Early September, 2009

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EARLY SEPTEMBER 2009 UPDATE   Dear Green Streets friends,   With so much news and so many upcoming events to report on, we are sending out an early update this month. Look for our usual reminder and newsletter before the next Walk/Ride Day on September 25, 2009. There's still time to kick off Walk/Ride Days this fall! Bring Walk/Ride Days to your workplace, school, club, church, or other organization this September! Please visit our website's special pages to find guidance on how to get involved: for schools, for communities, for businesses, for retail sponsors. Email or call us if you need any further support.   SPECIAL INVITATIONS FROM OUR PARTNERS RAIL-VOLUTION 2009 Conference Application Deadline: This Friday, September 11   Are you interested in the role of transit and land use in fostering social justice, protecting the environment, and developing stronger communities? If so, you may wish to attend the upcoming national Rail~Volution conference in Boston. This will be the first time the event has ever been held in New England. Interested New England activists, advocates, and students are invited to apply for scholarships. Also, Boston-area hosts for out-of-town attendees will be thanked with free conference registration. Applications are due September 11, 2009. Applications here. More info: Daniel Ferry.   MASSBIKE Survey:Take a fascinating survey (click here) for those who ride a bicycle or drive a motor vehicle in Massachusetts. The survey takes only about 5 minutes to complete. Events: See other MassBike events and initiatives, including refresher, urban, and commuter bicycling courses here. Consider bringing MassBike in to do a custom workshop for your workplace or religious institution. WALKBOSTON Help With User Counts: The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) wants your help in its most extensive comprehensive user count of the Charles River Basin. A total of 25 locations are planned, on two dates: Saturday, September 12, 12:00-2:00 PM (raindate: Saturday, September 26, 12:00-2:00 PM) and Tuesday, September 22, 4:30-6:30 PM (raindate: Wednesday, September 23, 4:30-6:30 PM). For more information or to help, please contact event organizers at: rsvp@walkboston.org. PARK(ing) Day, September 18! Various locations. This is a fun international event that transforms parking spaces in to park/picnic,/meeting spaces to show how much of our communal "real estate" is taken over by car parking. Click here for more info. Co-sponsored by LiveableStreets Alliance Pedestrian 101: Walk/Ride Day Sponsor, Harvest Co-op, Tuesday, September 29, 6:00 PM: Slide show and discussion of the elements that make a community walkable and how to advocate for pedestrian improvements that make a difference. URBAN ADVENTOURS Check out Urban Adventours' new and favorite bike tours this fall! You don't have to be a tourist to love them! Click here to browse. Check in for Walk/Ride Days for a chance to win a free tour!   LIVABLE STREETS: New Blog by Former Green Streets Board Member Check out Steve Miller's new blog, "Musings on Transportation, Health, and Livable communities." Steve is the Executive Director of the Healthy Weight Initiative at the Harvard University School of Public Health's Dept. of Nutrition, was the first Treasurer of Green Streets, and is on the board of Livable Streets Alliance, whose events and other blogs we highly recommend! See more here.   HONK!FEST: Housing Needed for Musicians Green Streets will once again be involved in the Honk!Fest Parade, "Taking Back the Street for Horns, Bicycles, and Feet" on October 11, 2009, as part of Columbus Day Weekend music festival in Davis Square. Visiting bands from Vancouver, Oakland, Austin, Chicago, Seattle, Minneapolis, Baltimore, New York, Atlanta, New Orleans, Montreal, Vermont, and Providence, as well as Bologna and Rome, Italy, will be seeking housing from October 8th and 9th to October 12th. Proximity to Davis Square and/or the Red Line is a plus. Contact Trudi Cohen 917-319-8104 if you can host a musician or two (or 10). With best regards, Janie Katz-Christy, Director Green Streets Initiative, Inc. www.GoGreenStreets.org walk-ride-days@comcast.net