On Two Wheels

You've probably noticed recently that a lot of cities are advocating alternative transportation methods and have taken steps to improve the infrastructure to allow and encourage people to ride bikes for pleasure, fitness and commuting. Designed with the systems in Paris, Montreal and other international cities in mind, Denver, Minneapolis, and Boston are instituting bike-share systems which allow residents and tourists alike to rent-a-bike from kiosks throughout the city and return them to any other kiosk of their choosing. Communities are working to create more bike lanes and paths and promote bike safety.

I know several people who commute to work on their bike (They are fearless. I would be completely freaked out by rush hour traffic, myself) and of course, many people who just enjoy riding for fun. Not only is it a healthy choice for the rider, but also healthy for the environment. Unfortunately, with the increase in ridership, there also seems to be an increase in bike theft. An article in The New York Times on Sunday explored the issue. While most local police departments do not keep official numbers of bike thefts, the FBI's report of 188,698 thefts in 2008 is most likely way below actual results because local departments only report voluntarily and most people don't even report stolen bicycles. Compared to statistics from other years, this is slightly higher and officials do believe that ridership has increased over the last several years. Some cities and colleges are taking steps to crack down on bike thieves as many have actually turned out to be sophisticated rings rather than simple acts of convenience. A company has developed bait bikes that have a form of lo-jack attached to them so thieves can be caught quickly and easily. It's a pretty great idea, but it comes at a steep cost when each bait bike is $7,000 and budgets are tight. Still, it's nice to know that some communities are working hard to stop this.

If you ride a bike, be careful with how you lock it up and where you leave it. If you ever have a bike stolen, be sure to report it, don't just let it go.

I don't bike, but I wish I did. Not like the road bikers who do laps in the park early in the morning and freak me out as they zoom by in their large groups, but I'd like a cool retro looking cruiser with a little basket on front so I could carry groceries, my book and whatever I needed for work. Maybe one day I'll get one! Probably around the same time we buy a house.

Do you bike? Have you ever commuted on bike or would you? Do you take caution with where you lock up and how? Does your community support and promote biking?

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workout stats -

14mile bike

20minutes StairMaster

3x10 upright row

3x10 tricep dips

3x10 bicep curls

3x10 lat pull downs

3x10 glute kickbacks

3x10 hip abductors

2x15 leg press

stretching

40 Years

40 years ago today, the environmental movement began. A lot of things were brewing in the United States at that time, and a lot of people started to recognize the damage that was being done to the environment by big businesses and common citizens alike. Industrial pollutions was running rampant and littering wasn't didn't even spur a second thought. On April 22nd, 1970, rallies and protests were held across the country on college campuses, at state capitols, in front of the headquarters of large corporations. By bringing attention to the issue, the people were able to make change. Four major events occurred because of that first Earth Day: the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the passing of the Clean Air, Clean Water and the Endangered Species Acts.

A lot of progress has been made in the past 40 years, but there is still a lot to be done. We're facing global warming and only we can turn this around so many more generations will be able to enjoy the things we often take for granted. We spend hours running in parks, hiking mountains, boating in lakes and oceans, fishing in streams, and breathing fresh air. We should do all we can to make sure that our great great grandchildren can do the same.

The thing is, it's really not that difficult to make a difference. Every little thing we do, the little changes we make to our daily habits make a huge difference when you multiply them by all the little things that everyone else does. Here are a few quick things that hardly take any extra time:

