When I think of bicycle friendly cities that help out our environment I think of Portland, Oregon. Barbara Holbrook gives us an informative post about what makes a city bicycle friendly.
What Makes a City Bike Friendly? by Barbara Holbrook
The first reliable bicycle was the German draisine which dates back to 1817. (It was constructed almost entirely of wood and weighed 48 pounds!) However, it took nearly 150 years for cities to realize the importance of being a reliable place to bike.
In 1974 a French city initiated a free bike program with yellow bicycles that were free to take and use. The first community bicycle project in America began in Portland, Oregon in 1994.
But do a few random community programs address the safety concerns of cycling in an urban environment? Here are some question cyclists should ask to determine if a city is truly bike friendly, or just trying to jump on the "green transportation" band wagon.
Does the city use sharrows?
A "sharrow" is a shared-lane marking system for roadways. The green lanes are usually installed within travel lanes that are shared by bicyclists and other vehicles.
The purpose of the sharrows are to help cyclists maintain their positioning on roads so that they won't accidentally hit parked cars or get hit by moving cars. In addition to marking the space where bicyclist should ride, these lanes help to alert motorists that there is a cyclist on the road. Sharrows can also reduce the chances of wrong-way bicycling by providing easy signage that even new cyclists can understand.
Are there bike boxes at major intersections?
A bike box is a relatively new intersection safety design that is being used to prevent collisions in some cities. A bike box is a green box that is painted on the road with a white bicycle symbol inside. It will usually include green markings to show the bicycle lanes leading to and from from the box as well. Bike boxes are useful in preventing accidents that occur when motorist don't see the cyclists such as when a driver is turning right and a bicyclist is going straight.
Are the streets wide? Do they have clearly marked bike lanes?
Studies have shown that motorists are less likely to drive in areas where the bike lanes are clearly marked or where there is a defined sidewalk. The same studies have also shown that cyclists using bike lanes or wide streets are more likely to stay closer to the edge of the sidewalk instead of drifting into traffic where they could be hit by passing cars.
Though wide city streets are good for the cyclists, bike lanes are actually far better, they help define road space, promote a more orderly flow of traffic, help cyclists know which direction to travel in, and give them a clear place to ride as opposed to using the sidewalks.
Regardless of how wide the streets are, only people riding bicycles are allowed to use the bike lanes and motorists caught using them as roadways are usually fined.
Are there bike racks for parking?
Bicycle parking should be visible, accessible, easy to use, convenient, and plentiful. Racks need to cradle the entire bike and allow the user to lock the frame and wheels of the bike. The area should be well lit, and in plain sight without being in the way. The rack should also be sturdy and not interfere with doorway traffic, or vehicle traffic.
What about bike racks on public transport?
In a bike friendly city, the Department of Public Transportation usually works with cyclists to meet their needs. This includes making it easy for travelers to combine biking with public transportation.
City buses can carry two bikes in the front or back, and the drivers will sometimes allow the cyclist to bring their bike inside. Rail vehicles can often carry 4 bikes per car. Rail drivers will also allow bikes to be carried on board if the car isn't too crowded.
Overall, a bike-friendly city will have a solid bicycle culture and a well-developed infrastructure that favors cyclists. It will have clearly divided bike lanes and considerable accommodations that cater to the booming bicycle culture that is rising in many urban surroundings. In the end, it is up to the cyclist to decide which city is more bike friendly and most suited to their needs. For many cyclists it's not just about the accommodations, it's also about the weather which explains why California has so many cities that are considered bike-friendly.
Darla Blackmon writes for EverythingLongBeach.com, a community website that covers news, art and events. To find out what this Southern California city is doing to be more bike friendly visit Long Beach bikes to read articles about sharrows, bike boxes and more.
Article Source: U Publish Articles
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Using Recyclable Office Supplies will Help the Environment
A great and informative post by James Greensit that gives us all good reasons to buy and use recyclable office supplies.
Help the Environment and Use Recyclable Office Supplies by James Greensit
Business offices will not be complete without office supplies in them. Even if most business operations have already made use of technology, people cannot completely do away with these office supplies. They might not be the essential needs at the office but the office will not surely be able to function well without them. Work cannot proceed smoothly when the office lacks them. Thus, they should be stored in enough amounts in order to avoid delays in the operation of the business. This is also one way of ensuring that you can give great customer service.
However, aside from emphasizing on the importance of the use of office supplies, you should also be aware how interconnected these supplies are to the environment. Thus, you should be cautious in using them by being economical. Moreover, you should also use environment friendly items which will pertain to recyclable office supplies. Thus, you should educate yourself and your employee about recycling these items.
