Tips for Green Living

This article was orinally posted on GOBikeBuffalo.org on April 19, 2013.

May is National Bike Month!  Over the past couple of years our local celebrations have increased so much that we need a whole dedicated page for it. So scroll through and see what we’ve got in store for Buffalo cyclists and enthusiasts.  Most events are free or free for GO Bike Buffalo members unless otherwise noted.

BIKE MONTH BLAST OFF

BLASTING OFF BIKE MONTH with a Bike Drive, BBQ & Open House at our Community Workshop. Whether you’re a GObike member or not, come by to see what we’re all about and leave a little lighter.

Join us for a bike drive-member-party-BBQ-open-house-EXTRAVAGANZA.. more details to come!

PLAY STREETS

On the first Sunday of each month from May through September, 2013, select city streets will be closed to cars and opened up to the community to get together, get active and have fun.

Come ride your bike, climb a rock wall and practice some new dance moves! We’ve got plenty of ways to get you moving.

BIKE TO SCHOOL DAY

Join us for National Bike to School Day!   This event is in right in line with the Buffalo Board of Education’s Physical Activity Committee regarding the district’s stated initiative of achieving 60 minutes of physical activity per day for students.

You may remember last fall’s successful Safe Routes to School’s Walking School Bus, which aimed to promote a healthier school environment (fewer vehicles), and also encourage more physical activity. National Bike to School Day puts the same theory on wheels.  See the list below to join in on the fun!

Presently, 15 Buffalo Schools are signed on to participate in National Bike to School Day.

These schools are currently signed up:

DINNER & BIKES

GObike, Massachusetts Avenue Project (MAP) and Burning Books team up to host this incredible event.  Vegan Chef Joshua Ploeg will serve up some delicious eats while authors Elly Blue and Joe Biel discuss bicycle inspired books and documentaries.  Following the discussions and presentations event-goers can peruse the bike and cooking themed pop-up book shop.

Suggest donation: $10.  We have limited seating so sign up today!

CYCLOFEMME

A ride that honors the past, celebrates the present, and empowers the future of women on bikes and the opportunity for positive social change.

BYOP!  Join us this Mother’s Day for a leisurely ride through Delaware Park and along the Scajaqueda Pathway to Squaw Island where we will hang out and enjoy a picnic.

This ride is Bring Your Own Everything!  We will meet at the GObike Community Shop on 98 Colvin Avenue at 11:00 am.

All women, men, and children are welcome to participate!

Families are highly encouraged.

The event is FREE but we’d like to know if you’re participating.  Register here.

PS: For those of you interested, the Niagara Frontier ADK Mountain Club will ride beforehand and meet up with us at the GObike Community Workshop.  They will “begin at the Lincoln Park Pool Parking Lot on Decatur Rd. near Parker Blvd. Town of Tonawanda.  Going over quiet residential streets of southern Town of Tonawanda and North Buffalo, we will arrive at the Go Bike Buffalo Community Shop on Colvin Avenue near Amherst St. at Delaware Park in time to participate in their CycloFemme Ride to Squaw Island”

BIKE TO WORK WEEK COMMUTER BREAKFASTS

Various Locations

Each location will provide their own discount or special- most will have a free cup of coffee and snack for bicycle commuters who stop in!

PEOPLE POWERED MOVEMENT

GObike Buffalo is seeking artists, sculptors, poets, and writers to celebrate bicycling as a form of transportation.  What are the benefits, issues, and impacts that come with riding a bike?  Works expressing the effects of cycling on personal health and wellness, the local economy and environment, issues of safety and infrastructure, motorist-cyclist interactions, the earth as a whole and more are encouraged.

The goal of the show is three fold: to engage the art and cycling communities, to draw awareness to the benefits, issues, and impacts of cycling as a form of transportation, and to raise money for GObike Buffalo, the region’s only organization whose primary focus is bicycle advocacy.

20% commission for each piece of work sold will be donated to GObike Buffalo.

All mediums of work accepted: 2-D including drawing, painting, montage, photography, etc., 3-D including repurposed bike parts, sculpture, etc. as well as poems and writing pieces not exceeding two pages.

Submitting: Please follow this link to submit your work. Visual submissions must be JPEG or PNG files not exceeding 2MB and must include a description of dimensions.  Written submissions must be submitted in PDF format. There is a fee of $10 per 3 submissions, each additional is $5.

All submissions are due by MAY 5^th; you will be notified by May 9^th. Works must dropped off at Main (St)udios by May 16^th during open gallery hours (Tues.-Fri. 11-5 & Sat. 12-3) labeled with Name, Title, & Price and ready to hang.

BIKE TO THE BISONS GAME

We’re selling tickets!  $10 for GObike members, $12 for non members

Please visit GOBikeBuffalo.org for more information.

I am writing from Teen Treks, a local business that works nationally to provide teen bike adventures that span the USA, Canada, the UK and mainland Europe.  We are starting our thirteenth season as North America's ultimate provider of such tours, which last 6-55 days.  Teen Treks is currently hiring for Bike Leaders, who will guide the teens on their summer adventures.

Here is some more about the position:

• The ideal Teen Treks candidate will be a fun, recent or soon-to-be college graduate with interest/experience with both young people and biking/outdoor pursuits.

• Our Treks involve teens aged 12-18 of various biking ability and come from all areas of North American and abroad.  Treks are 6-55 days, spanning America, Canada, the UK and mainland Europe and are a truly fantastic way to gain experience with young people.
• We train all Leaders June 12-16th in Greater Buffalo and Southern Ontario.  It is mandatory for Leaders to attend.
• Compensation is $100/week plus up to $100/week bonus upon completion of successful trek.  We cover transport, food, lodging during treks.  During training we do cover food and lodging, but not transport.

I am conducting interviews right now, so all interested candidates should submit an online application as soon as possible!  Applications can be found here.  Our website is www.teentreks.com

For those of you who haven’t read my Car Share Blog, let me catch you up to speed: I love my car and the freedom it gives me! I realize it would be best to ditch my car and sign up for a car share program, take public transportation, or even ride my bike everywhere, but I am taking baby steps to greener transportation. For one, I’ve always been an avid carpooler. Another way I’m learning to drive a little greener is doing everything possible to conserve gas and increase my fuel mileage. I even found it saves me some green at the pump.

So how can we conserve gas? There are many small changes that can be made while driving that will help both the environment and our wallet. Grow already wrote about one: using cruise control.