1. Use resuable bags when shopping. Not only for food, but even when running quick errands around town.
2. Buy a reusable, BPA-free bottle and fill it up at home and from drinking fountains rather than buying bottled water on the go. Not only will you save money, but you'll also be helping the environment. plus. there are so many styles, colors, and sizes now, they are much more fun and 'cooler' than bottled water, too!
3. Take a travel mug to your local coffee shop or truck and ask them to fill it up rather than a paper cup.
4. Turn off the lights. Simple enough, right? It's amazing how many buildings are lit up 24hrs a day all over this city because people don't turn off the lights in their offices!
5. Eat organic foods whenever possible (HERE's the list of top foods to eat organic).
6. Shop at local farmers markets and buy in season fruits and vegetables as often as possible. HERE's a great site provided by Tricia, where you can see what's fresh in your state.
7. Recycle everything you can. Even clothing and textiles. In NYC, the Council on the Environment NYC has booths at farmers markets throughout the city each week where you can drop off basically any old textile for recylcing - clothes, shoes, hats, coats, linens, even belts and handbags! Go HERE for more details.
8. Instead of getting in the car, cab or even the subway, walk to your next destination.
9. Cardio equipment in the gym uses a LOT of energy. Once a week, workout in a park or take a run, walk or bike ride around your neighborhood instead of heading to the gym.
10. Instead of turning on the air conditioner at the first sign or warm weather, open your windows and let the fresh air in!

What is your favorite green tip?

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Workout Stats -
15mi bike
200 crunches
2x30sec planks
stretching and foam roller

A Night of Enlightenment

Last night was pretty incredible. Just after 7pm I arrived at Town Hall to find about 40 people already queued up. Robert F Kennedy, Jr. was scheduled to speak on behalf of the Natural Resources Defence Council, an organization he has advocated and litigated for, for over 25 years. I had no idea what to expect, but none the less, I joined the line with my book, a Cranberry Orange Nut Bread (seasonal flavor) Clif bar, grapes, and my sigg packed in my purse. I had come straight from work and wasn't expecting to be home before 10pm, so nourishment was a must!

The line grew quickly and the doors were opened just before 7:30. I settled into a seat in the 9th row and watched the place fill up.















Anyway... After being introduced by introduced by the RNDC President, Frances Beinecke, Bobby Kennedy came on stage to a roaring crowd that spanned generations and income brackets. His stories and accounts were gripping and frightening. He spoke of the literal destruction of an entire state, West Virginia, by the coal industry. Forcing out thriving communities so the coal companies can expand their operations. Cutting down the tops of the Appalachian Mountains to mine the mineral. Polluting the soil, and filling in lakes, rivers, and streams with the polluted soil. Did you know that West Virginia has the richest ecosystem in the hemisphere due to the way the glaciers moved through the area? I had no idea. Unfortunately though, that ecosystem is being destroyed every day by the coal industry. Kennedy is fighting for the people of West Virginia and for the wildlife that inhabit the state. He just won a large judgement a few weeks ago against the coal companies because they were filling the water system and tried to cover up their illegal actions.

Kennedy spoke out against coal energy - it is not nearly as cheap as they like to say when you include the costs of roads built to handle the trucks (in West Virginia their highways have 21 inches of asphalt rather than they typical 4-6inches because the coal trucks require it. Each inch costs millions of tax payer dollars), the railroad tracks across our nation are warped due to the weight of the coal trucks, the companies are tearing down our land and destroying communities. He is definitely not a fan of nuclear power either, professing that it is not safe nor economical and nuclear power plants are not even insurable, which means that we are put on the hook for any disasters that may occur. Apparently there are no homeowners insurance plans that cover costs for damage from a nuclear power plant failure. (If you have that, please let me know!) It is essentially a subsidy for the nuclear power industry.

With all the dire state of affairs Kennedy spoke of he also, actually gave me hope for our future. He professed that geothermal energy, wind turbines and solar energy is where we need to focus our attention. But, first, we need an efficient national power grid, which the Obama administration is working towards as we speak. Yes, I know. You're thinking "Isn't Obama focused on enough already?" Well, yes, I agree, but this is what we need to move forward and become independent and efficient.

Wow. I could go on about this for a long time, but I will leave it at this. After listening to Bobby Kennedy for over an hour (the organizers were desperately trying to get him off stage because the event was supposed to end at 9pm but he wasn't ready to go) I am very interested in these types of energy. There are countless farmers in North Dakota (which is apparently the windiest place on earth at sea level) who want to put wind turbines on their land to create energy, but they have no way of getting that energy to market and there are an incredible number of roadblocks for them to make it happen right now. Most states don't allow homeowners with solar panels to sell their excess energy back to the grid at market rate, if at all. Why not? They are creating energy for others to use? Why not use it? It's solar! It's free! And it's just going to waste.

