Ride Green Build Green

Coastal Route Extended Due to Fires!

2008-08-21T08:52:00.000-07:00

While we were do to ride along the pacific coast for just a few days, we had to reroute due to fires outside of the central valley and unhealthy breathing conditions. Upon our arrival in Arcata CA, it was noted that even driving in the direction we had planned was inadvisable. We were told that drivers we advised to keep windows closed and use their recycled air. No way were we about to ride through that!

Our hosts in Arcata helped us with some route planning and onward down the coast we went. Although very hilly, this route was beautiful, allowing us to ride through redwood forest's Avenue of the Giants and along coastal roads with a unique mixture of eucalyptus lined roads, farmland, plummeting cliffs and seashore coves guaranteed to lure in the curious at heart.

Because of having to abandon our original route, hosts and volunteer opps, we had to start from scratch, recreating these opportunities along the coast.

So... we have some catching up to do with our blog! Commence catch-up:

Vay-cay on the coast

2008-08-08T09:49:00.000-07:00

We've finally reached the Oregon coast! After days of travelling near the coast, and wondering how many lakes coastal Oregon can possibly have, we finally got a chance to fish around in some tidepools and slip and slide on seaweed fields yesterday at Sunset Bay.

On our way into Bandon we rode Seven Devils Road, which consisted of quite a few more than seven hills, as well as seven more major hills which had been labelled "devils" by some "helpful" passerby, with additional encouragement like "#6--I think?! (cartoon figure scratching its head)".

Upon reaching Bandon we conjoined with several cyclists we'd met along the way and had dinner before parting ways. They have ridden diagonally from Key West to Seattle, and are now riding down the coast. The two of them had even met one of our other cycling acquaintances while riding thru Colorado, what a coincidence!

The view here is incredible, one our hosts lives directly above the sea in a beautiful concrete bunker sort of house. By "the sea" I don't mean just waves crashing, but also cliffs, huge island-sized stones protruding from the surf, beachgrass, and so on. Our other host is just up the road with his housemates.

Today is our rest day before moving on to Gold Beach and on down the coast to California, where we have more work that we are excited to do!

Ride well!

-RGBG

Longview to Olson Woods

2008-08-01T19:52:00.000-07:00

There is some contention amongst the group as to which part of the journey has been the most harrowing, the trip over the border from Washington to Oregon on the bridge over the Columbia, or the approximately 10 mile stretch we rode on I-5 past Fort Lewis.

After crossing the bridge we applauded our ability to fight the wind and steer past the many debris successfully and without finding our way into traffic, under one of the many "wide load" trucks that passed at high speed.

Travelling along Highway 30 in the morning hours the temperature stayed cool and the skies sprinkled light rain intermittently. We passed a small wildfire that still smoldered, ground charred and still smoking, tree trunks blackened--all undergrowth burned away. There were light delays, but we rode past pretty quickly on the shoulder, and were only slowed by a few minutes' wait.

Upon reaching Portland we stopped at a pub for minimal refreshment and then carried on to the REI for a few bike and camping related sundries, then wandered around looking for the light rail. At Union Station we came across a pedi-cabber, who, after letting Laura and Liz ferry him about in his pedi-cab for a bit around the median, was happy to lead us to the Old Town light rail station.

Departing at Beaverton Transit Center we rode out, following the instructions our host had given us, and saw an amazing sight on the horizon: a series of rainbows in ever brighter shades, the array numbering approximately six or seven iterations, as well as a single twin further off to the side.

Twisting and turning along the multi-use path, we finally came to a softball lot, where our host met us and led us on to their household. On arrival we were greeted with a late meal of pasta and lots of fresh fruit and conversation. Exhausted, we finally retired so we could get up early to tour and work at a local site.

At the Watershed, a senior housing project in Hillsdale created by CPAH (Community Partners for Affordable Housing), we sat in on a meeting where some of the builders and management discussed the various green aspects of the building in relation to their residents, as well as other aspects of daily life including plans for health awareness days and so forth.

