4 Cool Bike Accessories

It's Bike to Work Week, which means you have the perfect excuse to spruce up your bike with these unique accessories!

Wearable Bike Planter:  We've seen an old bike repurposed as a giant flower planter, but what if you could just strap a plant to your bike and take it with you on your daily adventures? Well, now you can! Check out this petite bike planter and other adorable planters that you can wear as accessories.

Bicycle Wine Rack/Beer Holder: We don't advise drinking and biking, but this gadget could come in handy if you're headed to a party or barbeque this spring. Don't bother trying to squeeze these beverages into your purse or bag, just head over to Etsy and get your bicycle wine rack or beer holder for under $30!

5 Weird and Wacky Bikes

While biking gains traction in cities across the country, especially as we celebrate Bike to Work Week, you might feel the urge to pedal your own path. While everyone else hops on their ten-speeds, stay ahead of the pack, and get into gear with these head-turning rides.       

Circular Bike:

Sure, the aptly named Circular Bike might not actually be mobile, but it sure makes a sweet statement piece. Artist Robert Wechsler built the canary-yellow, carousel-like contraption from nine salvaged bikes. The modular Circular Bike can be dismantled, moved, or reassembled altogether. It often sits in public places, where its wacky, whimsical appearance invites curious passersby for a giggle-inducing spin.  

Image by Robert Wechsler

Square-wheeled bike

6 Must-Have Resources for Cyclists

To continue our celebration of Bike to Work Week, we've collected a slew of info-packed articles to help you hit the road.

1.) How to Pick the Perfect Bike: We'll share six things you should know before buying a commuter bike.

2.) How to Deal with Bad Weather: If you're committed to year-round bike commuting, check out our tips for dealing with rain, snow, or cold weather.

3.) Tips for Female Cyclists: In the U.S., female cyclists are the minority on the road. Here's how we can change that.

4.) How to Become a Bike Commuter: Are you new to two-wheeled transport? Follow these seven steps to stay safe and comfortable on the road.

5.) How to Be More Productive: Research suggests that biking to work improves memory and the ability to multitask. Find out how much physical activity it takes to make an impact.

6.) Tips for Trail Biking: If you're not satisfied with weekday cycling, check out our advice for making the most of designated mountain trails.

--Image by istockphoto/olaser

Charge Your Phone While Cycling

There are many reasons why biking to work rules. You save money, eliminate the stress of parking, get in a quick workout, and now, thanks to Aaron Latzke and David Delcourt, you can even charge your cell phone using kinetic energy generated from your ride! Yeah, we know, pretty awesome.

The Kickstarter campaign for the Siva Cycle Atom was launched a few weeks ago, and with only a few days left to pre-order, the project has already seen more than $110,000 pledged by 1,200 backers. Needless to say people are pretty excited. The Atom, which reportedly weighs about as much as a banana, is a small device that can be attached to the back wheel of your bicycle. While you pedal, the Siva Cycle Atom converts the kinetic energy into electronic energy that charges up the Atom. You can choose whether to charge your gadget (phone, ipod, etc.) directly while riding or store the energy generated in the battery pack to charge your electronics when you finish your ride. So as long as you have your bike, you can rest assured that you won't be caught without a battery charge.

For more information about the Siva Cycle Atom, check out the video below by the creators or head over to official Kickstarter project site. 

Discounted Bikes for Sierra Club Members

It's time to kick off Bike to Work Week, and this year we've got the perfect ride. That's right, we're talking about our very own limited-edition, not-available-forever Sierra Club bicycle.

Made by PUBLIC bikes, the leader in European-style rides, our custom bicycle is avaliable in two styles to fit the needs of every rider. The first option is PUBLIC's C7 model, which offers a step-thru "Dutch style" frame, ideal for riders wearing skirts or dresses. The PUBLIC V7 model, our second option, boasts a sloped diamond frame design. Both models come in bright grass-green and feature the Sierra Club's logo on the rear fender and head tube, as well as our slogan on either side of the down tube. Click here for more information on this nice ride and to get your own today.

Are Grocery Delivery Services Green?

It isn’t easy being green. Sometimes, adopting eco-friendly habits — whether avoiding plastic bags or researching sustainable food options — only seems to add more stress to our already hectic lives.

But one green habit might be as easy as skipping next Sunday’s grocery trip. A study published in the Journal of the Transportation Research Forum reveals that grocery delivery is easier not only on you, but on the planet, too. Using Seattle as a model, engineers at the University of Washington found that delivery service trucks generated 20 to 75 percent less carbon dioxide than personal vehicles driven to and from the grocery store. 

