- TheThinkTank - lists.bikecollectives.org

Partnership with the Alliance for Walking
by Rachel Morris 13 May '12

13 May '12

I agree that the power of bicycle collectives as a gateway to political advocacy for safer streets is a strong one. Our Ventura Bike Union has been around for about 5 years. We've re-written our Master Bikeway Plan, put out a video and on-line petition for more funding for the Regional Transportation Plan in Southern California, conducted neighborhood surveys, wrote safe routes to school grants, hosted kids bike rodeos and more. But ground-swell and diversity have been missing. Our Venture Bike HUB collective is a brand-new addition, but already we are reaching a new audience. At issue is that fixing my derailleur seems so much more inclusive and real than going to a hearing at City Hall. But as the love and respect and connection happens over bikes, tools, and strawberries, it builds the report and trust that fosters action. I think it has something to do with the level playing-field of greasy hands. After 5 "Open Shop" days - we already have several new political volunteers from Anglo/Latino/Asian communities. AND It's fun; way fun. -Rachel Morris VCCool Executive Director www.vccool.org office (805)641-2665 VCCool is a Climate Change Action Group dedicated to engaging the people of Ventura to reduce greenhouse gasses. We strive to influence policy, provide tools and expertise for lifestyle change, support a localized green economy, and foster a grass-roots community that supports sustainable living. -----Original Message----- From: thethinktank-bounces(a)lists.bikecollectives.org [mailto:thethinktank-bounces@lists.bikecollectives.org] On Behalf Of thethinktank-request(a)lists.bikecollectives.org Sent: Friday, May 11, 2012 2:45 PM To: thethinktank(a)lists.bikecollectives.org Subject: Thethinktank Digest, Vol 69, Issue 15 Send Thethinktank mailing list submissions to thethinktank(a)lists.bikecollectives.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o rg or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to thethinktank-request(a)lists.bikecollectives.org You can reach the person managing the list at thethinktank-owner(a)lists.bikecollectives.org When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Thethinktank digest..." Today's Topics: 1. El Machete Collective, Mexico (Geoff Heath) 2. Re: Partnership with the Alliance for Walking and Biking (Ryan Kragerud) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Fri, 11 May 2012 15:52:01 -0500 From: Geoff Heath <mech(a)thewrench.ca> To: thethinktank(a)lists.bikecollectives.org Subject: [TheThinkTank] El Machete Collective, Mexico Message-ID: <CANeqvpAob29jJDTWf5NOV2AD=uNZcs9CZOy4k1BGj97fp8Gexg(a)mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Hi folks Just as an add-on to what Steve from Santa Cruz had to say about El Machete; This past winter I went down to San Cris after replying to El Machete's request for help and donations over the thinktank list. I donated tools, stayed and helped out for a little over a month. Steve is right in that it wasn't what I expected; mostly international travellers, based out of a collective punk house, pretty disorganized. Very few bikes/parts worth salvaging from the scrapyards and no international bike donations established makes for difficult builds/repairs. But in Machete's defense, it was a very new project and none of the collective members had prior community bike shop experience (but were inspired to take this project on after bike touring canada/US and seeing our wonderful network of community bike shops). Machete may be lacking in some long term vision, organization, and quiet places to sleep, but they are trying their best, hopefully learning from their mistakes and were the talk of the town over the winter. I think their main downfall was too few people tried to do far too much, which is a common fault that many of us share. So feel free to go visit them and lend a hand. They could use your help! But don't go expecting an established project or a chill place to sleep. In solidarity, -- Geoff Heath, Mechanical Director The Winnipeg Repair Education N' Cycling Hub 1057 Logan Ave. Winnipeg, MB R3E 3N8 www.TheWrench.ca ------------------------------ Message: 2 Date: Fri, 11 May 2012 15:43:53 -0600 From: Ryan Kragerud <rjkragerud(a)gmail.com> To: The Think Tank <thethinktank(a)lists.bikecollectives.org> Subject: Re: [TheThinkTank] Partnership with the Alliance for Walking and Biking Message-ID: <CAPK99BGxSTaKct8NUmVW+LpnYbt0gxEGHA06HZTfX3aYdN=crw(a)mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252 Karen, Thank you , I agree with your main point that there needs to be a focus on capacity building at the local level for community driven bike initiatives. I also agree that local bike initiatives do reach a broader spectrum of ridership than the quote ?advocacy? organizations. Bicycle Longmont has taken the initiative to focus almost exclusively on occasional and recreational riders, otherwise known as the 80% of people who own bikes. We?ve had a great deal of success, but we?ve got a long way to go. It would be helpful if this new merger produced a toolkit new and struggling organizations could use to build new and reinvigorate existing organizations. Also ? in the long term, the League/Alliance should consider developing a ?Local Advocacy Council? that