlet or a high-voltage outlet (like the one that powers your 16
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clothes dryer) at home. For those interested in making longer trips, car companies are producing PHEVs, also coming to be known as extended-range electric vehicles. A PHEV is equipped with a battery and a gas engine, so that when the battery is empty, the fuel engine kicks in. An all-electric car puts out zero tailpipe emissions—meaning it emits no greenhouse gases or air-polluting particulates locally. It’s true that electric cars in the US are charged with electricity from the grid, where about half of our power still comes from dirty coal; however, studies show that even so, EVs charged from the average grid-mix in the US still achieve a 30-50 percent CO2 emissions improvement over today’s vehicles. As the grid becomes cleaner, so will emissions associated with electric cars. Charge an EV or PHEV with 100 percent renewable energy, and emissions drop to zero. We wouldn’t need any new power plants to make the switch to electric cars tomorrow. According to the National Renewable Energy Lab, since electric vehicles charge at night, we already have the electricity to charge 73 percent of today’s cars, trucks, vans, and SUVs—and renewables can supply the rest. With the smart grid technology that experts say is on the near horizon, cars could be plugged back in at the office to help supply power from their batteries to the grid at peak usage times; or charged with solar energy during the day and then used to power your evening activities at home. Most all-electric cars are expected to go about 100 miles on one charge. This would provide almost 80 percent of commuters in the US with an all-electric trip to work. (For more “Frequently Asked Questions” about EVs or PHEVs, visit www.greenamericatoday.org/go/reclaimthestreets.) courtesy of Nissan
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A look at what’s to come Even though the industry is finally moving on this important issue, it will likely still be a while before you see EVs or PHEVs dominating local showrooms. Most manufacturers plan to release the first wave of new electric cars in the Japanese market, where consumers have a demonstrated willingness to try new, clean technologies. In the US, many of the new cars will first be sold to government fleets. But there are a few EVs and PHEVs that are available now or will be in 2010, and many companies have promised to release EVs and PHEVs by 2012. Here’s a little taste of what is out there now and what we have to look forward to as the automotive world finally moves into the 21st century. —Sarah Tarver-Wahlquist and Tracy Fernandez Rysavy m designates approved member of Green America’s Green Business Network™
Reclaiming the Streets
Tessla Roadster
Neighborhood Electric Vehicles A range of neighborhood electric vehicles, or NEVs, are available for purchase now. These small all-electric cars go about 25 mph and have a range of about 30 miles for every charge. They are ideal for running errands in a close radius around your home—the kind of stop-and-go driving that is the most inefficient in a combustionengine car. NEVs range in price from $10,000-$20,000. Photo: GEM E4, by General Electric Motorcars (owned by Chrysler)
Electric car manufacturer Tessla has so far cornered the market on electric vehicle sales. Their Tessla Roadster, a sleek two-seater sportscar, can go over 200 miles on one charge. But the Roadster isn’t for those on a tight budget—it sells for a little over $100,000. Tessla is expected to release an electric sedan, the Tessla Model S, in 2012; the Model S is expected to start at about $50,000.
Nissan Leaf Nissan recently announced the planned release of its all-electric vehicle, the Leaf, in late 2010, just in time to compete with the Chevy Volt. The Leaf will be able to travel about 100 miles on a single charge, and the initial release of the car will be accompanied by the largest single roll-out of electric-charging stations in the US (keep checking www.evauthority.com/ev-charging-stations to see if there’s one near you). The Leaf will cost between $25,000–$35,000.
General Motors Chevy Volt The Chevy Volt, the first PHEV prototype to come out of Detroit, made waves when it hit the scene in 2007 as a futuristic-looking concept car. Chevy calls the Volt an Extended-Range Electric Vehicle, meaning that it runs on an electric battery but will switch to using a gas tank when the battery is drained. However, unlike the plug-in conversion of the Toyota Prius, the Volt does not use gasoline to drive the engine; instead, energy from burning gas charges the battery, so the car continues to run on electricity. The Volt will go about 40 miles on one charge before starting to use gasoline. Chevy will release the Volt in late 2010, and it is expected to cost around $40,000, though the company has not released a firm price.
Coda Sedan Coda Automotive has been making slow-speed neighborhoodelectric vehicles for years, and has developed its first highway-ready car, to be rolled out in late 2010. The Coda will be an all-electric car with a range of about 100 miles, and is expected to sell for about $45,000.
Beyond 2010
The EVs and PHEVs on this page are all slated for 2010. Many auto companies have plans for such cars beyond that: Toyota and Ford are both planning plug-in hybrids for 2012; Mitsubishi will introduce a small EV by 2012, and Ford has promised to put out four electric vehicles (including an electric Focus) by 2012. Right now these cars are little more than promises, but if enough US consumers convey their interest to Detroit and Tokyo, tomorrow’s EVs and PHEVs could be crowding Hummers and SUVs out of American showrooms sooner rather than later.
www.greenamericatoday.org
Web Exclusive
Got more questions about electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles? Senior writer Sarah Tarver-Wahlquist answers the ones we get the most in the Green America offices: www.greenamericatoday.org/ go/reclaimthestreets.