1. Recycling paper. Paper is one of the most commonly used items in the office and in many other places. It is also dependent on trees which are part of the environment. Thus, they need to be recycled by collecting, reprocessing, and turning them into new products. If you will conserve paper items, you will benefit by doing so. You can help save the forests from getting denuded since paper is a product of trees. More paper consumption would mean more trees being cut down. Recycling paper also means that you can save energy that should have been spent on making new papers and the landfill will also have less garbage.
2. Recycling ink cartridges. This is another office supply that has come with the use of computer. Thankfully, they can be recycled. Recycling them is easy for you only need to bring them to those suppliers of ink as you buy new ink cartridges and do so at a discounted price. This is a way of enjoining the customers to help recycle ink cartridges. Printer toner and inkjet cartridges can also be recycled.
3. Recycling clip boards. These clip boards are also required in almost every office. Thankfully, they are available in wood and plastic which are both recyclable materials. These clip boards can facilitate writing properly when no table or desk is available. When they are torn or destroyed, you can still use them in some ways.
4. You can ship or deposit your old office supplies and equipment such as computer monitors, microchips, magnetic tape, and other items to recycling centers all throughout America. Even software and floppy disks can be recycled.
There are certain rewarding points to recycling office supplies. It is environment friendly. It is a way of saving the things in the environment. These natural resources can be expected to last long for the next generation to come. It can help you save time and money in buying new supplies. Recyclable products are relatively cheaper than those which cannot be recycled. You will obtain and give more benefits if you will recycle office supplies.
Cardboard Boxes postal tubes
Article Source: U Publish Articles
Help the Environment and Use Recyclable Office Supplies by James Greensit
Business offices will not be complete without office supplies in them. Even if most business operations have already made use of technology, people cannot completely do away with these office supplies. They might not be the essential needs at the office but the office will not surely be able to function well without them. Work cannot proceed smoothly when the office lacks them. Thus, they should be stored in enough amounts in order to avoid delays in the operation of the business. This is also one way of ensuring that you can give great customer service.
However, aside from emphasizing on the importance of the use of office supplies, you should also be aware how interconnected these supplies are to the environment. Thus, you should be cautious in using them by being economical. Moreover, you should also use environment friendly items which will pertain to recyclable office supplies. Thus, you should educate yourself and your employee about recycling these items.
1. Recycling paper. Paper is one of the most commonly used items in the office and in many other places. It is also dependent on trees which are part of the environment. Thus, they need to be recycled by collecting, reprocessing, and turning them into new products. If you will conserve paper items, you will benefit by doing so. You can help save the forests from getting denuded since paper is a product of trees. More paper consumption would mean more trees being cut down. Recycling paper also means that you can save energy that should have been spent on making new papers and the landfill will also have less garbage.
2. Recycling ink cartridges. This is another office supply that has come with the use of computer. Thankfully, they can be recycled. Recycling them is easy for you only need to bring them to those suppliers of ink as you buy new ink cartridges and do so at a discounted price. This is a way of enjoining the customers to help recycle ink cartridges. Printer toner and inkjet cartridges can also be recycled.
3. Recycling clip boards. These clip boards are also required in almost every office. Thankfully, they are available in wood and plastic which are both recyclable materials. These clip boards can facilitate writing properly when no table or desk is available. When they are torn or destroyed, you can still use them in some ways.
4. You can ship or deposit your old office supplies and equipment such as computer monitors, microchips, magnetic tape, and other items to recycling centers all throughout America. Even software and floppy disks can be recycled.
There are certain rewarding points to recycling office supplies. It is environment friendly. It is a way of saving the things in the environment. These natural resources can be expected to last long for the next generation to come. It can help you save time and money in buying new supplies. Recyclable products are relatively cheaper than those which cannot be recycled. You will obtain and give more benefits if you will recycle office supplies.
Cardboard Boxes postal tubes
Article Source: U Publish Articles
Friday, January 1, 2010
How Wind Turbines Work
Before you embark on creating a wind turbine, you really need to know the basics. That is what Jim Samposzi has done with this excellent article about the basics of wind turbines. You should have a better understanding of how they work after reading this.
A Basic Explanation Of Wind Turbines by Jim Samposzi
Since the downturn of the world's ecological state, many have been searching for a replacement source of power. Many of these people have discovered very promising sources but a lot of these sources aren't sufficient enough to wipe away other, more natural unfriendly ways of gathering electricity. Our nation still depends on generating power by way of hurting our ozone layer, and air quality.