After the meeting we toured the building, a beautiful LEEDS-certified project which includes dual flush toilets, a heat recovery system, a grey-water system, native plant landscaping, roof-top gardening, passive solar, use of recycled and low-VOC materials, day-lighting, and an entirely non-smoking facility. The building is built on a former brownfield that had existed in disuse since the childhood of one of the board members.

At Olson Woods we ate a quick lunch and did an interview with a reporter before touring one of the apartments and then getting down to work mulching one of the walking paths with recycled tree clippings.

Olson Woods is a multi-family cottage-style development in Tigard (near Portland). We have seen several cottage-style deveopments, and like them more and more the more we see! Cottage-style means that there is a central parking area, then the houses are all clustered around a central area where residents can congregate. Olson Woods was vital, with children playing, volunteers milling about spending time with them, and residents coming and going thru the community center (yes, community center!) for various programs including a food bank program.

At Olson Woods we saw how they had re-structured an existing non-functional wetland into a functional one that now absorbs stormwater and has also become a revitalized habitat for many local species. Other use of green building techniques included minimal carpeting, perveous pavers, hardi-plank siding, and they also treat residents to complimentary green cleaning products, as well as recipes to make green cleaning solutions of their own.

Residences are close to numerous commercial businesses where many of the common working force are employed, thus reducing need for car commuting and enabling bus, bike, and other non-car transit options.

Something different about this development from the H4H developments we have toured previously is that CPAH retains ownership of the units, and tenants rent, rather than own. Thus CPAH is able to seek investors, who are looking to take a loss on the investment to offset gains made thru other investments, thus resulting in a tax break.

We were really thankful for the hospitality of our hosts in Beaverton, the Fink family, who opened their home to us and even hosted a CPAH "happy hour" event so we could meet and talk with many local community members.

You can visit CPAH at: www.cpahinc.org

Hope you are riding safe and enjoying your summer!

-Nova, RGBG

3 days bikes + 1 day volunteering = happy

2008-07-28T21:58:00.000-07:00

Today marked our first day off our bikes and onto the jobsite. Now in Longview, we worked on one of the local affiliate's houses which is pretty near complete. Within the next two months, the house will be ready for move in, due to the huge dedication and will of local volunteers. Usually, to accomodate for work schedules and the like, the volunteer days happen on Saturdays, however they opened up the project for us today so that we could help out. Our main tasks included texturing the primed drywall surfaces, and building outdoor deck space. Much to the amusement of others, Nova and Liz ended up completely covered in spackle, and fortunately enough for Nova and Liz, it came right off.
The local affiliate remains relatively small at this point, with the hopes of growing larger. They build about two houses a year, in a town of 35,000. Len, the local director, said that it's been a real challenge to get people interested in green building methods, but they're doing their best with green appliances and fixtures, insulation methods, and offering a $1000 "bonus package" to the homeowner, that allows them to select particular features.

So far, we've been fortunate enough to encounter fantastic hospitality and generosity from the people who've hosted us. Longview has been absolutely delightful because of this. Tonight, at Len's house, we even made some turtle friends.

Liz

leg 2: from olympia to chehalis, staring clipless newbies, buffalo jerky and some whimpy hills

2008-07-26T21:31:00.000-07:00

ahhh man. what a day. i think we were all actually pleasantly surprised to hop on our bikes this morning and actually feel comfortable. we were in pretty good spirits, after our incredible hosts last night. they really took care of us. we arrived only to be greeted with pizza, beer, air mattresses, a swimming pool, outdoor WARM shower, pool table, shuffle board, ping pong table, awesome dog name Emma, cat, salad... the list goes on. totally unexpected and marvelous! Gary and Penny were excited about our green affordable housing mission and had all sorts of ideas for next years RGBG tour. 2 days in and we're gaining momentum!