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Take Back
Your Neighborhood courtesy of the Missouri Bicycle & Pedestrian Federation (MoBikeFed.org)
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here should we start in transforming transportation on the streets where we live? According to traffic calming expert David Engwicht, we should start in our heads. In many communities, cars going at high speeds through neighborhoods have crowded out all other uses of the street, sidewalk, and even front yards by intimidating people into mentally relinquishing their streets to the cars. Engwicht, who has studied traffic and neighborhoods for over two decades, describes residents as making a “psychological retreat” from the street—people respond to speeding traffic by deciding not to walk, bike, socialize, or do any other activity near or on the street except drive cars. This leads to a lost sense of place, and to missed opportunities for carbon-free transportation and outdoor exercise. It also sets off a vicious cycle: when drivers see no visual clues that there are any uses of the streetscape besides cars, they drive even faster. And the speeding traffic reinforces neighborhood residents’ psychological retreat from the space in front of their homes. Ever since Engwicht organized his neighbors in Brisbane, Australia, to successfully defeat a proposed highway expansion through his neighborhood, he has been urging individuals to change the way they think about cars in their communities through model programs, ideas, and resources available at LessTraffic.com. 18
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Studies show that when drivers see people walking or biking down a neighborhood street, they tend to slow down. A “walking school bus” is one way to get people out of their cars and onto the sidewalk, calming the street and providing kids with valuable exercise.
“Because our surrender of the street to traffic has been long and gradual, people often find it extremely hard to visualize … how it may be reversed,” he writes. But even without getting any new laws passed at the city or state level, or getting official permission to put in any new signs or infrastructure, there’s a lot that neighbors can do together to make their own streets safe for walkers, bikers, and community uses, and to reduce car dominance in the streets. Would-be traffic calmers can start by thinking differently about their streets and sidewalks. They can also begin to synthesize their driver personas with their other values—by driving less, and driving differently, as participants in the very “traffic” that concerns them as neighbors.
RECLAIM YOUR STREET FOR OTHER USES To take a stand for a friendlier street and sidewalk that’s safe for a variety of uses, start by taking one activity you do anyway, and doing it closer to the street. Paint a piece of furniture in your driveway instead of in the garage, or have tea with friends in front of the house instead of on the back deck. Make a point of walking for short trips close to home. Then, gather with neighbors to commit to doing these things as a group. All of these choices reclaim your street, sidewalk, and driveway as spaces that can be used for activities besides driving. They provide visual cues m designates approved member of Green America’s Green Business Network™
Reclaiming the Streets One Less Car!
If your street-reclaiming undertakings have you driving less, consider shifting from a personal car to a shared one. In cities across the country, car-sharing cooperatives and companies help people have access to a car only when they need one. Car sharing allows people to share the costs of insuring and maintaining a car, and also allows flexibility for getting a vehicle of the appropriate size for particular trips. You could simply arrange for joint ownership or use of a car with some neighbors, or participate in a car-sharing company or organization. Zipcar m parks its cars throughout more than 57 US cities, and members pay by the hour to use the cars when they need them. A national membership is great when you travel, too, allowing you to save money on rental cars. Several cities also have nonprofit car-sharing organizations, including Austin CarShare, I-GO Car Sharing in Chicago, and eGo CarShare in Boulder and Denver, CO. Find one of the over 30 programs in the US near you at Carsharing.net.
to drivers that interesting or unexpected things might happen along the street, which helps slow traffic down. And these choices increase the likelihood that you’ll connect with neighbors who are walking or biking by.
STREET RECLAIMING among friends It’s natural to assume that making streets more predictable makes them safer. But predictability actually gives cars license to go even faster, says Engwicht, making neighborhoods more dangerous. Adding street signs, too, is surprisingly ineffective at slowing drivers down. Visual evidence of intrigue and uncertainty is what actually reduces traffic speed. Engwicht’s organization, Creative Communities International, provides communities with resources for holding one-day street reclaiming events. These celebrations take place on the sidewalks and in the streets, allowing cars to pass but creating enough intrigue that all cars slow way down. The connections formed during these gatherings can help give rise to more spontaneous socializing and interacting in the streetscape, paving the way for slower traffic even after the event concludes. An added benefit is that this kind of event makes the perfect kick-off to creating an ongoing street-reclaiming program with your neighbors. Learn how to organize an instant street-reclaiming event at www.lesstraffic.com/Articles/Traffic/SRinstant.htm.
start A WALKING SCHOOL BUS In 1969, nearly half of American children walked or biked to school. Today, just 16 percent do. Many children still live walking distance from their schools, but parents conclude that they have to drive them there and back because of concerns about traffic and safety. This belief system sets off a vicious cycle, increasing traffic around schools and making the school areas even less safe for kids to walk or bike. One way you can help reverse this cycle on your own street is to participate in or form a “walking school bus” or “bike train.” In these programs, a rotating group of adult volunteers—both parents and other neighbors—take turns walking a group of neighborhood children to their school and ensuring they cross the streets safely. Some programs organize a specific number of gathering points and involve dozens of students and retirees as volunteers; but you can also get a “walking school bus” started www.greenamericatoday.org
by simply organizing with a few other parents on your street to take turns walking neighborhood kids to school. Likewise, “bike train” programs organize adult bikers to lead a group of students on their ride to school, ensuring that everyone “on board” wears a helmet and obeys street signs. Find resources for getting started at www.walkingschoolbus.org.
Become a “pace car” driver You don’t just have an opportunity to improve the traffic situation on your street when you’re not in a car; you can also model good behavior behind the wheel. Encourage drivers in your neighborhood to pledge to go the speed limit, obey traffic laws, and always stop for pedestrians and bikers. Put “Pace Car” bumper stickers on your cars to explain your mission to serve as a “mobile speed bump” to other drivers. “When there are sufficient pace cars on the street, traffic is calmed citywide,” writes Engwicht. Find resources for starting a Pace Car program in your area at www.lesstraffic.com/Programs/PaceCar/PaceCar.htm.
