Day 3- spring city, PA to holtstown, PA

Woke up stiff and sore from yesterday's long ride. It was very cold in the morning but it didn't want to have to carry layers so I wore my normal biking get up.

A beautiful ride, but the "rolling hills" of Pennsylvania made this far from a 'rest day'. Riding through Amish country is charming, kids were all at home helping their parents on the farms. I could see something's I reviewed in class, how modern builders sell the ideal of a farm lifestyle to normal families. There were no businesses in sight, so people must buy these homes and drive long distances in order to get to work to afford to keep them. Interesting to see the reminder up close.

A few hills today have made me less confident about finishing tomorrow, which is supposed to be the hardest day. I'm just trying to remind my self I've already done this- 165 miles, raised nearly $2500, and raised awareness for some spectacular organizations.

(A woman from the nj bike and ride coalition gave me a sweet patch today, can't wait to pin it on something important!)

Well kids, time to go to lobby training then bed! (here's a quick pick from lobby training- trainers with their thinking caps on!)

Peace,love, bike.

Comments

Living Technologies

Ok, so of course coming fresh off the plane from the Living Future Conference in Seattle has really got me excited about the best and brightest in green building. I will be sharing lessons learned , case studies, and knowledge nuggets in several posts. And sorry for falling off the map for so long to all my readers- life happens, eh? So one of the most interesting innovations I learned about at the conference is the BIQ house in Hamburg, Germany. This is a multi-story apartment building that is completely powered by algae! Algae sits inbetween panes of glass, eats carbon dioxide and sunlight, and produces oily algae that are digested by the building to create power. Neat huh? This building is a pilot/prototype but just opened several weeks ago. This building brings up a lot of interest in algae for it's many uses. i've seen explorations in bioluminescent algae for street lighting, algae grown for biofuel for transportation, algae for wastewater treatment, and now to pow...

It's a Silly Time to learn to swim when you start to Drown

It's a silly time to learn to swim on the way down Well why am I quoting this fabulous Tegan and Sarah song? It came on during my morning commute and it had me thinking- yeah! I bet a lot of society feels the same way about climate change. It is beyond me how people can deny that climate change exists- or say they 'don't believe in it'. It's not a religion, cult movement, theoretical ideal or ideas spun by your average street-corner crazy. It is a scientifically documented, million researcher strong, thousands of pages-per-volume fact. But- it would be so much easier to get by day to day if you didn't feel like the world around you was closing in and smothering you. We don't know how to swim through all this information- and with the policy makers in their later years, they have some trouble understanding what to do and think if they just ignore it, deny it, or drag their feet they can just tread water instead of swimming forward. I totally see how that gets...

Celebrating National Bike to Work Day, May 16th 2014

BIKE TO WORK DAY MAY 16, 2014 Bicycle Safety (now you know!) Bicycles on the roadway are, by law, vehicles with the same rights, and responsibilities as motorized vehicles. Bicyclists should travel with traffic, in the shoulder or as far over as is safely possible. In NJ, helmets are required for anyone under 18- however if you are biking in location where there is automobile traffic, it is highly recommended to take the extra step. When riding in groups, never ride more than 2 across. On narrow roads with no shoulder or bike lane, ride single file. Use hand signals to notify motorists and other riders when you are turning or stopping "More than half of the U.S. population lives within five miles of their workplace, making bicycling a feasible and fun way to get to work. With increased interest in healthy, sustainable and economic transportation options, it’s not surprising that, from 2000 to 2011, the number of bicycle commuters in the U.S. grew by more tha...

Building Alive, Designing to Thrive

Search This Blog