concepts. ideals. projects. future. progress.
another interesting looking website that i will never have time to properly read…
adding it here to remind myself.
Bike to Work and Get $20 Bucks a Month
“Good news for bicycle commuters in America. As of January 1st, 2009, you can collect a twenty dollar per month tax credit if you bike to work at least three days a week. This was all part of the stimulus bill that passed last Fall.
The credit is available through your employer. (That is if your employer contracts a commuter benefit provider.) If you employer does not have or offer a commuter credit program, talk to you employer about initiating a commuter benefits program. Get your fellow bicycle commuters to back you up on this. Your employer can benefit through tax breaks.
Many complain that $20 dollars a month isn’t enough money to interest them in the program. And others state that the paperwork is more time consuming than it’s worth.
If it’s not worth the money, then it’s not worth the money. However, if you are biking to work anyway and your boss has a commuter rebate program in place, then why wouldn’t you take advantage of a free twenty bucks a month?
Nurture this program. It might not seem like much right now, but it could be the beginning of great things for bicycle commuters.” - Treehugger.com
Meanwhile in Japan…..They are having fun storing their bikes in futuristic automated bike tower thingys, that look like something straight out of i-robot! I shudder to think of the waiting time if a group of more than 2 rocked up to deposit or collect their bikes, but who cares, its so freaking cool. I would definiately used it at least once for the novelty factor…then probably just go back to finding that trusty pole to lock my bike to on the street for free…
Urban Bike Stations Continued….
“In the western US, there is Bikestation.
It is a “not-for-profit organization that offers secure bicycle parking and related services to make cyclists’ lives easier. Park your bike at one of our facilities and you can be assured that your vehicle is secure and covered. “
This is a terrific business idea from ::Springwise. It obviously makes cycling to work easier, but it also builds a community” - Treehugger.com
“This is a business idea we shouldn’t need; every office building should have decent bike storage and a place to change and shower, it should be in the building codes like washrooms. Unfortunately they don’t; that is where urban bike stations come in. The coolest one is Bike Central in Auckland, New Zealand; they offer safe storage, showers, coffee and a bite to eat, wifi and will do your dry cleaning and laundry while you are at work. It is more like a health club than a bike shop, but then if you are biking to work that’s what you want.” - Treehugger.com
Awesome Idea: Copenhagen’s Cyclist Counter (#500,000 Gets a Free Bike) continued…
“How does it work? From Copenhagenize:
There is a ‘sensor line’ in the asphalt on the bike lane a few metres in front of the counter which registers the cyclists. There is a SIM-card in the counters so the information is automatically sent to the City of Copenhagen’s Center for Traffic. The counter only registers cyclists on this side of the street, not the far side, so you can double the numbers up to see how many cyclists use both directions.
I think more cities (and not just in Denmark) should have cyclist counters. Information about how many cyclists are around can be a powerful tool for those who argue for more bike paths and more cyclist-friendly streets, and it can probably also nudge motorists to give biking a go (“wow, 12,000 people rode bikes on that street today, maybe I should join them…”).” - Treehugger.com
Awesome Idea: Copenhagen’s Cyclist Counter (#500,000 Gets a Free Bike)
“It Also Doubles as an Air Pump
The city of Copenhagen, Denmark, our Best of Green 2009 winner for “Best City To Be a Cyclist In”, has installed what I think is a totally awesome cyclist counter (“cykelbarometer”) in front of city hall (it also has an air pump if you need to inflate your bike’s tires). The two numbers on the counter are “total number today” and “total number this year so far”, according to our friend Mikeal from Copenhagenize. The city will give a Biomega bike to cyclist number 500,000, and since there are about 12,000 cyclists that pass by on a week day (about 25k both ways), it shouldn’t take too long for that number to be reached. Read on for more details and another photo.” -TreeHugger.com
Phoenix’s Brand New Light Rail Has 60% More Users than Expected
“Shows a Big Pent Up Demand for Quality Public Transportation
The sprawling city of Phoenix, of all places, is showing us how light rail should be done. They just opened a 20 mile line with 28 stops last December, and ridership statistics are beating all forecasts (evidence that the same might be true in other cities where they are afraid to invest because their forecasts are too low) with 40,000 daily riders instead of the 25,000 expected. As you can see in the video below, the trains also have bike racks, which is a must to encourage multi-modal transportation. Read on for more details, and make sure to check out the video below.” -TreeHugger.com
Michael Hill’s ‘invisible’ houses get go-ahead