Claiming the street as your space All year long, you and your neighbors can create visual markers of your street as a place, celebrating the neighborhood and slowing traffic. A string of flags that hangs above a street helps alert drivers that they are entering a space where people live and interact, and they should slow down. Think creatively about opportunities to turn a street used just for cars into a thoroughfare with a variety of public uses. For example, putting up a community bulletin board in a bus shelter helps bring community communication into the street. When a street, sidewalk, and even front yards are all inviting for multiple uses, the neighborhood not only enhances community connection, but also fills up with cues to drivers to slow down. —Joelle Novey
Making a Green Commute Work
As part of reclaiming your neighborhood, consider leaving your car in the garage when you head for work, and walk, bike, or take public transportation instead. It may take some creative experimentation, but every car-lite or car-less commute helps calm your street and build community. Scour for a shower. If your workplace doesn’t offer a place to shower, ask your benefits manager to consider installing one or talk a nearby health club into a “shower-only” membership. Mix it up. You may need to combine various forms of transportation, biking the “downhill” way and putting your bike on a public bus with a bus rack for the “uphill” way. See p. 13 for tips on dealing with inclement weather. Keep a bike (and helmet) at the office. If you need to drive to and from work, keeping a bike at the office can make it possible to go on car-free excursions to lunch or nearby meetings. Ask for bike racks. Get your employer or office building to provide bike racks, or negotiate for an indoor bike parking place. Encourage your employer to help. See what Green America Green Business Network™ members are doing to help their employees go car-lite and car-free on p 28. Read our Web exclusive on how Mollie Gore helped start a workplace carpooling program at www.greenamerica today.org/go/reclaimthestreets. FALL 2009
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Four High-Impact Ways
to Work With City Leaders
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an Burden, founder of the nonprofit to walk rather than drive, says Stacy Walkable Communities, has spent Mitchell, a senior researcher with countless hours pounding the pavement the New Rules Project, which works in hundreds of cities all over the country, to strengthen local economies. conducting “walkability audits” with The benefits go both ways: city leaders as part of his mission to help Pedestrian-oriented city centers reclaim streets for people. directly bolster local businesses, “I’m the first to admit that I have no because many rely on foot traffic, credentials at all for what I do,” says rather than sophisticated corporate Burden. “I’m not trained as a planner marketing campaigns, to survive. or an engineer. I’m a photographer, and And when city leaders see more at an early age I learned how to look at people shopping in particular retail things and see what was working and districts, they’ll be more likely to what wasn’t. Many communities are built direct resources to making those to meet the needs of cars, and that’s not areas more pedestrian-friendly. working. The basis of what I do is about The city of Austin, TX, is a prime talking to members of the community example of how citizen effort can about their needs, and looking for ways revitalize a downtown. Seven years to make a place work for people.” ago, local residents and retailers Despite his lack of official credentials, in Austin banded together out of Burden is considered a national leader concern over a growing number of on walkability, and was named one of chain stores displacing the quirky the country’s six most important civic independent stores on which Austin innovators by Time magazine in 2001. He prided itself. Together they formed has worked everywhere, from the most the Austin Independent Business walkable cities like Portland, OR, and Thanks to Chicago’s impressive pedestrian- and bike-friendly Alliance (AIBA), just as a Borders and efforts, the city was named the fourth most Santa Fe, NM, to traffic-congested, policies Books also announced plans to walkable US city by Walkscore.com. sprawl-dominated Sacramento, CA, open a superstore right beside a and Charlotte, NC. And what he’s noticed is that if a large longtime independent bookstore and a record store. enough group of people band together, they can overcome And then things got really weird. AIBA launched the huge obstacles to improve their neighborhoods and towns. Keep Austin Weird Campaign, a call to the people of Austin “Right now our culture values driving above all else to show their support for local independents that helped when it comes to transportation choices,” says Burden. “But give the city its color. For almost eight months, AIBA waged it doesn’t have to be that way. It’s certainly in our power to a grassroots campaign against Borders, gaining extensive create a cultural shift that puts more value on walking and media coverage that brought the campaign—and, more biking and less on driving.” importantly, the message to support Austin’s independent If you’re tired of long commutes; vehicle-related noise, air, business—to the forefront of local issues. What sealed the and greenhouse pollution; car accidents; and sprawling, undeal was the support of community members who proudly walkable neighborhoods, take heart. People across the country displayed “Keep Austin Weird” posters and bumper are working with politicians and community leaders to turn stickers throughout the city. Almost a year later, Borders their car-dependent cities into pedestrian-friendly havens. backed down. In the eight years since, the AIBA has grown to include 1. Support walkable town centers nearly 400 business members—from coffee shops, to bookOne of the top criteria for a liveable community, says stores, to community banks—with Keep Austin Weird serving Burden, is that it must have a “town center” that includes as a model for similar campaigns in cities and towns around restaurants, stores, libraries, parks, and other services the country. Today, these unique local businesses have kept within a 1/4-mile radius. Austin’s downtown walkable and thriving. To help build more walkable communities, it’s vital to Having clusters of vibrant, neighborhood business districts support local businesses. The greater the number and variety also fosters a sense of community among those who live near of local businesses in a neighborhood, the more people are likely them, says Dr. Michael Irwin, a sociology and urban studGreen American
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m designates approved member of Green America’s Green Business Network™
Reclaiming the Streets ies professor at Duquesne University. As the people of Austin discovered, residents are more likely to run into each other and bond at a small, local clothing shop than they are under the glaring fluorescent lights of a sprawling Wal-Mart Supercenter. How you can start: If your town or neighborhood already has a downtown area, you’ll help it thrive every time you shop there. Buying local also keeps more money in the local economy. A 2003 economic impact study in Austin, TX, by Civic Economics found that for every $100 spent at a chain store, $13 remained in the community, whereas $45 remained when that $100 was spent at local businesses. If your town centers could use some work, use the following tips to encourage walkable and bikeable business districts: • Keep your neighborhood weird: The National Trust’s Main Street program provides resources necessary to start a local commercial district revitalization program: 202/5886000, www.preservationnation.org/main-street. To locate or start a Local First campaign in your community, contact the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies at 415/2551108, www.livingeconomies.org. • Take your policymakers on a tour: Encourage your council members to walk through your neighborhood with your group, and show them areas in need of improvement. • Get more sidewalks: Clean, smooth sidewalks are key to luring shoppers to local businesses. Contact city officials and request sidewalks if they’re lacking in your area. And call on officials to repair or widen existing sidewalks. • Provide a place to sit: Giving people a place to linger near local businesses, in the form of strategically placed benches, can go a long way toward increasing customer traffic, says Irwin. “It can change the nature of a whole place,” he says. “It’s not expensive but it is pretty effective.” • Encourage mixed-use zoning, to help situate small, locally owned businesses within walking distance of residential areas. For details, see our online zoning article at www.greenamericatoday.org/go/reclaimthestreets.
