The weather was unseasonably hot for Green Albany Day. A sunny, Sunday, Green Albany Day (GAD) filled Memorial Park from 11am-3pm on May, 17, 2009 – a great end to a memorable and busy week in which 415 people stopped by our Bike To Work Day Energizer Station on Bike to Work Day! Promoted as an educational event hosted by the city of Albany, GAD participants enjoyed booths and workshops, met green representatives, learned about green businesses and environmental organizations, and socialized with other community members. Special planning workshops were also held throughout the day to gain public input on the City’s Climate Action Plan (CAP). Participants learned more about the Climate Action Plan, which contains many aspects, including how to increase the use of transportation alternatives in order to minimize Greenhouse Gases. A few Albany Strollers & Rollers spoke with representatives of the CAP to make our views known and understood.
Albany Strollers & Rollers (AS&R) and Jelly Belly teamed up to provide free bike valet parking for the event. Many thanks to Sylvia Paull and Ken McCroskey for coordinating the details of the valet parking. Thanks to their efforts recruiting volunteers and managing all aspects of the bike racks and parking, the free valet was a notable event service. Despite the heat, valet volunteers Anne Malamud, Kate Rowland, Ann Shortall, and Margie Kirk parked bikes for GAD riders with smiles and good spirits. Once again, everyone who brought his or her bike in got a Jelly Belly team water bottle. And everyone who visited the AS&R table for any reason during the course of the day ate bags of Jelly Bellys and Sport Beans, courtesy of our sponsor!
With a prime location outside the entrance to the GAD, Amy Smolens and I, Heather Cunningham, represented AS&R to passers-by. We provided GAD participants with information about what we do, what we have accomplished, what we hope to accomplish, and how new members can become involved. With help from Ken, Nick Pilch, and a generous Trek bike donation from Sylvia, AS&R has increased our membership by over 10% since the Art & Music Festival. Welcome to our new members! Also notable was the success of our bike light program. We sold 16 more of our great new blinking Safety Lights (partnering with the City of Albany, Fun Source LLC / DuraVisionPro and the Transform / Alameda County Safe Routes to Schools campaign). In addition to getting a useful accessory, people loved the idea that for every light that we sold, an Albany student will get one free. If you aren’t familiar with this program, please visit our Home Page at http://www.albanystrollroll.org to learn more.
When not chatting with GAD visitors or parking bikes, all of our booth and valet volunteers enjoyed a burrito lunch courtesy of Chipotle Mexican Grill. Solano Avenue Cyclery provided shade by loaning us a large canopy. We originally asked to borrow a couple of Dahon folding bikes, but appreciated the tent and bike stand, too. They rounded out our large display of transportation alternatives. David Arkin’s Xtraycle, Ken’s Trail-Gator and bike trailer train, and Amy’s pannier outfitted commuter bike showed the various ways people can ride bikes and still transport lots and lots of stuff (kids included).
Many, many thanks to all the volunteers, the City of Albany, Albany’s Sustainability Committee, who organized GAD, our sponsor, Jelly Belly, and supporters, Chipotle Mexican Grill, and Charlie Tondu of Solano Avenue Cyclery.
Best, Heather Cunningham
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