would be advisory to the combined League/Alliance Board of Directors. The local advocacy council could be comprised of community bike shop orgs, advocacy orgs etc. The members could be representative of and elected to the council by an electorate based on annual budget of member organizations, community bike shops etc. as reported on their IRS 990 form. Doing this would insure a cross section of organizations and possibly perspectives. The council could/should develop their own mission, but one part could be to foster new local initiatives/organizations/bike shops etc. and provide support and be a conduit for Board action and sounding board for League/Alliance policy changes. This example is copied from Rebuilding Together ? USA, www.rebuildingtogether.org . I established an affiliate in Minneapolis St. Paul in 1997, and served on the National Affiliate Council from 1999 ? 2001. It?s a great model. Their affiliate council was advisory to the board and handled policy changes as well as the nonprofits? name change from Christmas in April to Rebuilding Together. For more info on a case study in capacity building and why it?s important keep reading. I?ve volunteered for about 4 years with Bicycle Longmont and have been the president for the past year and a half. Bicycle Longmont was founded in 2001, however some in the community say it goes back to a group of casual cyclists who started meeting in 1993. Officially, though, we grew out of the City of Longmont?s planning processes that included updating our local land use plan and writing a multi-modal transportation plan. Bicycle Longmont officially registered as a 501c3 non-profit in 2003. >From 2003 to 2010 Bicycle Longmont focused on Bike to Work Day, advocating for better bike facilities, and promoting the League?s agenda with much success. In December of 2010 the Board met and agreed we needed to grow the capacity of our organization in order to remain relevant. We decided we wanted to continue advocating, organizing community driven, grassroots rides, and wanted to open a community bike shop. In order to do anything more than what we?d done previously, we needed to build capacity. We contacted the League, Bicycle Colorado and other bike organizations to find out if there were any capacity building trainers, funding sources, or just someone to talk too. We attended the National Bike Summits and also the Colorado Bike Summit, we learned lots about legislation and why organizing is important, we even beat our chests with the best of them, lamented the misunderstood cyclist, but ultimately learned nothing about building a healthy bike focused organization. It was apparent that even though we were dues paying members of LAB and Bicycle Colorado ? we were on our own when it came to capacity building. By January 2011, we looked around the community and asked our selves what?s working and what?s not. Our organization was floundering but our community organized rides were growing. Being in the West, we grabbed our bootstraps and began pulling. We needed money to accomplish our list made in 2010. Therefore, we developed two fundraisers: Longmont?s Bike Film Festival and a community cruiser ride called the G?Knight Ride. The film fest was our best bang for the buck and our cruiser ride was very expensive but very successful. We planned for 200 cruisers and nearly 1200 casual riders showed up. The ride attracted predominantly married middle class families with average household incomes of $87,000, between the ages of 33 ? 45, who had 1 to 2 kids and considered themselves recreational cyclists. With the proceeds we were able to fund and expand our Bicycle Valet service, Kid?s Holiday Bike Program ? we gave away nearly 450 bikes to low income kids, the visibility of the G?Knight Ride allowed us to expand our number of volunteers. Our volunteer led ? volunteer organized rides exploded from 3 ? 4 per month to 10 ? 12 per week. Our largest weekly cruiser ride ?Bike Night? increased from an average of 80 people per week to 100 people per week. We are now working toward starting our non-profit community bike shop and developed a partnership with a local bike racing club and Mall owner to conduct a weekly road/Crit series. Our second annual G?Knight Ride will happen on June 16th 2012. We hope to be in our new bike shop by August and we hope to add volunteers and increase the capacity of our board and organization. You would think being successful and developing a funding source is testament to organizational capacity. In actuality, it?s not. Our organization is still fragile. I lay awake at night worrying about whether our success is a flash in the pan or sustainable. We still need to attract more dedicated volunteers. I still struggle to inspire and motivate our board members to follow their passion. To relate this back to the League and the Alliance merger, we hope this merger will create some dedication toward capacity building for local initiatives. We hope that other organizations can learn from what we?ve done, what others have done and can be lifted up and supported by this new ?super advocacy machine?. We lifted ourselves up by our bootstraps in order to survive. We created the fundraisers because our attempts at getting grants, donations, or even regular dues paying members failed. We know there are other organizations like ours, who either are