2. BUILD a BIKE plan While vibrant town centers work for those who live within walking distance, those living a little further out may need something more. Increasing the number of bike paths in a city can make it easy for those people to leave their cars at home. With that in mind, forward-thinking city planners in Homewood, IL, 30 miles south of Chicago, started to look beyond the city’s manufacturing past and into the future. “The city was asking itself, ‘How do we attract new people and businesses here? How do move into the next phase for our city?” says Steve Buchtel, Southland coordinator for the Active Transportation Alliance (ATA). City officials quickly concluded that Homewood could make a name for itself by embracing the active, sustainable lifestyle. “Lots of village planning in the suburbs results in brick pavers, old-fashioned street lighting, and fancy benches. Great stuff, but none of it really makes a lot of new lifestyle choices possible,” says Buchtel. “After being shown some nice slides of what your new historic merchant signs will look like, you might think it looks fantastic, but it’s not going to make your eyes go wide with the possibility of adventure. But bike paths will. Bike lanes will. Bicycle parking racks will. They connect people to new ways to www.greenamericatoday.org
pursue a higher-quality, more active life.” So Homewood called in the ATA, which offers affordable consulting services to communities in the greater Chicago area, to help develop a comprehensive bike plan. The ATA had a series of meetings with residents where people went to work on town maps with big markers, indicating their most frequently traveled routes, destinations important to them where barriers—like roads that were difficult to cross—stood in their way, and more. With this information, the ATA added about 18 miles of prospective bike routes to the map. The bike plan also includes other elements to encourage cycling, from installing new bike racks throughout the city to publishing a town bike map to help people get around. The early phases of the bike plan, which includes improved bicycle signage and bike parking, are currently underway. While the Homewood bike plan was initiated by the city government, Buchtel credits much of its momentum and success to enthusiastic citizens, who have since become engaged with the project in a way he has rarely seen. As soon
For every $100 spent at a chain store, $13 remained in the community, whereas $45 remained when that $100 was spent at local businesses. as members of the public started seeing and working on the plans, they started seeing ways having a bike network could improve their lives. Residents are now organizing on their own to ensure that the bike plan is implemented in a timely manner and that their tax money is spent efficiently. “They’ve been promised this future, they’ve envisioned their lives being better, and now they want to see progress,” says Buchtel. “I’m kind of blown away by it—they want to be organized! It attests to the power of the idea that people are ready to make these lifestyle changes.” In fact, citizens in Homewood are so energized by the bike plan that they have organized a monthly green networking event to develop plans for fostering liveability in their town. How you can start: • Join or form a task force. Task forces that look at certain
issues, like walkability and bikeability, can provide valuable information gathering and research that makes it easier for the city to take action. “A lot of the projects we’re seeing pop up in the suburbs start with citizen task forces,” says Buchtel. “You can get together with neighbors and do your research—where do you see problems in the transportation system in your area? What are some proven effective measures to improving quality of life while encouraging economic growth? The more information you can present to your local government, the better.” • Find out where your local politicians stand on transportation planning and development, and help elect those who are ready to bring your economy into the multi-modal future. • Join your local bicycling advocacy groups, or national groups working to advance walking and biking. The League of American Bicyclists advocates for bike-friendly communities around the country: www.bike league.org. America Walks leads a national coalition of local advocacy groups working to promote walkability: visit www.americawalks.org. FALL 2009
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Economic ReclaimingAction the Streets for Africa 3. Advocate for Public Transportation Any sustainable approach to transportation has to include great public transit. When more people take public transit instead of driving, it means less traffic congestion, less pollution in the air, and friendlier streets for all. According to the Center for Transit-Oriented Development, people who are within walking distance to a transit stop are five times more likely to use transit than those who have to drive to the station. A forward-thinking transit plan in the Denver region is proving just that. Plans for commercial and residential development all along Denver’s FasTrack light rail lines remind some planners of how development used to work—neighborhoods bunched around rail lines or street cars, where dense, walkable neighborhoods connected with the city at large. “Some of the greatest neighborhoods around New York and Chicago were built around transit,” Peter Park, Denver’s manager of planning and community development, told the Rocky Mountain News. “If you look at old streetcar maps of Denver, all of the commercial districts evolved because of the trains. Denver has the DNA to make a city around transit.” Today, several greater Denver neighborhoods are embarking on modern versions of those old transit-oriented plans. One example is Greenwood Village, located at the Arapahoe light rail station, 20 miles south of Denver. First, the city is constructing a town center that will include restaurants, stores, a movie theatre, and more. Plus, new mixeduse housing developments at Greenwood Village will create new opportunities for all sorts of citizens. Low-income housing will enable people to live near transit and not worry about transportation costs; multi-family residences will allow people to scale down, ditch a car, and live in a walkable community; and small-scale apartments and condos will give singles, students, and seniors easy access to entertainment, stores, and more. Similar transit-oriented development is underway all over the Denver area. How you can start: • Show your support for public transit by using it. High
AP Photo/David Zalubowski
levels of ridership demonstrate to transportation departments that people want and need public transit. • Get to know your local transportation department,
When you take public transportation, like Denver’s light rail, you help encourage others to leave their cars at home and follow your example.