Jewellery magnate Michael Hill is to get his underground houses.In a decision released yesterday, independent commissioners granted Hill resource consent to build 17 subterranean dwellings on and around his Arrowtown golf course. “We are satisfied that none of the identified possible adverse effects of the proposal has any significance … there are significant positive effects,” commissioners John Matthews and Andrew Henderson said. Application documents show the houses are to have floor areas ranging from 367 to 700 square metres. Each dwelling would take one of seven designs, some of which include lap pools, wine cellars, libraries, outdoor fireplaces and/or courtyards. More than half of the dwellings would be built below a ridge southwest of the golf course. A handful would be nestled between fairways. He said the design shied away from the resort-style courses that were popular in the United States. “The Americans put a big colonial clubhouse at the back of the 18th and fill the fairways with homes. “For me, that spoils everything. We want it to be like a Scottish course, where you see nothing. These homes will be invisible.” Tight conditions have been imposed by both Mr Hill and the commissioners on the way occupants can use the outdoor space on the properties. “Very stringent controls are also proposed on the use of each house site, to the extent that apart from placing outdoor furniture on a limited-sized area around each house, virtually nothing else can occur,” the commissioners say in their report. “Use of the house lots for the normal trappings of domesticity such as trampolines, spa pools and so forth, will be prohibited.”
Thought: I always like the idea of tree-houses. The event due to be held in Sydney sounds really progressive. Something about living in a tree that seems kind of right… Anyways will be good to see what designs come out of it in 2 years time and how they influence the way we build with our environment in the future.
I found this image on the web but lost the link…its cool pshop though.
“The world’s first major public exhibition of ‘green design’ treehouses, TreeLife will bring the biggest names in international architecture, design and art into the one public place for the first time.
The Sydney launch of the event will showcase cutting edge green and sustainable design set in beautiful Hyde Park, one of Australia’s most iconic and highly trafficked public spaces located in the heart of the city.”
-Coolhunter.com
“Life in the trees
Treehouses have become creative eco-statements in the design world. They allow people to literally be “in” nature and peace above the stressful street level of life. The Cool Hunter will invite top local and international architects, artists and designers to design for the event a modern treehouse, created from sustainable and recycled materials”
-Coolhunter.com
“TreeLife launches in Sydney - February 2010
We are excited to announce that our first offline event, TreeLife by The Cool Hunter, will be unveiled in Sydney’s iconic Hyde Park and other landmark satellite venues including Martin Place and the Sydney Opera House.
“Treelife is a brand new free event, launched here in Sydney before going to London and New York,” says Sydney Lord Mayor, Clover Moore MP. “This event will showcase innovative and creative sustainable architecture, and illustrate that green can co-exist with urban city life.”
-Coolhunter.com
Library Bikes: Too Good An Idea to be Quiet About
How have we missed this for so long? Three of our favourites; local communities, libraries and bicycles; all merged into the one enterprise, known as the Arcata Community Library Bike Project.
Volunteers repair an eclectic mix of bikes, then they offer them to the public for a six month loan, asking just for a $20 refundable deposit. Young folk get a chance to muck around with spanners, ball bearing and grease. Long-time cycle advocates have the opportunity to pass on their skills. The world’s most efficient form of transport is saved the indignity of rusting in a garage or taking up space in a landfill. Citizens can travel about their local community for free. And that’s just for starters.
Arcata Community Library Bike Project quote some wonderful statistics regarding the benefits cycling has on human health:
For instance, cycling 4 miles somewhere (work, school, etc.) and 4 miles back at an average speed of 12 miles per hour (a very moderate speed) is equivalent to 24 holes of golf, 50 minutes of single tennis, or ten minutes of wrestling.Regular cyclists exhibit the physical fitness level of someone ten years younger.
According to the National Heart Foundation, cycling five days a week for 30 minutes a day will cut your risk of heart attack in half.
-TreeHugger.com
Bike Library Website Here
Vauban, Sustainable Development Model, Germany Continued….
For energy efficiency, the houses in Vauban, which was completed in 2006, are all row houses. Freestanding homes, like those in traditional suburbs, consume huge amounts of energy because of their exterior walls. Many houses in Vauban were built to passive house standard, meaning they are so well designed to conserve heat — through insulation and other innovations — that they do not need heating systems at all.
Photo: Martin Specht for The New York Times