or can be successful, too. We just need a roadmap and a conduit to share our stories. So far, in my limited experience, this forum is the only place I?ve found where the trials and tribulations are celebrated and lamented in community. On Mon, Apr 16, 2012 at 9:36 AM, Karen Overton <karenovert(a)gmail.com> wrote: > The beauty of partnerships is that they create the opportunity to pool > resourses and build upon the strengths of each partner. The draft agreement > does not include clauses that impact decision-making at a local > organizational level, so those fears have no way to manifest themselves. > Very few financial resources are being committed. It assumes that > start-up?efforts piggyback upon existing activities and?assumes staff time > that is already being dedicated to collective capacity building.? Using the > plant metaphor, the seed has been planted and begun to sprout. For this > initiative to truly blossom,?we need to educate and create broader consensus > among community groups - which is what is happening now- set priorities & > create a plan of action on how best to partner in a mutually beneficial way > - which the draft agreement offers a starting point - and then raise money > to fund the needs (specific publications, workshops, etc.) that meet the > needs of BCN members - which is proposed in a way that allows us to build > trust by starting small. > > I am interested in this partnership for?3 main reasons. First, as the former > director of Recycle-A-Bicycle, I?spent years giving advice to start-up > initiatives and brokered many local partnerships with time and resources to > help them grow. Most of those local?initiatives?failed after a few years. I > never had the capacity?to spend the time/resurces on helping these efforts > as much as they needed. At the time, RAB was in survival mode. A group whose > primary goal is to help build the capacity of start-ups and then advise on > sustaining them is greatly needed. Luckily, RAB is currently able to support > at least 9 local initiatives through partnerships with public schools, the > health department and community based organizations?(none of which interfere > with internal decision-making). > > The first Youth Bike Summit surprised us at RAB. We had planned this as a > way to support local activity and did not dream that it would attract so > many people from across the country. This demonstrated?a very strong?desire > for the need to share ideas among youth bike education groups. In order to > build on this energy, I believe that a partnership with the Alliance for > Walking and Biking would be?beneficial.? This group has resources on > building organizations, works at a national level, and is making the effort > to better understand our community work and figure out how best to design a > mutually beneficial arrangement. > > The fact that we all introduce people to bikes is the first step in creating > a base for advocacy.? Our community efforts reach a much broader spectrum of > people than the advocacy groups attract. Advocacy efforts would benefit > from?a more diverse base. However, this is not an attempt to coerce people > into advocacy campaigns they do not have a voice in.?What is interesting > is?whether and how cooperation on a capacity building level?can lead to a > more inclusive political?process. > > In my humble opinion, we are rolling in the right direction. > Karen Overton > > > On Thu, Mar 29, 2012 at 1:22 PM, Mike Samuelson > <Mike(a)peoplepoweredmovement.org> wrote: >> >> I think Joshua's last sentence stated what we are trying to do better than >> I could have. ?The Alliance does not position ourselves as "experts". >> ?Through our programming, we try to share the successes of local >> organizations, and provide a space for discussions on topics that interest >> them. >> >> Just to reiterate, we don't have a hidden agenda, and to provide new >> opportunities while not tampering with the resources that have already been >> created. ?I appreciate those of you who have taken the time to respond with >> your thoughts, and I'm looking forward to hearing more people's opinions. >> >> Best, >> >> >> Mike Samuelson >> Member Services and Open Streets Coordinator >> Alliance for Biking & Walking >> >> P.O. Box 65150 >> Washington, DC 20035 >> >> Phone: 202-449-9692 x 7 >> Mike(a)PeoplePoweredMovement.org >> >> >> The Open Streets Project has just released the Open Streets Guide! ?A >> great resource for anyone looking to further open streets in their >> community. >> >> From: Joshua Hoffman <joshua(a)healthykidsinitiative.org> >> >> Reply-To: The Think Tank <thethinktank(a)lists.bikecollectives.org> >> Date: Thu, 29 Mar 2012 11:17:07 -0500 >> To: The Think Tank <thethinktank(a)lists.bikecollectives.org> >> >> Subject: Re: [TheThinkTank] Partnership with the Alliance for Walking and >> Biking >> >> There are two wonderful things about community bike shops that will ensure >> their continued existence. The first is that they are like weeds (pioneer >> plant species). They can grow anywhere, don't need much water, and are >> essential to restructuring (healing) the soil. The second great thing about >> community bike shops is that they are like infectious diseases. They have no >> regard for income, skill level, skin tone or creed and will make anyone and >> everyone lovesick for bikes. As long as ABW and