THERE'S STILL TIME

May is National Bike Month

In just one hour, the average person can save 52¢/mile on gas, reduce carbon emissions by 15 pounds and burn 450 calories!

The League of American Bicyclists is promoting biking throughout the month of May. Use the League's step by step guide on how to get started in May and every month!

Mill Valley is also holding a bike swap on:

June 6th, 2009 8am — 2pm

For detailed information check out:

http://mvbikeswap.com/info.html

A few of our favorite bike to work sites:

http://www.marinbike.org/Index.shtml
http://www.mycommutesucks.org/
http://www.bikeleague.org/
http://www.bicyclecity.com/

"Bike Ride To The Moon" by XTC

Push me off to start the fun
On a bike ride to the moon
Lots of room for everyone
On a bike ride to the moon

And we'll bring back cheese for my Auntie Jane
And some magic moon dust that'll stop the rain
On my poor Uncle Alfred's head, even though he stays in bed (silly Alfred)

Why not bring a pot of tea
On a bike ride to the moon
Angel cake for you and me
On a bike ride to the moon

And we'll pack a tent 'case it's cold at night
And I'll share your sleeping bag if I might
And might be a positive boon
To protect you from the man in the moon
(Who happens to be me, look out!)

Racing forward can't look back
On a bike ride to the moon
What did I omit to pack
On a bike ride to the moon?

With the stars all glinting in the shiny Chrome
Then I suddenly remembered what I left at home
Now I shan't be peddling any higher
'Cos a sharp sputnik has given me a cosmic flat tyre

RE-USABLE CLOTH NAPKINS

GREEN TIP
Brought to you by the MdTL Green Committee
Did you know that MdTL children bring re-usable cloth napkins for their lunches? Here’s why…
* Cloth napkins can have less impact on the environment than paper napkins.
Manufacture of a virgin paper napkin has a huge environmental impact, including deforestation, bleaching, packaging, shipping, stocking at a supermarket, and consumer transportation to and from the store. One hundred percent post-consumer recycled, chlorine-free paper napkins have less impact, but they can be expensive and they come wrapped in plastic packaging that will ultimately need to be transported to a landfill.
Cloth napkins can also have significant environmental impact, as conventional cotton production relies heavily on pesticides. Minimize your impact by using organic cotton or by choosing hemp or linen, which are more sustainable than conventional cotton.
* When using cloth napkins, you can further reduce your environmental impact by washing them in cold water with phosphate-free detergent or soap nuts, and line drying.
Only wash your napkins when soiled (most adults don’t really dirty a napkin after every meal). Consider using napkin rings so each family member can designate his or her napkin between meals. You can wash your soiled napkins in cold water with other laundry using eco-friendly laundry detergent or soap nuts, and do consider hanging the napkins to air dry.
* Purchase (or make) cloth napkins that your child can decorate with fabric paint!
What a fun project -- decorating napkins that the family will be using! You can find lovely and fun used cloth napkins at second hand stores, at flea markets, and on eBay. Or if you are so inclined, you can make your own napkins by cutting up old sheets, towels, etc., and hemming the edges.
* If you must have some paper napkins, 100 % recycled ones have far less environmental impact than virgin paper napkins.
Virgin fiber is derived directly from a tree. If every household in the United States replaced just one package of virgin fiber napkins with 100% recycled napkins, we could save a million trees. Also, less energy is used to recycle paper products than to create them from virgin material – each ton of 100% post-consumer recycled paper that displaces a ton of virgin fiber paper saves 7,000 gallons of water, 4,100 kilowatt hours of electricity and prevents 60 pounds of pollutants from entering the atmosphere! In addition, use of recycled products helps protect wildlife habitat, diverts useful items from landfills (which saves both space and money), and helps preserve the earth's natural beauty.

SHARE THE RIDE

Green Tip: Carpooling
(Brought to you by the MdTL Green Committee)
Did you know that several MdTL families walk or bike to school/work to minimize
the use of their cars? Here are some useful facts/tips on carpooling:
1. Carpooling increases productivity. Multiple people in a car can decrease travel time, since carpooling allows the use of HOV (high occupancy vehicle) lanes in cities where they exist.
2. Carpooling decreases the number of drivers on the road. U.S. drivers wasted 4.2 billion hours sitting in traffic in 2005.
3. Carpooling decreases the amount of gas consumed. and allows families to save money.
With gas prices riding a friendly rocket through the roof, carpoolers can combat this problem by splitting gasoline costs and the amount of gas used. Depending on the number of people in the carpool group, this could cut costs by half or more.
4. Carpooling decreases car usage.
Less car usage means less maintenance, a longer car life and fewer repairs. Rotating drivers every month or so will enable every carpooler to benefit from this usage decrease.
5. Commute with Friends or make new friends in our MdTL community.
6. Protect the Environment
Less exhaust output also lowers the risk of people developing asthma.- A small car emits around .59 pounds of carbon dioxide per mile. A medium car emits around 1.1 pounds of carbon dioxide per mile. An SUV/4 wheel emits around 1.57 pounds of carbon dioxide per mile.

Leave sooner, drive slower, live longer. ~Author Unknown

TURN THE ENGINE OFF

GREEN TIP
Brought to you by the MdTL Green Committee
MdTL Encourages you to reduce car idling, and here’s why…
Let's spare the air at MdTL! Here is some useful information about car idling. Stopping unnecessary vehicle idling is one relatively easy way to help improve air quality and the respiratory and cardiovascular health of people in our communities. Children are particularly vulnerable to air pollution. They breathe faster than adults and inhale more air per pound of body weight.
-Idling does more damage to your engine, wastes more gas, and causes more pollution than shutting off the engine and starting it up again.
-The rule of thumb is, if your car is stopped for more than 10 or 15 seconds and you’re not in an active traffic lane, turn off your engine.
-Idling your vehicle for 10 minutes uses as much fuel as it takes to travel 5 miles, and wastes more than 27 gallons a year!
- Car exhaust, including exhaust from idling engines, is closely related to childhood asthma.
Here are a couple myths:
Myth: Idling is good for your engine.
Reality: An idling engine will leave soot deposits that can build up and cause oil contamination. This can damage engine components, including cylinders, spark plugs and exhaust systems.
Myth: Shutting off and restarting your vehicle is hard on the engine and uses more gas than if you leave it running.
Reality: Frequent restarting has little impact on engine components like the battery and the starter motor. Component wear caused by restarting the engine is estimated to add a minuscule $10 per year to the cost of driving.