At todays end, after stuffing our face with a large assortment of food (we're burning about 1,500 calories a day) we're all settling into St. John's Lutherans. Yet another cushy accommodation this evening. we're sleeping in a nursery. next to the box of lincoln logs. The Safeway down the street was having it's grand opening. What does this mean? samples. lots and lots of samples. As Mike was checking out he won and Ipod! It was pretty ridiculous-- upon returning to the church to cook up our stir fried rice, Nova pulled all the groceries out of the bags........ "um, where's the rice?" They look on her face was priceless.

Mike agreed to ride back and pick-up the main ingredient for dinner.

Alex, the volunteer coordinator from HFH Olympia, gave us a tour of some green affordable homes. Some highlights: pervious pavement, cottage style layout, on demand water heaters and radiant floor heating (which we actually found out HFH OLY was not such a fan of, as if they break, they are very costly to fix-- not such an awesome thing for a low income family-- or for anyone for that matter!), low VOC interior paints, hearty plank siding, minimal carpeting to minimize off-gas, insulated concrete forms, bio soils and native wild landscaping, recycled tiles,

to name a few!

Alex hooked us up with powerbars and gatoraide, gave us a tour of the ReStore and sent us on our way!

Actually, we detoured to the farmers market. got some amazing beef jerky trail mix! (we're burning about 1,500 calories a day.) We've unofficially named the tour Ride, Eat, Build Green. We just can't stop stuffing our faces!

Nova got a flat. She counted six holes in her tube. It rained on us a bit too. One big thick mist of WET! Not too pleasant (especially for those riding behind riders that got laxidazical about fender instalation.)

Overall today was a really great ride-- about 42 miles through some beutiful country side.

First Day!

2008-07-25T20:19:00.001-07:00

Most of the riders, except for Nova (who joined everyone in South Seattle, closer to her home), gathered near the Montlake Bridge this morning to depart. Elise had some gear/chain trouble which we managed to fix thanks to a chain tool. There is always a hitch, and Jesse reports that mechanical troubles continued through the day, but everyone arrived safely!

The riders arrived in Olympia this evening to reportedly great hosting from the family of Eric, a friend of Liz's. Food, drink, and restful sleep awaits!

Here are a few photos of the preparations this morning. As I have not yet joined everyone (I am taking the train to Eugene next Saturday) I hope that they will be able to post their own thoughts as they journey through Washington and northern Oregon.

-Erica

Departure on Friday!

2008-07-21T20:06:00.001-07:00

Ride Green Build Green is leaving Seattle on Friday morning! We have seven riders. If you would like to ride with us for a portion of the trip, please get in touch! We are still fundraising and still looking for funds for rider support (food, etc.).

The first few days of our schedule are as follows:

7/25 Seattle - Olympia
7/26 Olympia (Habitat for Humanity tour) - Centralia/Chehalis
7/27 Centralia/Chehalis - Longview-Kelso
7/28 Volunteer at Cowlitz County Habitat for Humanity
7/29 Longview-Kelso - Portland/Beaverton
7/30 Tour Olson Woods Community Partners for Affordable Housing
7/31 Tour Portland's Habitat for Humanity LEED Development
8/1 Portland/Beaverton - Salem
8/2 Salem - Eugene
8/2 Eugene (looking for volunteer opportunities or community events in this town! we would love to set up an impromptu potluck or other event to talk with people about green affordable housing!)
8/3 Eugene (see above)
8/4 Eugene - Florence

If you live along this route, particularly in Olympia, Salem, or Florence and have room for us to sleep in your backyard or inside your house (or on your church property, or any other place!), or would like to organize an event for your local community group and us to chat (non-profits, schools, summer camps) please let us know!

We are also available to speak with representatives of the media about our cause and our journey.

6/24 Meeting Minutes

2008-06-26T08:35:00.000-07:00

***RGBG meeting***

Task Assignments
(hopefully an exhaustive list, but please read the meeting notes as well and use this list as a reference)

Everyone
- put your contact info in the Planning Groups document (go to docs.google.com and select RGBG planning groups and then put your information in your planning groups, contact Elise if you have questions)
- make sure you know how to access the Google group, Google docs, and have the rgbgseattle e-mail password (contact Elise if you have questions)
- contact the relevant person if interested in any of the events or projects described in the meeting notes (yard sale, benefit shows, movies, benefit drink night, volunteer outreach, media, etc.)