the bicycle?advocacy?machine >> don't begin to think of themselves as a landscapers or doctors trying to >> tidy everything up, and instead considers themselves coauthors and >> biographers?helping to write/tell the unfolding story of bicycling, we'll >> all be okay. >> >> >> >> >> On Wed, Mar 28, 2012 at 2:09 PM, Wanda Pelegrina Caldas >> <wanda(a)communitycycles.org> wrote: >>> >>> >>> I think the ABW is doing great things! We've (Community Cycles in >>> Boulder, CO) used their resources/help/guidance since they were the >>> Thunderhead Alliance. They (and LAB and Bikes Belong) have been supportive >>> of our efforts. >>> >>> I agree with all of Jonathan's comments especially the ones abt how we >>> can benefit as collectives. CC is also an advocacy organization and we're >>> growing like crazy and making big differences in our community. The support >>> of the Alliance absolutely gives us much higher level resource and >>> credibility. (FYI: CC was one of the shops that received the donations of >>> fixtures, racks, etc that Jonathan mentions below. CC has a small space and >>> these items have much helped us...but that's a side note) >>> >>> BUT: I understand the concerns that not all of us are advocacy orgs, not >>> all of our goals, etc are 100% the same to AWB, but bottom line, they're >>> looking to put people on bikes as we are. Yes, we have different ways to go >>> abt this, different philosophies, different reaches, different >>> community-oriented goals specific to where we're located -and that's fine. >>> We all cater to our communities and that's what makes us really succeed at >>> what we do. >>> >>> I would love if someone from AWB could come to Bike Bike so we can >>> continue discussing these possibilities/concerns/questions/needs/how we can >>> work together...all that good stuff. When CC started 6 yrs ago, I felt like >>> orgs like the League and Bikes Belong were so up there, so out of touch with >>> collectives, so inaccessible but I've seen change that Jonathan describes. >>> While there's still higher level advocacy efforts that might not pertain to >>> all of us, they definitely have put grassroots back into their efforts. >>> >>> I don't think there's any veiled agenda or a desire to take over the >>> little guys. I just think they realize the work we do and that working >>> together -them at their level, us at ours- only makes our efforts stronger >>> and our voices louder. >>> >>> Wanda >>> >>> >>> Wanda Pelegrina Caldas >>> Community Cycles, Boulder's only non-profit bike shop >>> Become a member today. using the secure online donation form. >>> Thanks!! >>> >>> ________________________________ >>> Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2012 12:37:09 -0600 >>> From: jonathan(a)slcbikecollective.org >>> To: thethinktank(a)lists.bikecollectives.org >>> Subject: Re: [TheThinkTank] Partnership with the Alliance for Walking and >>> Biking >>> >>> Godwin, >>> >>> This is an open discussion, there is nothing closed. ?Let's help them >>> keep it open. >>> >>> The Alliance wants to keep all the information free and open, on an >>> international level. ?They want to help smaller organizations get started, >>> and they want to help larger organizations grow. ?In particular, they are >>> experts at helping organizations get their non-profit paperwork done, find >>> spaces, find people, build a sustainable organization that is able to raise >>> funds -- regardless of what their goals are. ?We have an opportunity to help >>> the Alliance help us, which is fill in the gaps in their current knowledge >>> base, specifically how Community Bike Shops and youth programs work. ?Which >>> will enable them to help more organizations like ours get started. >>> >>> What is the catch, how would the Alliance benefit? ?As organizations >>> grow, such as Community Cycling Center (Portland), Recycle-a-Bicycle (NYC), >>> and the Bicycle Collective (Provo - Salt Lake - Ogden), we need higher level >>> resources to grow that we are willing to pay for -- as a result we are paid >>> members of the Alliance. ?Again, we weren't forced into it, their member >>> resources are just that good. >>> >>> Here is a fun example of something the Alliance did; a little while ago >>> one of the largest bicycle manufacturers in the world contacted the Alliance >>> and asked them which non-profit Community Bike Shops they knew of needed a >>> donation of [brand new] fixtures (bike display racks, counters, displays, >>> etc.,...) that they decided not to use for all of their concept stores. >>> ?Raise your hand if your Community Bike Shop could have used a donation like >>> this! >>> >>> Keeping an open mind and an open heart, please read the following >>> redundant?mission statements: >>> >>> "The Alliance for Biking & Walking creates, strengthens and unites >>> state/province and local bicycle and pedestrian advocacy organizations." >>> >>> "The mission of the Bike Collective Network is to strengthen and >>> encourage communication and resource sharing between existing and future >>> community bike shops. Collectively we can improve a bigger wheel as opposed >>> to re-inventing smaller ones." >>> >>> Now let's take a deeper look and put faces to the young?people behind the >>> Alliance for Walking and Biking ("Alliance"). ?This is most of the staff >>> (http://www.peoplepoweredmovement.org/site/index.php/site/about/C190), which >>> lacks a new Communications Coordinator who ironically is from the >>> Bloomington Community Bike Project. >>> >>> Frankly, they are a small bunch of young, idealistic, bike obsessed, >>> passionate people who strive to get more people riding bikes more often and >>> get paid?virtually?nothing compared to the energy they give. ?Most >>> republicans would call them a bunch of dirty hippies. ?Sound familiar? ?It >>> does to me, because that is how I describe the people from Community Bike >>> Shops including myself. >>> >>> Sincerely, >>> >>> Jonathan Morrison >>> Executive Director >>> Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective >>> 2312 S. West Temple >>> Salt Lake City, UT 84115 >>> w:?801-328-2453 >>> c:?801-688-0183 >>> f:?801-466-3856 >>> www.slcbikecollective.org >>> >>> The mission of the Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective is to promote >>> cycling as an effective and sustainable form of transportation and as a >>> cornerstone of a cleaner, healthier, and safer society. The Bicycle >>> Collective provides refurbished bicycles and educational programs to the >>> community, focusing on children and lower income households. >>> >>> ------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> >>> Personally I love this quote from Steven seagal's film, Under Seige II >>> (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wg4trPZFUwc). ?While crude, it gets to the >>> point. ?So let's start with identifying some assumptions. >>> >>> "Representatives from 100% of all Community Bike Organizations attend >>> Bike!Bike!" >>> "Representatives from 100% of all Community Bike Organizations that >>> attend Bike!Bike! represent everyone else." >>> "Representatives from 100% of all Community Bike Organizations attend the >>> National Bike Summit" >>> "Representatives from 100% of all Community Bike Organizations that >>> attend the National Bike Summit represent everyone else." >>> "Representatives from 100% of all Community Bike Organizations attend the >>> Youth Bike Summit" >>> "Representatives from 100% of all Community Bike Organizations that >>> attend the Youth Bike Summit represent everyone else." >>> "Representatives from 100% of all Community Bike Organizations are >>> members of TheThinkTank email list" >>> "Representatives from 100% of all Community Bike Organizations >>> represented on the TheThinkTank email list actually read their email" >>> >>> All of these assumptions have a common truth hidden in them, which is >>> that there is no single forum that will?accurately?represent all of "us." >>> ?The only thing we can strive for is that all of "us" reach out in all >>> forums, including calling people, and give enough time for information to >>> trickle out to those that aren't represented in the known forums above. >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> On Wed, Mar 28, 2012 at 10:52 AM, Godwin ! <goodgodwin(a)hotmail.com> >>> wrote: >>> >>> This involves all of us, why not keep the discussion open for now? >>> >>> My first thoughts are that an alliance (with the alliance) would be of >>> interest, however a partnership may be going too far. We have similar >>> interests and possibly end goals, however I feel that our immediate goals >>> are very different. >>> >>> The mission of the Bike Collective Network is to strengthen and encourage >>> communication and resource sharing between existing and future community >>> bike shops. Collectively we can improve a bigger wheel as opposed to >>> re-inventing smaller ones. >>> >>> From what I have understood of the AWB is that the primary interest is >>> advocacy in general while to me, the BCN exists to help people start up >>> their own collectives and keep them going. While most of us are likely >>> advocates and want to promote cycling (and walking I guess), that I feel >>> comes second or is even a?byproduct?of what we do. >>> >>> I'm not sure where this would go in the end but we had some initial >>> discussions at last year's Bike!Bike! concerning creating stronger ties >>> between our organizations and possibly making the organization more >>> formalized. There seemed to be some interest, however there was some >>> backlash at the thought of a having a parent organization to encompass all >>> of our organizations. The?consensus?seemed to be that this would not be of >>> interest, however creating a third party organization to help with research >>> and funding may be. Perhaps this is where such a partnership could take us. >>> >>> My other concern is that the AWB is a US/Canada wide project, while it's >>> awesome to hear that we've been included up here, the BCN has been helping >>> organizations world-wide. I'm not sure how such a partnership would effect >>> these relationships. >>> >>> I really like that we're talking about this! Is there any chance that >>> anyone from the AWB will be able to make it out to Vancouver this June? It >>> would be a great?opportunity?to get this discussion going in person >>> and?gauge?the feelings of the general community. >>> >>> .godwin >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> ________________________________ >>> Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2012 11:47:54 -0400 >>> From: Mike(a)PeoplePoweredMovement.org >>> To: thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org >>> Subject: Re: [TheThinkTank] Partnership with the Alliance for Walking and >>> Biking >>> >>> >>> As Jonathan mentioned, we have been in discussions about establishing a >>> partnership with the Bike Collective Network as part of a larger effort by >>> the Alliance to work with Community Bike Shops. I encourage you to call or >>> email me with your thoughts and ideas as we continue to determine how this >>> partnership will look. >>> >>> Best, >>> >>> Mike Samuelson >>> Member Services and Open Streets Coordinator >>> Alliance for Biking & Walking >>> >>> P.O. Box 65150 >>> Washington, DC 20035 >>> >>> Phone: 202-449-9692 x 7 >>> Mike(a)PeoplePoweredMovement.org >>> >>> >>> The Open Streets Project has just released the Open Streets Guide! ?A >>> great resource for anyone looking to further open streets in their >>> community. >>> >>> From: Jonathan Morrison <jonathan(a)slcbikecollective.org> >>> Reply-To: The Think Tank <thethinktank(a)lists.bikecollectives.org> >>> Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2012 15:43:32 -0600 >>> To: The Think Tank <thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org> >>> Subject: [TheThinkTank] Partnership with the Alliance for Walking and >>> Biking >>> >>> We have been working with?the Alliance for Walking and Biking to >>> establish a partnership that will help Community Bike Shops grow and achieve >>> their goals, as well as help bridge the gaps in the bicycle advocacy >>> community at large. >>> >>> >>> http://bikeportland.org/2012/03/26/community-bike-shops-are-changing-the-fac e-of-cycling-in-america-69372 >>> >>> We invite you to join in the conversation. >>> >>> Sincerely, >>> >>> Jonathan Morrison >>> Executive Director >>> Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective >>> 2312 S. West Temple >>> Salt Lake City, UT 84115 >>> w: 801-328-2453 >>> c: 801-688-0183 >>> f: 801-466-3856 >>> www.slcbikecollective.org >>> >>> The mission of the Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective is to promote >>> cycling as an effective and sustainable form of transportation and as a >>> cornerstone of a cleaner, healthier, and safer society. The Bicycle >>> Collective provides refurbished bicycles and educational programs to the >>> community, focusing on children and lower income households. >>> _______________________________________________ Thethinktank mailing list >>> Thethinktank(a)lists.bikecollectives.org To unsubscribe, send a blank email to >>> TheThinkTank-leave(a)bikecollectives.org To manage your subscription, plase >>> visit: >>> http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o rg >>> _______________________________________________ Thethinktank mailing list >>> Thethinktank(a)lists.bikecollectives.org To unsubscribe, send a blank email to >>> TheThinkTank-leave(a)bikecollectives.org To manage your subscription, plase >>> visit: >>> http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o rg >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Thethinktank mailing list >>> Thethinktank(a)lists.bikecollectives.org >>> To unsubscribe, send a blank email to >>> TheThinkTank-leave(a)bikecollectives.org >>> To manage your subscription, plase visit: >>> >>> http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o rg >>> >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ Thethinktank mailing list >>> Thethinktank(a)lists.bikecollectives.org To unsubscribe, send a blank email to >>> TheThinkTank-leave(a)bikecollectives.org To manage your subscription, plase >>> visit: >>> http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o rg >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Thethinktank mailing list >>> Thethinktank(a)lists.bikecollectives.org >>> To unsubscribe, send a blank email to >>> TheThinkTank-leave(a)bikecollectives.org >>> To manage your subscription, plase visit: >>> >>> http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o rg >>> >> >> >> >> -- >> Joshua Hoffman >> >> Safe Routes Organizer >> Rosedale Development Association >> Rosedale Healthy Kids Initiative >> 1403 S.W. Boulevard >> Kansas City, KS 66103 >> 913-645-7826 >> >> >> _______________________________________________ Thethinktank mailing list >> Thethinktank(a)lists.bikecollectives.org To unsubscribe, send a blank email to >> TheThinkTank-leave(a)bikecollectives.org To manage your subscription, plase >> visit: >> http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o rg >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Thethinktank mailing list >> Thethinktank(a)lists.bikecollectives.org >> To unsubscribe, send a blank email to >> TheThinkTank-leave(a)bikecollectives.org >> To manage your subscription, plase visit: >> >> http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o rg >> > > > _______________________________________________ > Thethinktank mailing list > Thethinktank(a)lists.bikecollectives.org > To unsubscribe, send a blank email to TheThinkTank-leave(a)bikecollectives.org > To manage your subscription, plase visit: > http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o rg > ------------------------------ _______________________________________________ Thethinktank mailing list Thethinktank(a)lists.bikecollectives.org http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o rg End of Thethinktank Digest, Vol 69, Issue 15 ********************************************

