like eleanor said.

so...i've begun riding my bike to work...not just as an eco-responsible, cost-effective practice...but now, as my car was recently totaled, as a necessity. it's one thing to ride as a choice...which i had done...regularly...and that is certainly something to feel good about.

but it's another thing altogether to ride because you have to.

when you ride because you have to, it doesn't matter how far you have to go. it doesn't matter if you're tired. it doesn't matter if you have a lot of things to carry. it doesn't matter if you're behind. it doesn't matter if you don't want to. it doesn't matter if you're sick. it doesn't matter if it's frighteningly dark. it doesn't matter if it's raining, or hailing, or sweltering hot. you simply must do.

and there's naturally an amount of forethought and planning involved in order to consider every possibility. but the thing is, the reward is such a sweet, sweet knowing...of knowing you can test your limits and push yourself through every and any obstacle that may arise along the path. it is the opportunity to become intimately acquainted with your resilience...and ultimately to know...without a shadow of a doubt...that:

you must [and can] do the thing you thought you could not do.

Carrots to Moskowitz. Sticks to Publix lobbyists and the Florida Legislature.

Plastic bags consumed this year:

Parkland: Vice mayor delays talk of plastic bag ban
July 3, 2008

Wednesday night's planned discussion about outlawing business use of plastic bags was shelved.At Wednesday's city commission meeting, Vice Mayor Jared Moskowitz was going to ask the city attorney to draft an ordinance to keep restaurants and businesses such as CVS and Publix from using plastic bags. He wanted to encourage the use of cloth or paper bags to protect the environment.

But activists who have tried to pass similar proposals in Miami-Dade County told Moskowitz that in April, legislators decided no place in Florida could ban plastic bags until at least February 2010.

Lobbyists for Publix and other retailers had pushed the Legislature for the protection, fearing local regulation of plastic bags.

Moskowitz decided to hold off on his plan for now. He asked city staff to set up plastic bag-recycling bins.

originally reported in the Sun Sentinel

For more on this issue see here.

To voice your approval or thanks to Vice Mayor Moskowitz, please contact him here.

How to take personal action wherever you live.

Global action taking aim at plastic bags:

San Fran yay for the first American city.

Australia

Modbury in Devon, UK

Taiwan

Leaf Rapids, Manitoba, Canada

Bombay

More Points to Ponder:

Paper vs. Plastic? survey says: bring your own.

le bon mot du jour.

When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race.

- h.g. wells -

want to see.

Michael Reynolds, Garbage Warrior

renegade architecture and sustainable communities

created from trash

yay! bicyclist wins NYC commuter challenge!!

Transportation Alternatives held its 7th annual Commuter Challenge pitting cyclist, driver, and bus/subway rider in the ultimate showdown of which mode of travel can be quickest (and cheapest!)
In the end, the bike proved swiftest over the 4.5 mile course which began in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene and ended in Manhattan’s Union Square. Jamie Favaro rolled up in just over 16 minutes and took home the gold and a bouquet of flowers for her efforts. Driver, Emmanuel Fuentebella (22 minutes) parked his car and sprinted to a surprise second place finish. Shortly after, disappointed MTA rider April Greene came in last at 29 minutes. But, as Wiley Norvell noted at the finish line, Transportation Alternatives also measured the carbon footprint of all the the riders and Greene came in a close second behind the cyclist.

originally posted here: bike vs. car. vs. transit

sunday. first trial run from home to work by bike.

50 minutes!
In spite of dirt, rocks, roundabouts, missing sidewalks, bumpy sidewalks, narrow sidewalks, traffic, scary intersections, other cyclists, clueless pedestrians, bad drivers, that truck that almost hit me, cactus planted at arm level along the way, the threatening sky, brutal heat and general fatigue.

now that i've practised, i'm ready to attempt a workaday run.

a personal [2 wheeled] revolution.

so.
in that quirky way the universe smiles upon you when you are simply pursuing your passions. it made me smile to recently discover that the week starting may 12 was National Bike Month.

it intrigued me, because that monday, may 12 which was the kick-off of a national event to promote the reduction of pollution and solidarity and resistance to the culture of consumption and gas prices which are currently drowning every jane Q public, was the day i brought my recent Craigslist find of a roadbike to the local bike shop to be renovated.

24 hours later [for le$$ money than i had feared] my bike was roadworthy...and i received kudos from the shop owner Stan for my find of a yokota merced hybrid for a mere $49.

my intention this year was to begin commuting by bike to work. it's approximately 10 miles one way...which isn't much of a distance, truly...i've walked that sometimes in my latenight-past-all-streetlights rambling walkabouts sometimes. but it's an altogether different scenario by light of day in this area of Great Suburbia where everyone jumps in their cars to drive to the local market for their daily bread.

i've driven the distance - my regular route - now, for the last few months planning where i would cross the major thoroughfares and avoid the worst morning rush hour. it's no small feat. i work on one of the most major intersections in my area. and the drivers in this town are NOT conditioned to be cogniscent of cyclists...or pedestrians.

i've made a few trial runs the half distance, and am somewhat surprised at how quickly it takes to make a distance of 5 or so miles. there are times now when i am driving and stuck behind some dangerously distracted slow driver that i wish i was on two wheels [even though my MINI cooper is an absolute joy].

so.
tomorrow is the first trial run that i make the distance. i figure a sunday run will give me a good idea of the path that is best. it's remarkably more visceral to pedal your way to a destination. what is a yawn of a drive by car is incredibly bumpy by bike. i am building callouses on my rump even while learning which intersections to stand and lean into.

so why commute by bike when it's virtually unheard of here in traffic-ville? and when i already drive one of the greenest cars that isn't a hybrid?

as i stated to a group of my coworkers this week:

1] it's good for the environment, and i figure since i know my co-workers love me, my inevitable stanky-ness once i get to work won't be a problem.
[they assured me i was DEAD wrong]

2] it's a practical way to get in a daily workout...calorie burning=more grilled cheese each week...until i go raw, that is. oh yeah, did i mention it was good for the environment??

and,
3] it's in keeping with my list of aspirations for the year...toward which i am well on my way.
[my plan for the year. you can see here]. many of which were in keeping with living mindful of my ecological footprint...so embracing the counterculture of cycling revolution is just one more step.

[if all goes well....monday starts my new morning routine...i figure it'll take me an hour longer to get to work, but it'll give me plenty of time to appreciate the scenery of my hometown and think about the bigger lunches i'll enjoy when i get there]