Building Alive, Designing to Thrive

Thinking beyond the tap requires a wide scope and deep understanding of our current use of water, our past use, and the values which surround it. This book was a gift, and to be honest I didn't think there would be information I didn't already know on some level. But Prud'homme relates what I see in my daily work to statistics, trends , and data in an easy to understand way. We are a species made of 90% water, yet we don't think about the connection we have to all water. Everything we put in our bodies affects everything else that depends on water; which is EVERYTHING. Are you grasping yet how big this concept is?? For Example, in the 1950's, America used about 150 Billion gallons of water per day. In 2005, we used 410 Billion gallons per day. So we put on efficient showerheads and move on- right? No, almost all (90%) of that water use is from commercial, industrial, and agricultural practices. Yes, there is something fundamentally wrong with the people ...

What a refreshing reminder of the good in the world! The back cover of the book advises if you've lost faith in the good in people and the world, to read this piece- and I totally agree. Hawken and I have a same kind of realistic optimism. We don't know that we will heal this planet, but we know we can . I had the distinct pleasure of hearing Hawken speak as a keynote at the Living Future conference in May 2013, Seattle. His outlook translates into his every word of his speeches and his book. In Blessed Unrest, Hawken compares the environmental and social justice movement as an earth-scale immune system. It gets underrepresented, but is constantly working and succeeding despite our actions allowing new 'viruses' in. I have a LOT of brain food from this book, but you'll have to buy your own copy to get all of it! However, I will share a couple of nuggets here- "The way we harm the earth effects all people, and how we treat one another is reflected in...

Finally, after 320 miles and nights in cabins or camping on the ground- I got the wonderful hospitality of my good friend from UVM, Katie, and her family. It was so nice to sleep in a bed again, and she even had champagne waiting to celebrate! Relatively early the next morning, I took the metro into DC for my first lobby meeting with Senator Menendez. There were three of us total, we decided to ask for a push for a National Complete Streets Campaign. Cindy from the New Jersey Bike and Walk Coalition came in with us, and she had some great statistics and information about current policies. We asked for Menendez to introduce a national push for streets that are designed for bikes, pedestrians, public transportation and cars- not just automobiles a sis standard today. The idea is to do this as streets need to be repaired or redesigned anyway so it is actually not more expensive. Furthermore, high amounts of car traffic degrade roads faster, so the costs of upkeep would lower. Aft...

Despite today being our grand finale, we still had a long 70 miles to trek from Reiserstown, MD into D.C. I left as soon as the route opened- a few hills in the morning had me questioning if I was going to make the 5th day without some assistance. But after the first 20 or so, the route flattened and adrenaline kicked in. We had to meet at the boat house 4 miles outside of the capitol by 3:15, and we (some equally exhausted riding partners and I) rolled in at 3:00. Then a police escort took us right up to the Capitol Lawn, I  rung my bike bell and cheered the whole way- I made it!! Then we had a few speakers- the President of the American League for bicyclists, and Senator Whitehouse from Rhode Island. They were positive, supportive, and optimistic about future legislative decisions regarding Climate Change and environmental policy. Sitting on the lawn afterward, everything else for a while will seem so anticlimactic. 200 bike riders collectively rode about 320 miles i...

Today was the day all the return riders forewarned about. 65 miles and 1800 feet in elevation climbs. EEK! but at least there was a lobster along for the journey! This morning was a slow start after camping out in the freezing cold Amish country side. I rode to somewhere past the Susquehanna river and needed some help. I got a lift to the water stop and rode the rest of the way, so more like a 50 mile day for me. Maryland is beautiful,lots of horses and farms that remind me of the sets in "the patriot" (See my horsey friend below). Tomorrow we ride into Capitol Hill! (After about 68 miles)

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 coali...

Today was 74.3 miles... You can imagine they had to throw some pretty views in so we didn't kill anyone. Crossed the Delaware river, which meant we were riding through beautiful views, and in then out of the Delaware valley.  We had lunch in doylestown, PA, which was cute historic town. On the way out, saw the Margaret mead house which is part of the rider scavenger hunt :). The last 4 miles or so into camp were uphill and treacherous. Camp Innabah was a little shkeevey for my taste, showers worse than the Cindy at Hoover, bug casings and spider webs in the cabin. BUT it was dry and relatively warm. I got a massage- there are 3 masseurs traveling with us- so smart! And went to see the speaker series where they covered topics from national parks to redesigning urban transportation systems.