Rain Barrels
We know rain barrels are a great idea. They help keep polluted runoff out of area waterways and conserve water. I don’t have one, but maybe I will soon. This video highlights 30 beautiful rain barrels designed by talented artists and children, all part of a great community project by our local civic foundation. Bay Ridge Consulting is sponsoring the whimsical barrel shown here, painted by Michelle Sherkow. If you want one of these barrels for your home, you can bid on them through the end of May.
Think Spring
Though spring seems closer on some days more than others, we are looking forward to the greening that comes with the change of season.
Last September the League of American Bicyclists formally recognized Wisconsin’s lakefront metropolis as a bicycle friendly community. Milwaukee was one of 117 communities across the nation to earn a bronze designation for “providing safe accommodation and facilities for bicyclists and encouraging residents to bike for transportation and recreation.”
A little later in the fall, the Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) reported news regarding biking in Milwaukee. Implemented in August 2009, the first two months of MCTS offering bike racks had 1,890 bike boardings, MCTS records show 14,289 bike boardings during the same two months in 2010, a tremendous amount of growth. In fact, bike rack usage in August and September 2010 alone accounts for nearly 50% of the total use of MCTS bike racks in the program’s first year.
The bike rack program has come along way during its first year of implementation, but reported use was only about half way to the projected levels of use as of November last year. However, MCTS notes that records are likely at least 25% lower than actual use. As the weather continues to slowly warm, it will be easy to anticipate the seasonal increase in bicyclists across the nation. It’s refreshing to have the return of another green spring bringing green events:
First day of Spring Sunday, March 20
Earth Day Friday, April 22
Bike to Work Day Friday, May 20
Bike to Work Week May 16-20
Bay Ridge Consulting 