Tag: transportation (Page 3 of 3)

Are you ready for Bay State Bike Week?

Bay State Bike Week

From May 9th-17th, Massachusetts will be celebrating Bay State Bike Week. Every May, residents across Massachusetts come together in celebration of human-powered, two-wheeled transportation. This is Bay State Bike Week. From Cape Cod to the Berkshires and everywhere in between, participants organize events like film screenings, bike breakfasts, festivals, and more, to have fun while encouraging new riders and raising awareness about bicycle transportation. Bay State Bike Week is a partnership between MassBike, MassDOT, and MassRIDES, in collaboration with local advocacy leaders, bike shop owners, and anyone else who likes seeing others go by bike. Massachusetts is currently the only state that hosts a statewide bike week. Each year, Bay State Bike Week raises awareness about cycling as an alternative form of transportation, a sustainable commuting option, and a fun form of exercise.

Safety Information

  • Smart Cycling Tips from the League of American Bicyclists
  • Go by Bike: A Guide to Bicycling in Massachusetts (English) (Spanish)
  • What Every Parent Should Know (English)
  • Child Safety Flyer (English)
  • Same Roads Same Rules Spoke Cards: These contain handy safety tips and can be handed out to both cyclists and motorists. (English) (Spanish)

There are many ways you can get involved with Bay State Bike Week:

mcbc2015MassCommute Bicycle Challenge:  Sign up to ride for the Tufts Team and log your miles daily (simply select Tufts University as your team when you register)! Awards and Prizes will be given to the team that logs the longest commutes, highest number of cyclists, and largest total mileage among others. Participate in daily raffles for registering, and compete for individual accolades as well. Registration is completely free. If you’re using social media, be sure to post using the hashtag #MCBC2015. The Office of Sustainability will be providing updates throughout the week on Facebook and Twitter.

You can also log your miles on NuRide for the chance to win these great prizes including: Dunkin Donuts Gift Cards, The North Face Backpack, Smith Optics Helmet, Zipp Bike Wheels, Sram Bike Accessories, and a Park Tool Bike Workstand.

Bike Fridays (Boston Metro Area): On Bike Fridays, you can join a bike commuter convoy from one of dozens of locations throughout the Boston metro area. Safe guided convoys with experienced ride leaders will follow a fixed schedule and route and finish together at City Hall Plaza in Boston. Because you rode your bike, you’ll get a free breakfast and coffee courtesy of Boloco, set to music amid an expo at City Hall Plaza. Join a convoy, or just show up for the fun at City Hall Plaza. Registration is free.

  • April 24th
  • May 15th – Boston Bike Week Festival!
  • June 26th
  • July 24th
  • August 28th

Bike Bash (Wednesday, May 27th): The Bike Bash is the event wrap up party which celebrates the conclusion of the MassCommute Bicycle Challenge! All Challenge participants are invited to join in on the celebration. The Bash is an opportunity to acknowledge and award our winning teams and all of our wonderful riders! It’s also a chance to raffle off all of the drawing prizes that have been donated by sponsors.

Visit the Bay State Bike Week event calendar for a list of statewide events and check out the Somerville Beat Guide to Cycling in the City.

Hubway at Tufts - Packard Avenue

Hubway at Tufts – Packard Avenue

For more information regarding biking at Tufts, visit our biking at Tufts web page.

Eco-Rep Update

Anyone pumped about the environment, which ought be everyone, should apply to be an Eco-Rep for the Fall of 2013!  We are looking for a diverse group of people looking to make an positive impact on the environment!  Do it now! 

Get excited!  Recyclemania is coming to a close with only a week left for all the dorm to step up the recycling!  Make sure to check out the website if you are not sure what is and is not recyclable, or, ask any Eco-Rep!  Go green and help support Tufts in the national competition!

A call for old cloths: do you have cloths that you don’t wear any more?  Do you have no more space in your closet?  It’s about time to let go of your old cloths by donating it to the Eco-Reps for the upcoming clothing swap!  There are boxes in each dorm for cloths (but no shoes) so make sure to get some Spring cleaning done and stick some of your old cloths in the labelled boxes!