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(no subject)
by Ann Altstatt 12 May '12

12 May '12

Hello Think Tankers-- I'm passing on a message on behalf of the Santa Cruz Bike Church. We are testing the waters to see if any other organizations would be interested in helping us fund the BikeBike travel expenses for a fellow mechanic from a Oaxacan bike project. Read on! Dear Bike Collectives, I just spent a month in Oaxaca at CACITA, a center for "appropriate technologies" that focuses mostly these days on bike-powered machines (e.g. water pumps, corn grinders, washing machines, etc), but also has worked building composting toilets, solar ovens, biodiesel conversions, and low-tech grey water filters. They are an anarchist collective, whose members participated in the uprising in Oaxaca in 2006, and whose machines and workshops often go to benefit the indigenous communities in the area. I am hoping to help their lead mechanic Eric (yes, he is Mexican despite the Viking name) go to BikeBike! There is simply no chance of CACITA paying for that voyage, but the Bike Church has already committed to paying up to $200 towards helping buy him a plane ticket. If we can patch together some more donations for a total of around $600, that should be sufficient. If your project can make a donation please reply ASAP to Steve at sschnaar(a)riseup.net. You can send checks to "the Bike Church" at 703 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 (but please also email to advise you are sending it). Also FYI I had gone down to Mexico originally in response to an email from El Machete, a project in Chiapas, in the city of San Cristobal. Perhaps you all got the same email in your collectives? Upon arrival I was disappointed to find the shop run by foreigners mostly from France, with lots of traveling punks from the US and Canada crashing there as well. I will not speak to any specific criticisms I have as I am trying to have a constructive dialogue with them about why I left, and in their defense they say they are a multinational collective including some Mexicans. But as I was not the only one there who had come in response to their email some months ago, and who was surprised to find a situation far different than I had expected, I thought it might be useful information for others. Best wishes, Steve Schnaar Collective Member The Bike Church 703 Pacific Avenue Santa Cruz, CA 95060 831/425-BIKE bikechurch(a)santacruzhub.org

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Partnership with the Alliance for Walking and Biking
by Jonathan Morrison 11 May '12

