Tuesday’s Focus is Green Transportation in the Fort Collins No Impact Project!

Continue your efforts to avoid unnecessary purchases and minimize trash, while adding green transportation.  If you haven’t started yet, it’s not too late to jump in!

If you haven’t registered yet, you can go to http://noimpactproject.org/experiment/ and click on the City of Fort Collins link on the left.  You will not be able to open the link to the guide that they email you from work, so I’ve attached the section for Tuesday (transportation).  You should be able to access the guide from a home computer, or you can forward this message to your personal email if you want access to it from home.  Please don’t print it unless you really need to.

Green Transportation Fair at Bldg B!

Building B will be hosting a Green Transportation Fair on Wednesday April 23 from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. as part of their Earth Week activities.  Everyone on the NRRC campus (plus NCGRP and CRL) is invited to attend and a flyer with details is attached.  They will be having a representative from Transfort giving a presentation about The MAX, a representative from the Bicycle Ambassador program giving a presentation about biking to work/safe cycling, and a representative from SmartTrips giving a presentation about the different programs they offer, including Vango.  Each organization will be at an information table after their presentations and available to answer questions and share information.  They will be serving light refreshments (cookies and tap water) and are encouraging everyone to bring their reusable water bottles.

 

Smokey can be counted on to use Alternative Transportation!

 

Transportation Tips:

• Eliminate your car’s carbon emissions by using human-powered transportation: bike, walk, skateboard, rollerblade, etc.
• Teleworking is just as good as using human-powered transportation since your car doesn’t leave the driveway!
• Use public transportation.  Take the bus to work, but give yourself extra time if you are new to this mode of transport.  Chances are good it won’t go perfectly the first few times as you figure out the details.
  • If you use public transportation regularly for your commute, you can apply for a federal government subsidy to pay for it!  Details are here: http://www.afm.ars.usda.gov/hrd/worklife/transit_subsidy_contacts.htm (NCGRP employees: You can’t get a subsidy and a paid parking permit.  You must choose one or the other.
• Carpool.
• If you must drive, consolidate your trips.  Do all your errands at the same time and plan the most efficient route among the places you must go.
• Use the most efficient car available to you.
• Check your tire pressure –

You can improve your gas mileage by up to 3.3% by keeping your tires inflated to the proper pressure. Under-inflation increases tire wear, reduces your fuel economy, and leads to higher carbon pollution emissions. Properly inflated tires are safer and last longer.

Check your tire pressure regularly. If you don’t know the correct tire pressure for your vehicle, you can find it listed on the door to your vehicle’s glove compartment, or on the driver’s-side door pillar. Do not use the maximum pressure printed on the tire’s sidewall. When it’s time for new tires, consider purchasing tires with “low rolling resistance,” an energy-saving feature.

Learn more tips to improve your fuel economy: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/driveHabits.jsp

 

Below are links to additional information on Green Transportation.

Videos:

NHTSA Bike Safety Tips for Adults: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdrrxIpQpt4

How to Bike to Work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekq_uQKWijE

I’d Bike to Work if Only…: Rob Cotter at TEDxAtlanta: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhey6x8CRe8 (About the Elf – a hybrid bicycle vehicle that runs on solar electric and pedal power, and it’s suitable for commuting, short-haul deliveries and other local transportation needs.)

Ridekick electric motorized trailer – a Fort Collins company! http://vimeo.com/44699474

CrossCurrents – MAX: Is It For You? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9unyuiciGw&feature=share&list=UU9yI7q_1fhS4KpfQp74mokQ&index=31

Non-Video Information on Cycling Safety and CO Cycling Regulations:

**Rules of the Road (From CO Bicycling Manual): http://www.fcgov.com/bicycling/pdf/cbm-rulesofroad-2006.pdf  If you look at only one link, make it this one!

Colorado Bicycle Laws: http://bicyclecolorado.org/learn/colorado-bicycle-laws/

Details of the CO bike laws: http://colobikelaw.com/law.php

CO Bike Safety Tips: http://colobikelaw.com/tips.php

City of Fort Collins Bike Rules and Regulations: http://www.fcgov.com/bicycling/rules.php

FC Bikes (including CO Bicycling Manual): http://www.fcgov.com/bicycling/links-resources.php#cbm

The City of Fort Collins is hosting No Impact Week for Earth Week 2014!

The NRRC Green Teams challenge YOU to participate.

No Impact Week is described as a “Carbon Cleanse.” Each day of the week you add a new focus while continuing to the do the previous sustainable activities. The challenge will run from April 20 to April 26. To register, go to: http://noimpactproject.org/experiment/. The “City of Fort Collins, CO No Impact Week” can be selected from the bar on the left of the web page. Once you register, you will receive links to a pre-survey and a guide. The survey link works, but unfortunately the website hosting the pdf Guide is blocked by USDA. Instead, your green team will be emailing it to you.

This Challenge is based on the movie No Impact Man that ARS Fort Collins viewed on Earth Day two years ago. ARS Fort Collins’ EMS (green) Team will re-show the movie at each ARS building at noon over the next 2 weeks. Bring your lunch! Feel free to attend whichever building’s showing you want.

• Today (4/10) – Bldg. D, Eagle conf room
• Next Wed (4/16) – Bldg B – check with Bldg B green team for time and place!
• Next Thurs (4/17) – NCGRP main conf room
• Next Fri (4/18) – CRL conf room

Some employees will have limitations to participation during the week, depending on their personal and work situations. For example, if you live in Greeley it may not be feasible to use human-powered transportation to get to work, but you might be able to take public transportation or carpool. Or perhaps you can do all of your errands on the way home instead of making a separate trip, thus cutting back on your driving. The point is, challenge yourself and do the best you can.

USDA ARS Fort Collins’ goal is to have at least 50 of our employees participate in this challenge (~25%).

Here’s the plan for No Impact Week (Note that themes are celebrated in a different order at Bldg B):

• On Sunday (April 20), stop buying things you don’t need.
• On Monday (April 21), decrease your trash generation, and don’t buy things you don’t need.
• On Tuesday (April 22), use sustainable transportation while practicing decreased consumption and trash generation.
• On Wednesday (April 23), start eating sustainably while continuing to use sustainable transportation and decreasing your trash and consumption.
• On Thursday (April 24), cut your energy use while continuing to eat sustainably, use sustainable transportation, and decreasing your trash and consumption.
• On Friday (April 25), cut your water use while continuing to minimize your energy use, eat sustainably, use sustainable
• On Saturday (April 26), give back to the community while continuing your sustainable activities from the week.

Details and suggestions are in the guide.  Watch for daily posters in your building focusing on that day’s theme.

Additional activities going on during the week will be announced in upcoming emails and posts!