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and find out how it can help you. Some cities allow citizens to request additional bus stops or bus shelters. • If you live in a rural area, where people are often underserved by public transit, check out the Community Transportation Association of America’s resources at ctaa.org. The CTAA works to make sure all people have access to public transit— including seniors, the disabled, and those in rural areas. • advocate for a high-speed rail system that will help people travel easily between cities without the use of cars or the heavy carbon footprint of flying. President Obama pledged $8 billion from the 2009 economic stimulus package for a high-speed rail plan that would serve ten busy corridors around the country with trains travelling up to 150 mph. But the US High Speed Rail Association (USHSR) went farther, proposing an ambitious plan for a high-speed rail system that would serve almost the entire country with trains travelling 220 mph, similar to the rail system in Europe. To learn how to support the USHSR plan, visit www.ushsr.com. • Lobby your Congressional representatives for greater funding for public transportation. The National Associa-
tion of Public Transportation’s Web site, www.napta.net, contains resources to help you contact your representatives.
4. Support Complete Streets “Most federal, state, and local transportation policies are focused solely on cars,” says Stefanie Seskin of the National Complete Streets Coalition, which works to change that trend. “Complete Streets are streets that take everyone into account—pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit-users—to create streets that are safer and more comfortable for everyone.” The components of a Complete Street will differ from place to place, but most complete streets include sidewalks, bike lanes, comfortable and accessible transit stops, safe and frequent crossing opportunities, and more. Back in 2005, residents and business owners on La Jolla Boulevard in the Bird Rock neighborhood of San Diego complained of dangerously fast traffic, traffic congestion, streets too wide for pedestrians to cross, stagnating local businesses, and more. The local merchants’ association worked with residents to bring the street to the city’s attention. Together, they developed a traffic management program that has made La Jolla Boulevard a national example of a Complete Street transformation. City construction crews reduced four lanes of traffic to two, which helped lower traffic speed while shortening crosswalks. They placed traffic circles at the five major intersections and in surrounding neighborhood streets to slow traffic and reduce cut-throughs. Then, they paved new sidewalks and bike lanes, and also landscaped medians and raised crosswalks. They relocated bus stops near the crosswalks, adding new benches to make them friendlier. “The revitalization has created a fabulous Bird Rock business neighborhood packed full of energy,” Sally Burgess, a business owner on La Jolla Boulevard, told the San Diego Business News. “It is lush with green landscaping, European auto circles, and user friendly sidewalks. No longer is it a cold, concrete place to drive through, but a warm and vibrant destination for all.” m designates approved member of Green America’s Green Business Network™
Reclaiming the Streets Dan Burden
A true Complete Street is more than just one pedestrianfriendly boulevard—it’s a network of such streets that help open up a city to new modes of transportation. The National Complete Streets Coalition works to advance Complete Street policies at the local, state, and federal levels. To date, hundreds of jurisdictions, including 15 states, have adopted some form of a Complete Street policy to guide planning, development, and maintenance of streets, stating clearly that roads should be designed for all types of users. Seskin stresses that even in communities that can’t implement changes right away, Complete Streets policies are essential communication tools in working with transportation departments to change the vision of transportation across the country, and to educate people about the great benefits of creating safer, more usable streets in our communities. How you can start: • The National Complete Streets Coalition has
myriad resources to help you bring a Complete Streets policy to your community at www.completestreets.org. A Complete Streets program turned San Diego’s La Jolla Boulevard from a traffic-congested The coalition also hosts workshops to help state and nightmare into a safe, bustling, and pedestrian- and biker-friendly Complete Street. local agencies learn how to balance the needs of all cies and requires that state DOTs adopt such policies within road users, and to develop and implement good politwo years. The Complete Streets Act is currently in committee cies. You can check the Complete Streets Web site to see if in the House and Senate; contact your representatives (look there is a local coalition working in your area. • The Complete Streets Act of 2009 was introduced to Conthem up at House.gov and Senate.gov) and urge them to support quick passage of the Complete Streets Act. gress in March by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Rep. Doris Mat—Sarah Tarver-Wahlquist and Natasha Abbas sui (D-CA). The Act defines effective Complete Streets poli-
Concern for the environment has been a part of doing business at Wainwright Bank since 1993, whether recycling waste, offering The Green LoanTM, purchasing renewable energy, using recycled products, building green branches or financing millions of dollars in loans to environmental organizations such as Earthwatch Institute and The Trust for Public Land. In fact, Wainwright is considered a pioneer in what is now referred to as "green banking". To find out more, visit www.wainwrightbank.com or call 1-800-444-BANK (2265).
What's your bank doing for the environment with your money?
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We leave a different mark on everything we touch. To understand what a sustainable bio-region can mean for your business, our community and the environment, give us a call or visit our website. Join us in being part of the solution.
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News and actions from Green America’s programs on Fair Trade, ending sweatshop labor, and green jobs.