Wind turbines are pieces of equipment that gather the force of winds to turn blades. This mechanism, sometimes called the rotor, passes the built up wind through a shaft and then through the gearbox, and the gearbox, sends it to a generator. This process works very smooth and efficiently, but is not capable of replacing other energy sources. Wind turbines mostly are installed for farms for automated grain machines and many other machines that depend on a generator to be on at all times. Wind turbines are common in the western parts of the United States, mostly in Wyoming and parts of California. They are mostly present in fields of these areas.
The blades on this generator is slanted or pitched. The reason for this is if the blades were not pitched, they would not have the capability to turn unless hit by a substantial wind; this would lead to a waste of possible power. More specifically, these blades will not even start up with winds that are above 55 mph. The reason for this is because a high wind like this could damage the wind turbine. In addition, a brake exists inside that halts the blades from spinning รข€" if the wind is too heavy, the turbine can be destroyed. On the other hand, this rotor, does not operate in winds not capable of reaching 8 mph because its just not worth it.
These mechanisms are basic by design but rather amazing in capability. Wind turbines include what is referred to as a yaw drive and yaw motor. These two components allow the rotor to position and re-position it when there is a shift in wind pattern. This mechanism allows for premium harnessing of electricity; if wind turbines did not include these controls, they would sit idol at the most insignificant shift in wind patterns.
This generation of power has a few uses that can be of benefit to people in rural areas. However, they are rather loud and residents that live close to a collection of them have been known to complain. And, in in many situations these large fields of turbines have stationary wind turbines that no longer run. Many people are fighting to abolish them, while other officials have on idea what to do with them.
Although they are capable of harvesting power, some turbines are obsolete; other manufacturers and researchers continue to construct new and more powerful models that generate more power than the older ones. A Canadian individual, for instance, has built a wind turbine that can generate 50 kilowatts of electricity! This is a big step and it will be interesting to see if others like it get put to work on generating power.
Jim Samposzi is a journalist with over 15 years of editorial experience. Jim is currently working as a national correspondent for our b2b site and has become the local authority on wind power. Visit our very useful web portal for more information on Wind Turbine and Wind Generator.
Article Source: U Publish Articles
A Basic Explanation Of Wind Turbines by Jim Samposzi
Since the downturn of the world's ecological state, many have been searching for a replacement source of power. Many of these people have discovered very promising sources but a lot of these sources aren't sufficient enough to wipe away other, more natural unfriendly ways of gathering electricity. Our nation still depends on generating power by way of hurting our ozone layer, and air quality.
Wind turbines are pieces of equipment that gather the force of winds to turn blades. This mechanism, sometimes called the rotor, passes the built up wind through a shaft and then through the gearbox, and the gearbox, sends it to a generator. This process works very smooth and efficiently, but is not capable of replacing other energy sources. Wind turbines mostly are installed for farms for automated grain machines and many other machines that depend on a generator to be on at all times. Wind turbines are common in the western parts of the United States, mostly in Wyoming and parts of California. They are mostly present in fields of these areas.
The blades on this generator is slanted or pitched. The reason for this is if the blades were not pitched, they would not have the capability to turn unless hit by a substantial wind; this would lead to a waste of possible power. More specifically, these blades will not even start up with winds that are above 55 mph. The reason for this is because a high wind like this could damage the wind turbine. In addition, a brake exists inside that halts the blades from spinning รข€" if the wind is too heavy, the turbine can be destroyed. On the other hand, this rotor, does not operate in winds not capable of reaching 8 mph because its just not worth it.
These mechanisms are basic by design but rather amazing in capability. Wind turbines include what is referred to as a yaw drive and yaw motor. These two components allow the rotor to position and re-position it when there is a shift in wind pattern. This mechanism allows for premium harnessing of electricity; if wind turbines did not include these controls, they would sit idol at the most insignificant shift in wind patterns.
This generation of power has a few uses that can be of benefit to people in rural areas. However, they are rather loud and residents that live close to a collection of them have been known to complain. And, in in many situations these large fields of turbines have stationary wind turbines that no longer run. Many people are fighting to abolish them, while other officials have on idea what to do with them.
Although they are capable of harvesting power, some turbines are obsolete; other manufacturers and researchers continue to construct new and more powerful models that generate more power than the older ones. A Canadian individual, for instance, has built a wind turbine that can generate 50 kilowatts of electricity! This is a big step and it will be interesting to see if others like it get put to work on generating power.
Jim Samposzi is a journalist with over 15 years of editorial experience. Jim is currently working as a national correspondent for our b2b site and has become the local authority on wind power. Visit our very useful web portal for more information on Wind Turbine and Wind Generator.
Article Source: U Publish Articles
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