Nice trees in Skagit Valley

Nice trees I noticed in Skagit Valley while bicycling by.

Bicycle gear principle used to move heavy book shelves in library by hand

Think you have to own a car to move? Watch me bicycle tons of books. It's how libraries create new aisles and, as always, doing more with less.

Innovation: a solution to global warming

Innovation in lifestyles and technology.

It may take both, but innovation in technology will definitely be necessary if people aren't innovative enough in lifestyles.

Our survival may be a contest between innovation and desperation.

Examples of lifestyle innovation:

Reduce population growth through increase in percentage of population living "child free" lifestyles. Growing acceptance for gay lifestyles is one example.

Reduce consumption. Voluntary simplicity, shorter workweek. Valuing more free time over buying power.

Alternative transportation. Less dependency on automobiles. More bicycling, walking and public transit.

More compact residential development. Planning that grows up instead of out. Smaller lot sizes, more people living in apartments and condominiums. More things with-in walking and biking distance. More density for greater viability of public transit. Hopefully urban lifestyles can be made affordable.

Planting forests.

Examples of technological innovation:

Use Internet to tele-commute rather than driving to work.

Alternative energy from wind, solar, dare I say nuclear power.

Sequestering carbon from fossil fuel such as burning coal for electricity, but capturing the CO2 so it doesn't go out the stack.

Seeding ocean plankton so it sequesters more carbon and sends that to the bottom of the ocean.

More efficient appliances such as the progression from vacuum tube to transistor to microchip.

Reflecting back some of the sun's rays before they reach Earth. Scattering dust into stratosphere. Orbiting a large set of Levolor Blinds in space between Earth and Sun. Remember, they must be Levolor.

To whom do we hand the rod for adjusting the mini blinds?

The UN? President Bush?

Some people might say, "this is really keeping the blinders on."

Still, I believe both lifestyle and technological innovation will be needed.

Be part of the solution and the celebration

Volunteers at one of several Bike To Work and School Day stations. Celebration stations. This one located at Railroad and Holly in downtown Bellingham.

Someone baked a cake. 2007 is the tenth anniversary of this festive event.

Meet lots of interesting folks as people get out of the isolation of their cars and bicycle more. Celebration stations cheer on the bike commuters as they pass. Some will stop for refreshments and conversation on the annual Bike To Work and School Day which was May 18 this year. It encourages people to do more biking throughout the year.

See a video of celebration station. Approx. 1 minute.

Banner at after party in courtyard of Boundary Bay Pub.

Gas Out Day Today

Refinery near Richmond, CA. seen from passing Greyhound Bus 1987 upon returning from my first west coast bicycle tour.

Gas Out Day May 15? Better to celebrate Bike To Work and School Day on May 18. 07

When the house owns you

In many regions, buying a house has gotten so expensive that it's time to turn around the terminology.

You don't own the house. The house owns you.

People that I know who have bought houses seem like they have fallen into black holes. They disappear from community activities for the most part. Having to work two jobs to pay the mortgage, all the repairs around the house, painting, yard work, gardening. The house owns you.

It's kind of like going back to the time of the native Americans when there was more of a tendency to feel like the land owned you, rather than you owning the land.

Now home ownership is bounded more by environmental regulations than before, burning bans, noxious weeds, noise ordinances, water issues, building permits, zoning, you name it. The world is getting more crowded and these things must come to pass. More pressure to be stewards of the land. Also renting isn't so bad after all.

Sign says wear your helmet

Along a popular road for bicycling, Lake Samish Fire District reminds folks to wear their helmets. Good idea. I've got mine.

Oops, the "I" has dropped in bike.

Also remember May is bicycle month with May 18 as Bike To Work and School Day. And, I say if you feel overwhelmed by "should dos" at work, bike away from work.

Now there is a Study that says taking vacation cuts the risk of heart attack. Article says vacation is more of an enjoyable "should do" than not eating potato chips.

Welding art at Bellingham Technical College

Amazing what can be found serendipitously when bicycling. Not that far from where I live. Looking through fish scales at the technical college. Sculptures all over so I took a few photos. Just caught the tip of the iceberg, but it's my favorite tip.

Decided to add some photos from that relaxing peddle in the afternoon to my Flicker account. See the rest of these images Here.

Abandoned filling station sign says ride your bike

Filling station torn down, but sign remained for a while. Site now has leaking tank mitigation.

I have seen some posts that there's a don't buy gas "Gas Out Day" on May 15 to protest high gas prices. Guess what, May 18 is Bike To Work And School Day. Maybe the two days should merge.