This week at our meeting the Eco-Reps learned about environmentally friendly ways to get around.  Too often we rely on our personal cars to take us places.  We found that in reality, public transportation tends to be cheaper, stress free, and easier.  The T is always a reliable way to get around the Boston area, and buses are very dependable too!  There are a lot of helpful applications for your phone to track buses and the T.  We came to the conclusion that buses are a great way to get around: bus drivers are great, they are cheaper than the T, and you can even hitch your bike to the front of the bus( just don’t forget to take it down when you get off!).  Getting a ZipCar and carpooling is also often very cost effective and convenient.  If you are a Tufts student, there are special rate!  Check out the website to learn more and to see how to register.  But, let’s not forget the lovely Tufts Bikes group on campus that allows us to borrow bikes from Tisch library for up to 8 hours!

Fun fact: L.A. could have potentially been the most eco-friendly county.  But, because of the political and economic power of big oil companies, much of the plans to implement awesome public transportation was not made possible.  It was quite surprising to many of us how great energy-efficient technology has been developed in the past, but has been destroyed or overlooked because of the multi-billion dollar industry that capitalized on oil and fossil fuels.

Earth Day is coming up so get excited for dorm and school-wide events!  There are going to be flyers and posters all around campus, but if you want to get more details RA’s and Eco-Reps are always happy to tell you all about the exiting upcoming events!

2013 Summer Institute on Sustainability and Energy: Sustainable Transportation

Announcing the 3rd annual
SUMMER INSTITUTE ON SUSTAINABILITY AND ENERGY
Hosted by the Energy Initiative at the University of Illinois at Chicago, in partnership with Argonne National Laboratory; Clean Energy Trust; Energy Policy Institute at Chicago (University of Chicago); Energy and Sustainability Engineering (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign); Initiative for Sustainability & Energy at Northwestern (Northwestern University); Wanger Institute for Sustainable Energy Research (Illinois Institute of Technology)

2013 Program Theme: Sustainable Transportation

The Summer Institute on Sustainability and Energy (SISE) is a two-week intensive workshop and lecture series geared towards individuals interested in the title subjects: sustainability and energy.  From August 5-16, a diverse body of participants will converge on the UIC campus and immerse itself in a broad spectrum of sustainability and energy related topics.  Issues presented will be of interest to scientists, economists, political scientists, urban planners, engineers, architects, and entrepreneurs.  Participants will engage these issues through interactive and interdisciplinary lectures and panel discussions, collaborative research projects that stress scientific innovation and entrepreneurship, networking opportunities with academics and professionals, and tours of sustainability and energy related sites in the Chicago area.  This experience leaves graduates of the Summer Institute with a firm foundation for future careers in sustainability and energy, and inspires them to lead the next generation as thoughtful and informed global citizens.

APPLICATIONS ARE NOW BEING ACCEPTED.

Admission into the program is highly competitive. 60-80 participants will be accepted from a pool of national applicants.  Those accepted into the program can expect to receive financial support including transportation getting to and from Chicago, lodging during the duration of the program, and most meals.

LEARN MORE ABOUT US!
We invite you to learn more about the Summer Institute.
Visit us on the web at: http://sise.phy.uic.edu/

Mar 30: Walk/Ride Day Corporate Challenge!

The Green Streets Initiative is thrilled to announce the launch of its inaugural Walk/Ride Day Corporate Challenge!

Kicking off March 30, the Walk/Ride Day Corporate Challenge is a competition among Boston area employers to encourage alternative commuting habits just one day a month, over the course of seven months. The Challenge aligns with Green Streets’ signature Walk/Ride Days when, on the last Friday of every month, individuals can check in at http://greenstreets.mapc.org to indicate they have used active, sustainable transportation and receive special incentives.

Each month, gogreenstreets.org will display a leader board of companies ranked according to the employer’s percentage of participation. We’ll also raffle off a fabulous prize among participants of each month’s leading company, including gift cards to area restaurants and more. Upon the Challenge’s conclusion in September, the company with the highest cumulative percentage of participation will be named the Walk/Ride Day Corporate Challenge and be honored with a special celebration.

Employers ready to sign up now can do so at http://gogreenstreets.org/sign-walkride-day-corporate-challenge.

The Green Streets Initiative also has a number of sponsorships available, including the Walk/Ride Day Corporate Challenge Naming Title Sponsorship. As the Naming Title Sponsor, your company’s name will appear on all materials related to the Challenge, from bus signs and brochures, to t-shirts, cups and bike vests.

For more information, see GSI’s website.

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