Have you ever wondered about your eco-footprint? How much energy do you use just to live. The city of Calgary is helping us figure that out. Check out The Eco Footprint Project.
Comments
I took the train and walked today, to enjoy the beautiful day. I wore shorts and a t-shirt, sandles. Now I look out the window. The sky is dark grey, brightened by white lightning, and the ground is soaked by rain. And I think, thank the powers-that-be that, I had enough foresight to pack my waterproof cycling jacket.
Comments
I walked again this morning. This time I got off the c-train at Lions Park and walked through the community to work. The first thing that struck me was its beauty. Wonderful homes, large newly leafed trees.
But that's not the purpose of this entry. No.
Continue
reading this post »
Comments
It is here. I rented a car this weekend to drive to Edmonton for my dad's 76th b-day. Great fun! I drove home yesterday and returned the car at 8:00 AM this morning. The rental place asked . . .
Continue
reading this post »
Comments
The other day I met up with Taryn Montgomery & Richard Larson to chat with them about their two weeks without a car. Jeff Collins wanted to hear about it so I joined him on The Homestretch.
Listen to that discussion.
Thanks for all your work, Taryn & Richard. Keep the car parked and the bike moving!
Comments
I met with Richard & Taryn the other day in the Brentwood Ctrain Station to talk about their two weeks without a car. That discussion airs this afternoon on The Homestretch. Check it out.
Comments
Well, tomorrow is the last day of our carless adventures. The last few days have been mostly like the rest (save an incident of road rage with another cyclist who rear-ended me while I was STOPPED at a STOP SIGN). Rich and I both biked to work on Monday; Rich bussed and I biked on Tuesday; and we both biked Wednesday. We didn’t go out much in the evenings (on account of being EXHAUSTED) and we slept pretty well.
Continue
reading this post »
Comments
Blogger Gary Beaton alerted me to a car free commununity in Germany. Sounds awesome.
Here's a New York Times article about it. In German Suburb, Life Goes On Without Cars.
And a follow up article. Car-Free in America?
Comments
Montreal's new self-service bicycle sharing program is open for business.
Let's get a program like this in Calgary! Who agrees?
Comments
The bike ride to work this morning was amazing. What an AM. What a way to start it.
Have a great one!
Comments
Sunday we biked down to the MEC gear swap and bought a paddle and a hitch-mount bike rack (there’s some nice foreshadowing). We couldn’t carry either of these items home on our bikes and so my best friend Neile was kind enough to roll them over to her house in the baby carriage she bought for her niece (she lives right in the Beltline area so it wasn’t too far). Neile and I are getting together this weekend so I will get them from her then. We had our family over for Mother’s Day dinner on Sunday night and were able to get all of the necessary groceries at the Co-op and carry them home in our backpacks.
Continue
reading this post »
Comments
Saturday was a pretty lazy affair. I walked to a local coffee shop to meet a friend for a chat and Rich biked over and rented some DVDs from the library for us to watch that night.
Comments
On Friday, Rich took the bus to work and I biked. Both of us were pretty tired by the time we got home. Instead of going out Friday night, we had friends over to play Rock Band. They were nice enough to pick up “Rock Band 2” from the video game store for us so that we didn’t have to walk or bike to buy it ourselves after our very long week. We walked over to a local pub for some dinner, which wasn’t great. We have limited choices within walking distance of our house and none of them are particularly appetising. However, we were too tired to make dinner for all of us, so we had no choice. Rock Band was ridiculously fun and so we missed absolutely nothing by not going out on the town.
Comments
On Thursday, Rich finally gave up and took the bus to work. I biked, but slower than normal. We ordered pizza for dinner because we were just too tired to do anything else. The place we order from is on Kensington Road and normally we go down and pick it up. This is because delivery from this place is inordinately slow and exceedingly expensive. However, we had to choose the delivery option on account of the carlessness. It took almost an hour and a half and cost an extra $10 between delivery surcharge and tip. I think that we will probably save $10 in gas over the two weeks though, so I am not too bitter about this.
Comments
On Wednesday, Rich and I both biked to work. I also went for a run at lunch, so I was REALLY tired by the time I got home. When I went to make dinner, the cilantro I bought the DAY BEFORE was totally rotten and so I had to walk over to the Co-op to buy some more. Annoying. While I was making dinner, I remembered that we would have to bike over the UofC later that night to do my radio show (I have a reggae show on CJSW 90.9FM every second Wednesday at 10pm). Public transit was not a viable option because getting to the UofC on transit from our house actually takes considerably longer than the bike ride. My whole body really did not want to bike at all (particularly with a big bag of vinyl on my back). To lighten the load, I played a lot of songs off of a few compilations, which is something I try to avoid in general. We biked home after the show at 11pm and fell into bed, totally exhausted.
Comments
Tuesday was a bit more difficult. Again, we both biked to work and back, but Rich also bought a used road bike from a guy in West Hillhurst. He was on his old bike when he bought the new one, so getting both bikes home presented a challenge.
