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Urban Cycling Etiquette
Cycling is a great way to stay fit, save money, and reduce carbon emissions. Unfortunately, whether you’re commuting to work or running errands on the weekend, interacting with cars on the road is often stressful for everyone involved.
There’s almost a combative vibe between motorists and cyclists, and I don’t think it has to be that way. In order for everyone to make their trips safely, I think there are a few key bits of etiquette that would make all of the difference.
Reusable Bag Campaign Gets It Right, Then Gets It Wrong
I spotted this ad for reusable bags at Publix, and it’s brilliant! After a quick chat with the clerk at checkout, though, I left the grocery store with some mixed feelings about it.
Safety is Key to True Walkability
We can talk about urban density, city planning, and walkability all we want. If folks don’t feel safe, it’s going to be much harder to get them out of their cars.
Help End Mountaintop Removal Mining
There is no such thing as clean coal. We can capture carbon all day long, but that doesn’t change the filthiest aspect of this fossil fuel: mountaintop removal mining. As we use more and more energy, it gets harder to mine the coal that powers our electricity grid, and that means coal companies are resorting to extreme measures to extract it.
Mountaintop removal pollutes rivers and streams, contaminates water supplies, and contributes to flooding in surrounding areas. We need to move away from this practice, but EPA recently issued yet another moutaintop removal permit. According to an alert from Rainforest Action Network:
9 Year Olds Knitting Hats for Hunger
In 2008, 9-year-old Andrew Castle started Hats for Hunger, selling his hand knit hats to raise money for Heifer International. He raised $1500 that first year, and the project has only gotten bigger and bigger.
Last week, I got an email from 9-year-old Hannah, Hats for Hunger’s Minnesota Representative, sharing this video that she made promoting the project. I’m sorry, but this made me a little bit misty-eyed:
