Bicycle Transportation in South Carolina

I made some wonderful new friends while on tour in Spartanburg, SC in the fall.  Many of them are involved in Partners for Active Living, who promote bicycling, walking and other forms of activity as a way to make a healthier, more livable community.  Here is a blog post from Ned Barrett, Bicycle Commuter, Partner for Active Living, and Partner for Fun Ukulele Music:

http://nedbarrett.blogspot.com/2011/02/more-equitable-transportation-system.html

Where do you get the extra half-hour a day that the Centers for Disease Control recommend for adults to exercise?  What if you were active in your everyday life, walking to the store to get a gallon of milk, biking to the park with your kids, or walking to work two days a week? 

More than 88% of over a thousand Spartanburg County residents surveyed last year as a part of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan process responded that they would walk to work if conditions were safer for doing so.  More than 75% said they supported improving conditions for walking and biking, and 88% supported using public funds to do so.

Thanks Ned!

Happy Valentine's Day

A valentine's day video for all of the ukulele lovers out there.

Thanks to Connor, Amanda, Amanda and Otto. Thanks Lauren Abrami for helping with the lyrics.

Lynchburg Grows

Lynchburg Grows, an urban farm who partnered with me to put on an excellent fundraiser in Lynchburg, VA, has completed a conservation easement on their 6.8 acre property.  This assures that their farm is forever protected from development and is another great step forward for Lynchburg Grows.  The articles below feature a number of great quotes from city officials which demonstrate the support that the City of Lynchburg has for the local food movement and for a great community organization.  Executive Director Michael Van Ness also tells me that they have recently been selling food to the local school districts.  A big thanks to the folks at Lynchburg Grows for all of the work they are doing.

http://www2.newsadvance.com/news/2010/dec/28/conservation-protection-place-lynchburg-grows-look-ar-739075/

http://www2.newsadvance.com/news/2011/jan/04/bright-spot-heart-lynchburg-ar-750421/