Green America’s Fair Trade Tour
I
n May, Green America joined with Partners for Just Trade m (PJT) to launch our first Fair Trade speaking tour. A wild success, Resonating Change: Connecting Communities through Fair Trade brought the Fair Trade movement and its people to 1,300 people in 11 midwestern cities. Peruvian Fair Trade artisans Ayde Riveros and Evangelina Pizarro told their stories throughout the Midwest and Colorado, accompanied by PJT director Carrie Hawthorne and Yochanan Eva Pizarro (left) with Ayde Riveros on Green America and PJT’s Zakai, then-coordinator of Green Fair Trade speaking tour. America’s Fair Trade program. The women told detailed stories of the heartbreaking conditions they labored under before they entered the Fair Trade system. Riveros once knit four sweaters in two weeks and was never paid, and Pizarro worked 12-hour days, six days a week in a jewelry factory for only $75 a month. The women said their lives have changed for the better under Fair Trade. “No longer am I exploited by someone else. I set my own hours and now have time to be a mother to my two daughters,” said Pizarro. Today, she works in a cooperative that earns a living wage designing and making silver Fair Trade jewelry. Riveros helped start a cooperative that hand-knits Fair Trade children’s toys. While audience members were visibly moved by Riveros’ and Pizarro’s stories, says Zakai, the women told him they were also transformed by the tour. “Everyone was so kind and generous. They listened to us and treated us so well. It was an unforgettable trip,” Pizarro said. “Now I have something to tell my grandchildren about.” “The tour helped people learn how their Fair Trade purchases help artisans and farmers in developing countries, who then returned home inspired to support Fair Trade in their communities,” says Zakai. Contact: Green America’s Fair Trade Action program, 202/872-5307, www.fairtradeaction.org, and www.fairtradetour.org. Partners for Just Trade, 314/773-7358, www.partnersforjusttrade.org.
New Bill Aims to Revamp US Trade Agreements
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lobal trade agreements like NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement) have been lambasted by critics for their lack of strong environmental and labor standards. Consequently, Green America and our allies have pointed to these agreements as a main driver of the “race to the bottom” that has corporations squeezing producers for every penny to keep prices low. The brunt of this price-squeezing is often felt by workers, who end up laboring under severe sweatshop conditions for too little money, and by the planet, when corporations fail to invest in environmental protections across the supply chain. A new bill, introduced on June 24, aims to change all that. The Trade Reform, Accountability, Development and Employment (TRADE) Act of 2009, sponsored by Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Rep. Mike Michaud (D-ME), sets forth a new framework for future US trade agreements. The TRADE Act aims to preserve domestic jobs, protect the environment and workers across the supply chain, ensure product safety, and bolster national security. The bill also requires the president to submit renegotiation plans for current trade pacts, including three pending agreements with Panama, Colombia, and South Korea built on the NAFTA model. And it eliminates Fast Track trade authority, a process that allows a sitting president to ram trade pacts through Congress with an up-or-down vote and no debate. “Our trade strategy is broken,” said Brown in a media statement. “Wrong-headed trade agreements have shipped jobs overseas and undermined our domestic manufacturing strength. We need to fix what is not working and build consensus on new principles for future trade agreements.”
RugMark to Launch New Label for Child-Labor-Free Carpets
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ugMark International m (RMI), a nonprofit working to end child labor in the carpet industry, announced in July that it will be phasing out its renowned RugMark labeling program. It will continue to certify and label handwoven carpets made without child labor under a new program called GoodWeave. Child labor is a rampant problem in the production of handwoven carpets in India, Nepal, and Pakistan. For 15 years, RMI has worked on behalf of children forced to work long days in carpet looms. In addition to certifying and labeling childlabor-free carpets, RMI rescues enslaved children, provides those children with a quality education, monitors carpet looms, and helps close down illegal looms. The new GoodWeave program will advance that mission and more. RMI is currently working with the ISEAL Alliance to develop a stronger set of standards for GoodWeave that embrace social and environmental responsibility. The organization plans to replace the RugMark label with the GoodWeave label (see below) later this year. Both labels indicate that a handwoven carpet was not made by a child younger than 14. GoodWeave may later expand to other woven products, like Nepalese shawls. “GoodWeave label directives will be more rigorous, transparent, and defined, and with input from a multi-stakeholder standards committee,” says Nina Smith, RMI’s executive director. Contact: RMI, 866/RUGMARK, www. rugmark.org, www.goodweave.net.
Contact: Encourage your representatives to support HR 3012. For ongoing information, visit Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch, www.tradewatch.org, and subscribe to Green America’s e-mail newsletter at www.greenamericatoday.org. 25
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m designates approved member of Green America’s Green Business Network™
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Classified Ads How to place a classified ad: Send your ad copy and check to the Classified Ad Department at Green America (see address on p. 1, or e-mail robhanson@ greenamericatoday.org for more details). Classified ads must be prepaid. Ads are $50 for the first 25 words and $1 for each additional word. The deadline for classified ads for the next issue of the Green American is March 1, 2010. —•—•— Learn World Shamanism:
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THANKS TO
HOPE
And thanks to socially responsible investors like you who make HOPE possible, the Scarboroughs, of Meridian, MS, were able to qualify for a mortgage and stopped throwing their money away on rent. Now they are building assets, and their daughter finally has a yard of her own to play in.
Supported by federally insured deposits from individuals and institutions all over the country, HOPE provides affordable financial products and services to thousands of home buyers, entrepreneurs, and working families each year in the nation’s most economically distressed region. In this uncertain financial climate, HOPE is a great way to safely invest in your own future while you invest in the futures of low-wealth people and communities in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. People like the Scarboroughs who have dreams and the determination to make them come true with a little help…and a little HOPE. Please join in this great mission today by calling us toll-free at 1-877-654-HOPE, or by visiting www.hopecu.org and downloading an application.