11 May '12

We have been working with the Alliance for Walking and Biking to establish a partnership that will help Community Bike Shops grow and achieve their goals, as well as help bridge the gaps in the bicycle advocacy community at large. http://bikeportland.org/2012/03/26/community-bike-shops-are-changing-the-fa… We invite you to join in the conversation. Sincerely, Jonathan Morrison Executive Director Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective 2312 S. West Temple Salt Lake City, UT 84115 w: 801-328-2453 c: 801-688-0183 f: 801-466-3856 www.slcbikecollective.org The mission of the Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective is to promote cycling as an effective and sustainable form of transportation and as a cornerstone of a cleaner, healthier, and safer society. The Bicycle Collective provides refurbished bicycles and educational programs to the community, focusing on children and lower income households.

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Amsterdam is catching up to Bike Culture in the USA...
by Jonathan Morrison 11 May '12

11 May '12

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/09/world/europe/amsterdam-tries-to-change-cu… Sincerely, Jonathan Morrison Executive Director Bicycle Collective 2312 S. West Temple Salt Lake City, UT 84115 w: 801-328-2453 c: 801-688-0183 f: 801-466-3856 www.bicyclecollective.org The mission of the Bicycle Collective is to promote cycling as an effective and sustainable form of transportation and as a cornerstone of a cleaner, healthier, and safer society. The Collective provides refurbished bicycles and educational programs to the community, focusing on children and lower income households.

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List of bicycle co-ops
by Mark Stewart 11 May '12

11 May '12

Hi! I'm considering encouraging the start-up of a bicycle co-op in my small town. I understand that you can send me a list of co-ops, and I think that might be helpful. Would you be willing to do that? Mark

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test
by lenore＠cyclistlaw.com 09 May '12

09 May '12

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Re: [TheThinkTank] Tool Theft
by christopher＠holisticcycles.com 09 May '12

09 May '12

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Roadtrip to Bike!Bike! - Vancouver
by Rachel Morris 09 May '12

09 May '12

Anyone going to Bike!Bike! this year? It's June 21-24 in Vancouver BC, www.bikebike.org. I've never been. It would be great to find others going up the California Coast to car-share with. I got rid of my car - but I'm happy to pitch in for gas and help driver and such. You can contact me at rachel(a)vccool.org. I'm in Ventura, CA.

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Cargo Bike Frame Building Apprenticeship
by Derek Thomas 08 May '12

08 May '12

Hello Think Tankers. We have been trying to post but for some reason no luck with our email humanpowerednetwork(a)catoregon.org * *For THE HUMAN POWERED NETWORK: <http://hpm.catoregon.org/?page_id=534> * * With the current popularity of cargo bikes we have seen an influx of builders and importers bringing more bikes to market. But it’s not just about bikes. For over 20 years, Jan VanderTuin through *Human PoweredMachines*<http://hpm.catoregon.org/>has been focused on localizing the production of cargo bikes and fitting them into community. Its time to pass it on. The apprenticeship program prepares individuals to create their own unique, bicycle-based social enterprise and shop. We aren’t just retaining for bike building…we emphasize finding broader context for your skills. For example; your shop might also be a teaching facility for at risk kids. Or you may have a CSA delivery business driven by cargo bike. We offer intensive, hands on training in : -Welding, brazing, machining and powder coating. -Designing and prototyping in computer aided design (CAD) -Industrial sewing based on our production line of rain gear. -Organic gardening with emphasis on the true cost of food -Marketing, website and graphic design Our dream? To create a formal association, the *Human Powered Network*. To bring together smaller scale frame builders into a cooperative entity using the established designs of Human Powered Machines. These designs are offered as open-source to apprentices who have completed the program.

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Open Street map of Bike co-ops finally available
by L'Heureux Cyclage 05 May '12

05 May '12

Dear all, Please have a look on this article about the new Open Street map that we published: http://www.heureux-cyclage.org/La-carte-de-L-Heureux-Cyclage-le.html?lang=en. You can now easily include it in your website, pointing on your own bike co-op. If you dont fin it here: http://www.heureux-cyclage.org/Les-ateliers-velo-dans-le-monde.html?lang=en you can reference it with that form: http://www.heureux-cyclage.org/Referencer-un-nouvel-atelier.html?lang=fr I hope you will find it useful. As it is on free software, any contribution to enhance this map is welcome. Thanks for circulating this information. Cheers, Julien

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