Continue
reading this post »
Comments
This morning as I coasted to a stop at the crossroads of Home Road and 16 Avenue NW I noticed a small car with a big pole-like-thing on top. It looked like something from a spy movie. I imagined a smooth shifting of roof panels, a silent twisting of gears, perhaps a whir and a beep as this six-foot periscope, circled by lenses and mirrors, telescoped up on the roof of James Bond's Austin Martin. But this isn't an Austin and James Bond is not driving.
This car is more like a Chevy Aveo and the driver is a mid-20ish woman. But like one might imagine in a James Bond film, there is a laptop computer beside her.
On the rear door of the car is a decal. It reads....
Continue
reading this post »
Comments
Monday did not present much of a challenge. Both of us biked to work and back. I went out for groceries on foot (sometimes I use the car when I am being lazy) and Rich and I biked to the library. I finally tried out my new road bike on our trip to the library, which is something I have been avoiding because its potential speed scares the hell out of me. It’s not so bad, but it will take some getting used to.
Comments
Saturday, we spent some time biking and running along the Bow River path system. We also went and joined the Bike Root, which is a community bicycle repair shop (among other things) at the UofC. For $10, you can become a member, which gives you a place to fix up your bike with help from people who actually know what they’re doing (unlike us). In one hour, we made some new friends and learned how to tighten our brakes. Soon I won’t be running to BowCycle every time my gears slip. We have been planning on joining Bike Root for a while, but we never got around to it (possibly because car related stuff got in the way).
Continue
reading this post »
Comments
Day one started off well. It was Bike to Work Day, so there was free breakfast to be had on the pathway into downtown. There was also a free patch kit from Ridley Cycle, which I thought was a nice touch. I have had two flats as a commuter and a patch kit always comes in handy (though I do carry a spare tire in my pack for those days that I may be late for work and have no time to patch). Unfortunately, Rich didn't get any of these perks since his commute is from Brentwood to Lakeview. Since I already have a patch kit, I might share my new one with him.
Continue
reading this post »
Comments
Taryn Montgomery and Richard Larson have agreed to take a two week carless challenge. They began Friday. I met with them earlier in the week, then with Jeff Collins on The Homestretch to discuss. Here's that interview. (Listen)
Comments
Listen to The Homestretch this afternoon (1010 Am, 99.1FM) to hear about a Calgary couple, Taryn Montgomery and Richard Larson, who are joining me in carlessness.
Continue
reading this post »
Comments
In today's environmentally conscious green world many of us are looking for ways to help out. With that in mind be sure to join Calgarians for Bike to Work Day on Friday, May 1.
There will be 5 Pedal Energy Stations located at the main entry points into downtown Calgary. You are invited to stop for refreshments, information and a check up with Dr Bike.
And this year there will be a free Pancake Breakfast at Eau Claire Market, 6:00 to 8:30 AM.
Comments
So this morning I walk past the coffee shop on the way to the Dalhousie C-train station, as I do most every morning. I saunter by the security guard, who now knows me, and we say hey. But this morning there's a new security guard.
Continue
reading this post »
Comments
Did you ever find yourself waking up in the wee hours of the morning because you have a thing or two on your mind and you can’t get back to sleep so you get up and make a pot of coffee, turn on your computer and begin to work?
Continue
reading this post »
Comments
We had some running around to do: a (big) grocery shopping trip, the dump, the hardware store, etc. Usually I get the car on a Friday morning ….
Continue
reading this post »
Comments
I talked about him a fair bit in the past few weeks. Well, yesterday I walked past him and again he said…
Continue
reading this post »
Comments
I want to know about your favorite or most memorable bike ride. Let me tell you about one of mine.
A bunch of years ago I was in a life changing car accident. The accident happened in the spring and it wasn't until the year following that life began its journey toward normal. One of the first things I began doing, rehabilitation wise, was riding my bike. I rode a fair bit, five or six days a week, about an hour each day. It helped me align with life objectives and gave me a reason, not for anything in particular, but a reason nonetheless.
After riding for a few months I decided to return to the Okanagan -- where the accident happened -- and ride up Silver Star Mountain, near Vernon. Little did I know.
Continue
reading this post »
Comments
I'm looking for a family that's willing to go carless for a week or two and talk about it on CBC Radio.
Continue
reading this post »
Comments
I rode today. And it felt great to be back on the streets/trails. I was plenty warm and the ride wasn't too icy.
Continue
reading this post »
Comments
Today was a great day. I don’t know exactly why...
Continue
reading this post »
Comments
I'm getting sick of it. I think because ...
Continue
reading this post »
Comments
I walked past the guy again this morning. And he says...
Continue
reading this post »
Comments
Every day for the past two weeks I’ve walked through Dalhousie Station mall, passing Safeway, across the parking lot, along Starbucks.
Continue
reading this post »
Comments
It’s simple, yet complicated. See, in this time of economic calamity, environmental turmoil, and increasingly pervasive societal rapidity ...
Continue
reading this post »
Comments
CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external sites. External links will open in a new window.
CBC Arts and Entertainment Producer Allan Boss has owned a car since he was 16. Since then he's rarely been without one. Now, he's giving up four wheels for two feet. Allan is going Carless in Calgary.
What do you think? Is he crazy? Could you give up your car? Are you Carless in Calgary too? Allan wants to hear about your carless experiences. Leave a comment and tell him all about it.