Strengthening communities. Building assets. Improving lives.
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m designates screened member of Green America’s Green Business Network™
I am a
Green American
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Mattias Bosseau
News from Green America’s Green Living programs.
Join Us for the Fall Green Festivals™ This fall the Green Festivals will be returning to Washington, DC, and San Francisco for another year, marking what for many is becoming a tradition of partying with a purpose while building community and doing some great holiday shopping. The Green Festivals, a joint project of Green America and Global Exchange m , celebrate what’s working in our communiEach Green Festival features a Kids’ Zone, where parents and grandparents ties—for people, business, can bring children for educational and fun green activities. and the environment. The Washington, DC, Wanted: BEA Award Nominees Green Festival was at the Washington Each year, with the Building Economic Convention Center on October 10–11— Alternatives (BEA) Award, Green Amerishortly after this issue went to press, ca recognizes groups or individuals who so some of our East Coast readers may are leading the movement to use the have just returned from the festival. economy as a tool for building a more The San Francisco Green Festival just and sustainable society. will be held on Nov 13–15 at the San We are now seeking nominations Francisco Concourse Exhibition— of those whose efforts are at the forestart planning your trip now! front of the issues covered recently The Green Festivals bring together in the Green American (formerly Co-op hundreds of visionary speakers, local America Quarterly), including efforts in and national green businesses, and line with Green America’s mission to dozens of community groups and nonadvance social justice and environprofits. With keynote speakers like mental sustainability (25 Ways to Green Dr. Cornell West, Ed Begley, Jr., Julia the World, Winter 2008), and strategies Butterfly Hill, and more, the Green to reshape our economy into one that Festival is an opportunity to learn how works for people and the planet (From we can shift our economy to one that Greed to Green, Spring 2009). supports sustainability, peace, and Business, individuals, and nonprofit social justice. Check out www.green organizations are all eligible for nominafestivals.org for the complete schedule tion. Last year, the Coal River Mountain of Green Festivals, including Seattle Wind Project m received the organizaand Chicago in the spring of 2010. tional BEA award in recognition of its
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Green America Releases New Reports on Magazines, Airlines, and Green Jobs For 25 years, Green America has been a leader in setting the agenda for the green economy, and this fall, our programs are releasing three groundbreaking reports. • A new “Green Paper” by our Better Paper Project, Newsstand Marketing and Distribution: Green at Retail, gives magazine publishers advice on how to reduce waste and increase profits for their newsstand sales. Currently about 65 percent of newsstand
Get a Green American T-Shirt Now you can wear your values on your sleeve with the “I am a Green American” T-shirt. This stylish shirt is made from 100-percent certified organic cotton and is produced and printed in the US, so your purchase will support organic cotton farming, fair wages, and green business practices. Proceeds go to Green America, so every time you wear your shirt, you’ll know you are helping to grow the green economy. To order a shirt for just $20, visit www.green americatoday.org/promo/tshirts.
m designates approved member of Green America’s Green Business Network™
Natasha Abbas
work to protect Coal River Mountain in southern West Virginia from destructive mountaintop-removal mining and to build a wind farm there instead. Also in 2008, Dr. Robert Bullard received the individual lifetime achievement BEA award for his impressive body of work as the “father” of the environmental justice movement. Please contact us by Nov. 2 with your nomination and an explanation of why your nominee should win recognition. Send to: Green America, BEA Awards, 1612 K St. NW, #600, Washington, DC 20006; sarahtw@greenamerica today.org.
copies of magazines go unsold, and the Better Paper Project is working with the industry to reduce that waste by helping publishers switch to recycled paper, increase the amount of unsold copies that are recycled, and more. Download at www.greenamericatoday.org/PDF/ GreenAtRetail.pdf. • Ever wonder what happens to all those empty cans of soda on airplanes? A new report from our Responsible Shopper program examines how nine major airlines handle their in-flight waste, while also looking at the airline’s overall sustainability plans. Read it at www.ResponsibleShopper.org. • Coming later this fall, the 2009 Clean Tech Jobs Report, in partnership with our allies at Clean Edge m , will examine the incredible potential for green job growth, specifically identifying the top-ten sectors for green job growth as well as the topten “clean tech” cities. The report will also illustrate the possibilities for job growth through a Clean Energy Victory Bonds program that would allow Americans to buy government bonds to advance clean, green energy. Sign up for our e-mail newsletter at www.green americatoday.org for news on its release.
Green Business News
News from Green America’s Green Business Network™, the largest association of socially and environmentally responsible businesses. Find more green companies in Green America’s National Green Pages™ (www.greenpages.org).
courtesy of Honest Tea
Green Businesses Lead in Going Car-Lite
Honest Tea gave each of its employees a free Jamis bike to use for commuting.
