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Why Not in America?
Adam Stein, WorldChanging
A lack of infrastructure -- not sprawl -- hinders the adoption of bicycle
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The recent surge in gas prices and growing concern over carbon emissions have goosed efforts to increase bicycle ridership in metropolitan areas, but the U.S. still lags far behind Europe and Asia. A recent survey of worldwide trends in the Washington Post suggests that the reason is not, as is often assumed, some uniquely American pattern of land use. Although no single policy is a magic bullet, the overall prescription is clear: when bicycling becomes more convenient and driving more expensive, many people switch to bikes.

Early on, the article makes a nod to the “car-centric transportation policies and suburban sprawl” that “make bicycle commuting rare, arduous and relatively dangerous” in the U.S. But America is a fairly urban country, with most residents living in areas at least as densely populated as countries with far higher cycling rates. Although received wisdom holds suburbia chiefly responsible for low levels of ridership in the U.S., a survey of success stories repeatedly highlights infrastructure as the critical factor. ...

Commuters in Northern Europe have been lured out of their cars by bike lanes, secure bike parking and easy access to mass transportation. At the same time, steep automobile taxes, congestion-zone fees and go-slow rules have made inner-city driving a costly pain in the neck. In the Netherlands, where such carrot-and-stick policies have been in place for decades, 27 percent of all trips are by bike.

“It is very clear how to do this,” said John Pucher, a professor of urban planning at Rutgers University and lead author of a global study of strategies that promote cycling. “It is not rocket science.”

Adam Stein is a co-founder of TerraPass, where this blog originally appeared. He writes on issues related to carbon, climate change, policy, and conservation.
(8 September 2008)

eBook Review: Simple Solar Homesteading (or How to Build a Solar Home For $2000)
Kristin Underwood, treehugger
LaMar Alexander, is one eco-friendly-building-machine and he's ready to share a few things he's learned along the way in his new ebook, Simple Solar Homesteading. This book is not for just anybody, as the house is small, the appliances are few and while you can get creative in the interior design and layout, there isn't much room for furnishings. Still, for those of you looking to build a vacation home or who don't need a ton of "house," then this guide is a great start in helping you visualize what it would take to build your off-grid dream home in the woods.

At least 12 different projects are included in the book, complete with pictures, step by step instructions, a resource/materials list and costs. Lamar did each of these projects himself on the cheap and if he can do it, you can do it. DIY'ers beware: while all of these projects sound quaint, there is a lot of work to install them and even more involved in maintenance once they are up and running. Even if you aren't planning on building a new home, the tips on building a rainwater catchment system or a solar oven are helpful and could be constructed without building permits or major construction...
(9 September 2008)

Wherever I lay my hat
Daneeta Loretta Saft, The Guardian
I never thought I would spend my honeymoon on other people's couches in London, but that's what happened after my husband and I got kicked out of our flat. In three months, our energy bills trebled and so did the prices at our local supermarket. Freelance clients weren't paying, cash flow became non-existent, choices had to be made between eating and paying the rent. We chose eating. Our landlord asked us to leave. What I didn't realise was that we would be entering an emerging group of full-time couch surfers; people who have found a more communal, environmentally friendly, even utopian, way of living.

We are not homeless. We have choices. We are not sleeping rough. But, right now, we don't have a fixed address. And, strangely enough, after eight years in the UK, I finally feel settled. Maybe it's my itinerant roots. My grandmother started her career as a migrant worker in the orange groves of Florida. Later, when she had her own farm, there was always an extra person or two sleeping in the shed. And, there have been times over the past 20 years when I have been without an address, for mostly economic reasons. In the late 1980s, when petrol was cheaper than rent, I spent three months driving across America and staying with friends. But this time, it feels more permanent.

For the past four weeks, we have been staying with Spencer and Nicola and their two children Oscar and Maud, in London. We live in their lounge, which they have cleared out for us. Most evenings, the six of us pile into Spencer and Nicola's bedroom to watch TV.

Maud sometimes practises her cello and Oscar is learning Sweet Child O' Mine on the electric guitar. There is always tea and biscuits, and fresh eggs (the children are rearing two free-range chickens in the back garden)...
(11 September 2008)