I left Town Hall with questions and fears, but also with a hopeful outlook because there were hundreds of people sitting there with me listening to this very enthusiastic man talking about ways that we can move ahead and become a powerful nation using our own energy sources while helping the environment and combating global warming. It seems evident that the Obama administration is determined to make this a reality and that makes me optimistic about our future. Maybe it isn't all doom & gloom. Maybe we will turn things around and leave this world in a better state for our children and grandchildren that it is in right now. We have the power to do something about this but we have to educate ourselves, speak out, and demand from our representatives that they make this happen and push back against the Lobbyists, big energy companies and do something. This is much to important to just sit back and let it go.

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On another note!! Our company wide food bank ended on Friday. Across the country, in several offices, we collected well over 1,000 lbs of food and personal care items for our local communities. I am so proud of the company for holding the drive and that the employees came together to help others put food on their tables.

No Impact Week

Have you heard of this? I found it while surfing The Huffington Post last night. They’ve declared the week of October 18th No Impact Week and are asking people to sign-up and reduce their impact on the earth by taking specific steps each day for one week.

Colin Beavan’s documentary, No Impact Man, follows his family over a year long period as they reduced their impact on the earth. In 2007, Colin, his wife, their daughter and their dog changed their lives dramatically. Their goal was to create no waste for a year. To live in New York City but leave no impact. Sounds absolutely crazy and impossible to me, but an incredibly noble endeavor. He didn’t want to wait any longer for politicians and CEOs to make the changes necessary to save our earth. He wanted to take matters into his own hands and see what impact he and his family could make on their own. Cut out trash, walk or ride a bike but no motorized transportation, take the stairs, eat only food grown locally (within a 250 mile radius)… the list goes on.

So, The Huffington Post and Colin Beavan teamed up to create No Impact Week to give everyone the chance to try out Beavan’s suggestions for one week with support and guidance. I’m probably showing my pessimistic side right now, but I doubt many people will keep such a strict lifestyle after the week is over. I don’t think that’s what this is really about though. In a perfect world, it would be fantastic if everyone left little to no impact on the earth, but that’s not realistic. Even if those who participate continue to follow of a few of the tips after the week is over, it’s worth it.

Check out these sites and see if this is something that interests you. I definitely see myself adopting some of these but I’m not sure I can do all of them. Let me know if you sign-up to participate. I’d love to hear how it goes! If nothing else, the Beavan family definitely has an interesting story!



No Impact Man

No Impact Week

The Little Things

There is an article in yesterday's New York Times about the Department of Energy failing to use fairly simple technology that lowers the thermostat temperature when people are not around - mainly at night and on the weekends. An audit found that if the technology was used, the department would save $11.5 million annually. $11.5 million! I don't know about you, but this is a lot of money to me. A lot of money that could be put to much better use - or just not spent (imagine that!). The DOE encourages citizens to think wisely about purchases (EnergyStar) and daily living in order to decrease energy usage and increase conservation. It seems counterproductive when they don't follow their own advice, especially when many of the DOE facilities already have the equipment in place. I encourage you to check out the article. It's definitely interesting and worth 5 minutes of your day. Don't get me wrong though - I definitely appreciate the work they do, especially with the Weatherization Program, but this article brings to light the easy ways we can all contribute to saving energy. Turn down the thermostat, turn off lights when you leave the room, don't leave our work computers on all week long (I need to be better about this!) and other simple things. We can all make a difference.


On a training note.... I ran 15.45 miles on Saturday!! It was the last weekend of Summer Streets and even though it was raining when we started out and was extremely humid, it turned out well! Matt ran the first down & back with me (over 8 miles, a record for him!) and then I ran back down to City Hall and up to Astor Place. I then walked up to Union Square and stopped at the Farmer's Market to purchase a couple ears of corn, apples, and Ronnybrook chocolate milk for a recovery drink! I picked up the bus at Madison Square Park and made my way home. I am so glad I did it. I feel great and I'm encouraged that I'll be able to finish 18 miles this Saturday!