Tag Archives: bike

Habits: On Starting Walking and Biking

Posted on February 22, 2013 by | 16 comments

8331326949_a3cb329446

The tree came down weeks ago and 2013 is already in full swing. I know I’m a bit late, but I forgot to wish you all a Happy New Year. Happy New Year, everyone! (just trying to keep the party going a little bit longer) Whoo-hoo!!!

Did you make any resolutions? Sticking to them? This is about the time of year that most resolutions fizzle out. I don’t know about you, but I’m with the 30 percent of people who break their resolutions by the end of January.

Two of mine are totally busted and the third is merely hanging on by threads:

  1. Learn and practice Spanish for 30 minutes every day. Oops, it’s been weeks since I logged on to my Livemocha account
  2. Do the Primal Workout every day. Yeah, I ran like Grok once, and did a few wall squats. But daily workouts? Busted!
  3. Write every day. I’ve been better about that, but I can’t say I do it every single day.

There’s a reason habits and resolutions are such a hot topic every year: we really, really, really want to change, but our pesky bad behaviors are difficult to break, and new routines are hard to stick to! Continue reading →

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Posted in alternative transportation, bigger than here, bikes

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Talk about Walk & Bike to School programs Thurs!

Posted on April 11, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Walk.Bike.Schools!
Walk.Bike.Schools! is a blog,  meeting (7pm Thursday @ Bryant Elementary library) and (hopefully) a movement to support and encourage parents and kids walking and biking to school.

Our mission (though calling it such seems a little grand right now) is to build a network of parents, neighbors, members of school communities, and yes, students, who can share ideas and energy around the goal of encouraging more kids and families to bike to school—at least some of the time.

Our loose group of ~6-8 parents has been reasonably successful—Bryant won SDOT’s Golden Shoe award for the largest number of students regularly arriving on foot or bike last year. But we know things could be so much better if we could tap into the collective intelligence of other bike and walk programs in our city and learn what as worked (and not worked) elsewhere. Continue reading →

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Posted in bigger than here, Events, family cycling, School, seattle

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Walking or riding or skipping to school

Posted on October 5, 2009 by | 10 comments

Walk&Wheel-brown-crop

October is International Walk to School Month. At our local elementary, we don’t discriminate. Walk, bike, hike, skip or even take the bus. Just don’t drive to school in October!

Our elementary school received a Seattle Department of Transportation Safe Routes to School grant last year. We’re using some of the funds from the grant to host  a Walktober celebration this month. Kids keep track of their “active” trips to school and earn prizes if they make a minimum number of trips by foot, bike or scooter (any way other than a personal automobile).

Basically we’re bribing them.

We should really give prizes to the parents. What do you think would work? massages? coffee? gift certificates to the pub?

Cause it’s really up to the parents to make it happen.

– Anne

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Posted in alternative transportation, bikes, kids, neighborhoods, School

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October is International Walk to School Month

Posted on September 25, 2008 by | 5 comments
Bike to School Day 2008

Lots of Bikes at School - Bike to School Day 2008

October is International Walk to School Month. Walk and Wheel Month is part of an international movement to encourage active transportation to school. Kids are encouraged to use any type of human–powered mode of transport (feet, scooters, bikes) to get to school.

My friend, Leslie and I are leading the effort at our local elementary school. We were so inspired by the success of Bike to School Month last spring, we thought we’d encourage more kids to join us this fall. Cascade Bicycle Club sponsors the program locally, giving prizes to kids who make at least seven car-less trips to school in October.

Is any one out there leading a walk, bike or scooter–to–school effort this October? It’s not too late to get something organized.

I’d love to hear what you’re doing to promote it.

– Anne

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Posted in alternative transportation, bigger than here, bikes, kids, neighborhoods, sustainability

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Pacific NW Per-Capita Gas Use Down to 1966 Levels

Posted on April 20, 2008 by | 5 comments

Gas Consumption is DownAccording to the Sightline institute, gas consumption is down in the Pacific Northwest (Oregon, Washington and Idaho. For more stats and details, read the full report.)  In terms of weekly gasoline consumption per person, Oregon and Washington are in the top 10 least consuming states (Washington D.C. actually leads the pack.)

This is good news–way to go northwesterners, but don’t go celebrating just yet.

Our total consumption, keeping pace with population growth, has not dropped. Per-captia we still consume more gas than a handful of states including New York, Hawaii, Rhode Island, Alaska, Utah, Illinois and Pennsylvania. And compared against the world, the report reminds us we still have a long way to go:

Despite recent reductions, northwesterners still consume prodigious amounts of gasoline. Daily consumption in the Northwest states remains nearly twice as high as the global average for high-income countries. 

Continue reading →

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Posted in alternative transportation, bigger than here, Commute, consumerism, Human Powered Politics, mass transit, traffic

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Seattle Weather Smackdown: Spring Edition

Posted on March 26, 2008 by | 5 comments

Spring-Rain-RideWho would have thought—rain, sleet, and snow—all on the same ride? Well, maybe in January, but not on March 26th!

Sheesh, it was a wet, cold, and lonely night out there. Not a bit like last week when I enjoyed a lovely spring ride in the company of a backpack-clad fellow commuter all kitted out in Broadmark Capital gear.

As he spun along on his unencumbered rain bike he couldn’t help but comment on me and my Clampett-size load of crap:

“You sure ride with a lot of stuff.”

Continue reading →

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Posted in bikes, Commute, weather, xtracycle

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Tree Haulin’

Posted on December 17, 2007 by | 4 comments

You sure that’s on there OK?You’ve probably seen about a zillion Christmas-Trees-on-Xtracycle photos already this year. I mean, everybody is doin’ it.

Said photos are usually cute and harmless and kind of fun to look at. For our sake, let’s hope that’s true because the CarFreeDay team is making it a zillion and two right here. Continue reading →

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Posted in alternative transportation, BIG Loads, extravehicular activities, kids, seattle, shopping, sustainability, weather

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$40 – One Car Free Date or a Vaccine Bike for Africa

Posted on November 30, 2007 by | Leave a comment

Our Danish friends at Cycliciousness drew our attention to a great holiday giving idea this year. Get this: A single $40 donation to UNICEF buys a bike (!) for health workers in developing countries.

Unicef Health Care Bike. Photo from UNICEF

From the US UNICEF Giving site:

Help reach parts of many countries that otherwise could be without regular support from health workers. Your purchase will provide a bicycle to help health workers reach vulnerable children in remote communities. Having access to a bicycle for a health worker or midwife can help increase the health standards of children in remote villages and communities in developing countries. A small price to pay for such an important gift!

$40 is all it takes to make it happen.

$40? That’s like one Car Free Date Night! Hmmm …. beers and a movie, or a bike? That’s an easy choice. For our next date, we’ll just do the car-free part and send the date money to UNICEF.

How about you? Can you imagine a better way to share the bike love this holiday season!

-Tim

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Posted in bigger than here, bikes, dates

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