Okay. While I haven't worked out the logistics of combining school books and work attire with biking to and from work or school, I realized with no small amount of shame this week that there is absolutely no reason I can't walk to and from my local grocery store, which clocks in at a mere 0.75 miles away and whose path consists entirely of either tree-sheltered sidewalks or Shooks Run Trail.
I made the maiden voyage Saturday in gorgeous weather and the entire trip including shopping time took me less than an hour. Totally reasonable. Some unexpected observations:
1. I believe I live in a relatively safe and friendly neighborhood. I wasn't expecting to make it less than two blocks and have a non-psycho looking gentleman stop to ask me if I needed a ride. Caring? Or Creepy?
2. While Shook's Run is nice, owing to paranoia induced by observation # 1, I am inclined to restrict my path to sidewalks with more traffic/potential witnesses when walking alone.
3. Being forced to carry my groceries back home is a built in cure for impulse buying.
Colin Beavan says something in the book about getting there being half the fun, the benefit of the down time vs. the bustle. I'm inclined to agree. The trip was peaceful, and a good way to get a bit of exercise while taking in the sights of the neighborhood in a different way. Now if I could only convince my smallish store to start carrying organic potatoes.....
Monday, October 3, 2011
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Bike Month Challenge
Bike Jam 3 is on! The Office of Sustainability at UCCS is hosting the latest Bike Month Challenge. At the end of the month, we'll calculate the amount of carbon saved by the bike riding. To sign up for the challenge, use this link: http://bikejam3.eventbrite.com
So, I have signed up, filled up my bike tires, and am making the not very arduous 1.2 mile trek to campus as much as possible. My time spent on the bike today: 8 minutes and I do not have to deal with parking issues on campus. I will also be using my bike to ride to the local grocery store (0.8 miles).
I'm fortunate in that I live so close to the UCCS campus and that I do not have to ride my bicycle on any major roads. In fact, the neighborhood street that I use has a very large bicycle lane and very little traffic. There is also a change on campus as well in that many of the surface streets now have designated bicyclist symbols painted onto the road.
This all sounds fine and good, but it could be difficult riding my road bike when it starts snowing, to say nothing of the wind chill that I may be experiencing. Can you put snow tires on road bikes?
So, I have signed up, filled up my bike tires, and am making the not very arduous 1.2 mile trek to campus as much as possible. My time spent on the bike today: 8 minutes and I do not have to deal with parking issues on campus. I will also be using my bike to ride to the local grocery store (0.8 miles).
I'm fortunate in that I live so close to the UCCS campus and that I do not have to ride my bicycle on any major roads. In fact, the neighborhood street that I use has a very large bicycle lane and very little traffic. There is also a change on campus as well in that many of the surface streets now have designated bicyclist symbols painted onto the road.
This all sounds fine and good, but it could be difficult riding my road bike when it starts snowing, to say nothing of the wind chill that I may be experiencing. Can you put snow tires on road bikes?
Thursday, August 25, 2011
UCCS Environmental Chemistry Students start "No Impact Man" Project
Welcome to the blog of the Environmental Chemistry students at University of Colorado Colorado Springs!
We just finished our two week interim course (phew!) and we have decided to start a blog to describe our successes and failures at adopting a no impact (though a better description would be LOW impact) lifestyle in support of Colin Beavan's "No Impact Man: The Adventures of a Guilty Liberal Who Attempts to Save the Planet, and the Discoveries He Makes About Himself and Our Way of Life in the Process."
Our goals:
1. To try one change each week (like: riding a bicycle to campus one day per week or buying nothing for one day) with the hope of adopting this action into our lifestyles.
2. To discuss our successes and failures at adopting these new challenges.
3. To live deliberately and to think about how our actions can both positively and negatively impact the lives of others and the planet.
Wish us luck!
We just finished our two week interim course (phew!) and we have decided to start a blog to describe our successes and failures at adopting a no impact (though a better description would be LOW impact) lifestyle in support of Colin Beavan's "No Impact Man: The Adventures of a Guilty Liberal Who Attempts to Save the Planet, and the Discoveries He Makes About Himself and Our Way of Life in the Process."
Our goals:
1. To try one change each week (like: riding a bicycle to campus one day per week or buying nothing for one day) with the hope of adopting this action into our lifestyles.
2. To discuss our successes and failures at adopting these new challenges.
3. To live deliberately and to think about how our actions can both positively and negatively impact the lives of others and the planet.
Wish us luck!
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