Yesterday about 25 wonderful folks came down to People's Coop to join the Step It Up bicycle tour. Some people came from as far away as West Linn and Vancouver. The ride was sponsered by Exchange Cycle Tours and showcased examples of how individuals can become more energy efficient and reduce the impact that each of us has on Global Climate change. We started at Peoples where we learned a little about each other and what role bicycle transportation has on ecological respect.
After this Sarah talked to us about People's Coop, what it is, and how the building contributes to the health of the city. We learned about the building's rainwater catchment system, recycled materials, the cob wall, and the passive heating system. Sara shared the advantages of being a part of a community store like Peoples.
We then rode through Ladds Addition which is a neighborhood designed to reduce automobile speeds and foster a bike & pedestrian friendly environment. We continued to Northeast Portland where we met up with Brian Bacon and learned about the green features of his residence. The house has 1200 square feet of windows on the south side which heats up the concrete floor and keeps the house at a warm temperature. He shared the effort he went through to use recycled materials throughout the house. The driveway is used for a garden rather than for an automobile, and the highly insulated walls keep the heat where it's supposed to be. After a brief tour of this wonderful house, we were off again to the west side where we stopped at the EcoTrust Building and met Jen Marlow. Jen had set up a large canvas and some non-toxic paints for us to paint our wheels and create a mural of bike tracks. This was hugely fun and we created a truly wonderful painting. From there it was off to the finale at the Step It Up rally downtown. The irony was palpable that we arrived just as a woman was paying the meter for her car. However we put 20 bikes in the parking space behind her and caught Eric Sten talking about improving Portland's environmental status through energy efficiency and sensible transportation. There were so many incredible people and innovative ideas floating around. I feel that we really made an impact and raised awareness for ways in which people can be the change they want to see.
http://innovativetransport.blogspot.com/2007/04/step-it-up-cutting-carbon-emissions.html

Bike ride to the rally in downtown Portland. Stops at People's Co-op, passive solar house in NE Portland, Ecotrust and Face It rally in SW Portland.

Bike riders from around the Portland area flashed their road-riding colors, helmets, and their spirits on Step It Up day, 2007.

We were parents, grandparents, art students, business people, non-profit folks, community organizers, filmmakers, and citizens.

One participant told me that his daughter was a student at Bates College, and that he came "because of her."

The children told us that, honestly, they showed up because "Dad said we had to come."

And others came to ride their bikes in support of a good cause. Like all things that are worth doing, the joy is in the doing, not necessarily in the result. Zero emissions, yes, absolutely: you'll always find bikers campaigning for fresh air and a stable planet. But riding is a lifestyle, too. And a fun one that shows that the changes we need to make as a society to mitigate climate change will actually improve, not lower, our quality of life.

When folks showed up at the Natural Capital Center, I could sense some confusion. Why are we here?

Clearly, the Natural Capital Center was a natural stop for the climate change awareness bike ride, as the LEED Gold building is one of Portland's most prominent examples of a socially, financially, and ecologically successful green building project.

So I decided to ask folks not to think, but to create instead. So we splashed some Tempura paint onto some sponge rollers, coated our rubber wheels, and hit the canvas. By this time, wheeling around in swirls of hot pink, yellow, and blue, the kids, I think it's safe to say, were really glad they came.