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ince a majority of most people’s daily transportation needs are workrelated, companies play an important role in shaping people’s decisions about transportation. Members of Green America’s Green Business Network™ (GBN) lead by example, offering innovative solutions and incentives to create car-lite workplaces—from commuting, to shipping, to daily operation needs. By encouraging biking, walking, and public transportation as alternatives to driving, these business members are helping build more walkable and bikeable communities every day. GROUNDBREAKING PROGRAMS Clif Barm : As part of its sustainability
benefits program, in 2006 Clif Bar launched a “Cool Commute” incentive program to encourage employees to hop on their bikes and leave their cars at home. By committing to commute by bike a minimum of two times a month, or by pledging to take Clif Bar’s TwoMile Challenge to bike versus drive for trips that are under two miles, employees receive up to $500 either to purchase a bike for commuting, or to make improvements to bikes they already own. And the buck doesn’t stop at biking. Clif Bar employees who go car-lite and commute by walking, public transportation, carpooling, or biking can receive up to $960 a year in the company’s Alternative Transportation Award benefits, which can be applied toward rewards such as gift cards, free gear, commuter checks, and even NativeEnergy m wind energy credits. 28
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The program also includes a $6,500 taxable cash incentive, which can be applied toward the purchase of highmileage hybrid vehicles like the Toyota Prius or Honda Civic Hybrid, or vehicles fueled by biodiesel or natural gas. Honest Team : In 2007, Bethesda, MDbased Honest Tea went so far as to give each of its employees a free Jamis bike to use for commuting to work, as well as for personal fitness and recreation. And to further support bike commuting, Honest Tea installed full shower facilities in its offices to make it practical for employees to bike. Distant Village Packagingm , based in Chicago, provides bike tools and bike pumps at its offices, along with showers. It also created an area within the office for employees to store their bikes indoors. Distant Village also subsidizes the cost of public transportation for employees and allows flexible work-athome arrangements, which has allowed their office to cut back by about 40–50 percent on car commuting. TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS At Green Benefitsm , which provides
eco-friendly products and services, setting up a new information technology infrastructure and shifting all IT information to a data center has allowed all employees to access their PC, phone, and all important office information from anywhere. As a
result, six out of eight employees are now able to work from home a minimum of two days a week, reducing commutes and the associated pollution. The new data center system—coupled with a shift to highly energy-efficient micro PCs—has also reduced overall power consumption at the office, says John Hamlin of Green Benefits. Cheap and easy solutions
As GBN members demonstrate, creating car-lite workplaces can also be done through cost-free ingenuity. At Yurich Creativem , a marketing communication design firm in Cleveland, employees used to drive all over the city to meet clients. But a few years ago, the company introduced a “meeting day,” where all meetings with clients for the week are scheduled on one day, rather than scattered throughout the week. Meeting days have reduced the firm’s driving considerably, says founder Beth Yurich. “This way we aren’t driving all over for just one meeting, but arranging the day in a logical manner.” Yurich Creative also eliminated most of the firm’s air travel by using conference calls through technologies such as Skype, an inexpensive application that can make voice calls—with or without video conferencing—over the Internet. Contact: For more information on all of the GBN businesses mentioned here, consult the National Green Pages™ at www.greenpages.org.
Challenge Your Office!
AlterNetWays Company m , which began in 2001 as an Internet-based ride-matching
program, has since tailored the service for organizations so that they can offer a ride-sharing option for their employees. (See our Real Green article, “Carpooling for the Climate and Community” at www.greenamericatoday.org/go/carshare.) As a result, many larger companies and institutions like Lockheed Martin Corporation, 3M, and the University of Texas are going green by offering ride-sharing services to employees. Last year, AlterNetWays launched a program called Commuter Challenges, a service that conducts “challenges” for organizations that want to promote and encourage alternative forms of transportation. In the spirit of friendly competition, multiple organizations can compete against each other. Employees use the “Commute Log” on their organization’s mini-site to track their trips to and from work. Anytime they commute via alternative transportation, the log calculates their carbon savings. “To date, we’ve had almost 6,000 people participate in our challenges and have recorded over 1 million pounds of CO2 saved,” says founder Mark Evanoff. To enroll your office in an AlterNetWays Commuter Challenge, contact Mark Evanoff, 925/9524519, mevanoff@alternetrides.com, www.commuterchallenges.com.
m designates approved member of Green America’s Green Business Network™
can money
heal?
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RSF Social Finance is a community of investors, donors, and social entrepreneurs who share a belief in the power of finance to heal the planet and nurture the human spirit. Together, we are leading a movement to build something entirely new. Our goal is nothing less than to reimagine money.
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helping people to vote with their dollars for a better world. Membership includes a subscription to the Green American, the Real Green newsletter, and the National Green Pages.™ Memberships. New and gift memberships are $20. Renewals begin at $25. Call 202/872-5307 for credit card orders or send a check to Green America: Membership Dept. at the address above. Address Changes. Send us a copy of your mailing label and your new address four to six weeks before you move. Mailing Lists. If you don’t want us to exchange your name with other mailers, write “do not exchange” on your mailing label and send it to us. Group Discounts. Bulk subscriptions for teachers, educators, and others are available. Write or call 202/872-5307 for information.
Daniel Thut, co-owner of Green Line Cafe in Philadelphia, dances with a student from the secondary school in San Fernando, Peru, on an Equal Exchange-led producer trip. Photo credit: Jessica Notargiacomo.
Many SRI investments go to great lengths to avoid bad business practices. At Equal Exchange, we take it a step further, going to great lengths to cultivate good around the world. Many companies analyze their impact by crunching numbers. We make it a priority to understand the impact on our farmer partners by visiting them regularly. We share meals together, meet their families, and tour their farms. In a committed Fair Trade partnership with Equal Exchange, working together year after year, the farmers have a chance; a chance to stay on their land, support their families, and invest in their communities. A vibrant rural community can be a reality.
We are reshaping global trade by empowering farmers and consumers to play an active role in creating a system of trade that is equitable, transparent and respectful. Together, we ARE going to change the world.
Learn more at equalexchange.coop/invest Equal Exchange is a worker-owned co-operative dedicated to Fair Trade since 1986. We buy coffee, tea, chocolate and snacks from around the globe.