While zero emissions are ideal, grocery delivery offers a conveniently green option for those who don't live walking or biking distance from a store.

It turns out that delivery services also help grocery companies green their wallets. Goodchild and study lead author Ericka Wygonik, a Ph.D. candidate in civil and environmental engineering at the University of Washington, observed that delivery service providers produced up to 90 percent less carbon dioxide if they used routes that delivered to groups of residences, rather than individual households at separate delivery times. 

Cat Facts: Electric Vehicles Beat Gas Cars

We've stuck our cat-noses up at the notion that April Fools' means one day of fun. So in the spirit of whimsy and whiskers, each day this week we present an environmental fact and a cat. First, we focused on a fat cat and oil shale. Next came big ears and bicycles. 

Any-meow, here’s today's environmental fact, along with a cat.

Just the facts:

While the best bet for curbing carbon emissions is driving less, period, driving smart helps.

Conventional cars and the process of extracting, refining, and transporting the oil they require dumps more than three trillion tons of carbon pollution into the air each year. Electric vehicles (EVs) rely on battery power — which can take from 30 minutes for an 80-percent charge to eight hours for a full charge, outlet-voltage depending. For fully electric vehicles, no tailpipe is necessary.

Cat Facts: Cycling Is a Lot Cheaper Than Driving

In keeping with Monday's April Fools'-ishness, this week we're sharing eco-facts paired with cats. Yesterday, we looked at oil shale and a tabby with an abundant belly.

Just the facts:

Cycling just makes sense, given the low overhead, the aerobic perks, and the fact that nearly half of all trips, cycling and otherwise, are made within two miles of home.

The thought of getting doored is scary, though, or perhaps you live near a version of Lombard Street and might as well leash your bike and give it a water bowl.  

Fortunately, bicycle commuting increased by 40 percent from 2000 to 2010. Investing in bike-friendly infrastructure, like separating cycling lanes from vehicular traffic with parked cars or posts, should maintain the trend.

Environmental impact aside, money talks. Portland recently spent close to $60 million on cycling infrastructure, the average cost of one mile of urban highway. According to this City of Portland Bureau of Transportation report: "The return on investment has been highest for bicycle transportation."

Cat Facts: Mining Oil Shale Doesn't Add Up

Yesterday, we had a little April Fools' fun at fossil fuels’ expense. The rest of the week, we’re getting into the silly spirit with cats. They fuel the internet, and since we haven’t hit peak cat yet, we're not above including them, just 'cause. 

This week, we'll give you some serious environmental facts paired with a kitteh. If you’re crazy for them, this week will be awesome. If not, write about canine superiority in the comments. The cats can handle it.

Just the facts:

It's a kind of dark comedy that the production of one finite commodity could require so much of another, especially when the other's essential to, you know, life. Coal, uranium, and petroleum production already uses 1 to 2.5 gallons of water in processing and cooling for every gallon of fuel product. But the quest for energy security has oil companies looking to other sources of fossil fuels, despite the even higher water cost. Basically, oil shale is sedimentary rock that must be heated either underground or mined and heated off-site to then separate and collect the resulting liquid. 

Ask Mr. Green: Hybrid or Natural-Gas Car?

Hey Mr. Green,

My husband claims that hybrids are greener than natural-gas-powered cars. What’s your take on this?  

—Naomi, in Berkeley, California

I’ve noticed that male declarations about vehicles are often not just wrong, but off by an order of chest-beating magnitude, but your hubby’s on target here. The hybrid is the clear winner because of its greater efficiency, as you can see by comparing the two types of Honda Civic. The natural-gas-powered Civic gets a fuel economy of the equivalent 31 miles of gasoline per gallon in combined city and highway driving, while producing 227 grams of greenhouse gas emissions per mile. By contrast, the hybrid Civic’s combined mileage is 44 mpg, with lower emissions of 202 grams per mile, according to the EPA. They are tied in EPA’s smog score, with an excellent 9. In terms of sheer energy consumption, the natural-gas Civic uses around 4,000 British thermal units (Btus) per mile, whereas the hybrid requires only about 2,820.

The Prius C hybrid, which won the 2013 greenest car of the year honors from the estimable American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, beats them all, with a combined fuel efficiency of 50 mpg, while requiring 2,480 Btus per mile, and producing 179 grams per mile of greenhouse gas emissions. It scores just a notch lower on the smog index, garnering an 8.