Elise
- make sure all riders put their contact information in the Planning Groups document
- contact Reload for raffle donations
- put up flyers in the Fremont/Phinney/Wallingford areas for the yard sale
- attend yard sale pricing/silkscreening at Erica's on Friday evening
- contact Jesse and/or Laura for help with ride logistics/press releases

Mike
- continue to fundraise and participate as available while out of town
- put up flyers in the Fremont/Phinney/Wallingford areas for the yard sale
- bring yard sale donations to Erica's house

Erica
- arrange for delivery of Ortlieb bags for raffle
- yard sale pricing/silkscreening at Erica's on Friday evening
- run yard sale on Saturday
- attend benefit show on Saturday evening
- continue to work on press releases, work with Laura to divide work as needed

Liz
- update us on progress of Mobar and Central Cinema events
- create posters for events
- finalize fundraising letter
- bring yard sale items to Erica's house
- attend yard sale pricing/silkscreening at Erica's on Friday evening
- make large neon paper signs for yard sale day

Jesse
- help with raffle as needed (maybe not until returning to Seattle)
- work on ride logistics with Elise

Laura
- work on media/press with Nova and Erica (they'll contact you)
- work on ride logistics with Elise (contact Elise for details and possible starting points)

Nova
- continue to work on press releases, work with Laura to divide work as needed

Commitments:

biking Seattle to San Francisco

volunteer at affordable housing projects

host awareness events
WHY?
- fundraise for local H4Hs
- build communities
- raise interest in green affordable housing in local communities
- we are still interested in doing these! - must be locally organized with support from us
- Jesse and Laura could help organize these from afar?

raise $2000 per rider
- change to $1000 - a more reasonable goal
- change to "each rider aims to raise $2000" - we would each like to raise more $, but $1000 should be the minimum goal

rider organizing
- Mike is out for organizing, will try to raise money
- Jesse and Laura both gone until approx July 8, but able to help with projects from a distance
- Erica will not be able to do the entire ride due to work restrictions : ( but plans to join everyone somewhere in Oregon

Communication:

-Unless you only need to communicate with specific members, riders should use the Google group for all communications from here on out. That means all group communications should be addressed to: ridegreenbuildgreen@googlegroups.com

action item: all riders should input their contact information to the Google Doc - Planning Groups
- Elise will make sure all riders do this

Weekly meetings:

- planning group updates
- scribe (notetaker) and timekeeper selected at beginning of each meeting
- generate task list (scribe task - review assigned tasks aloud at the end of the meeting to affirm with each person their responsibilities
- meeting minutes to be e-mailed the next day (scribe task), posted to blog

Planning Groups:

does it make sense to have a group leader?
- Mike says no, not at group size we have now
- Erica says not formally (though she has been the de facto coordinator for fundraising to this point)

Website
-public events posted

Elise wants to remind everyone - YOU TOO can have access to the website and the gmail! See previous e-mails for details, or contact Elise to get the e-mail sent to you again.

Google groups
- should we keep using it?
- looks like all issues have been ironed out with the riders, so we will proceed with using it

Fundraising:

Liz:

renting Central Cinema for movies!
- need to decide on dates/times
- days available: Mon/Tues July 7/8 14/15, 21/22
- proposed: two movies, one on the 8th and one on the 21st
- reduced rate for nonprofits (we qualify under H4H)
- bike themed movies! Breaking Away, Quicksilver, the Bicycle Thief

Mobar (next to Neumo's)
- cheap place to have an event
- $2 for a drink, $2 for us!
- proposed: Thursday July 10 - weekdays are best
- Liz will want promo help when the date is set, but she will make posters for events

Erica:

yard sale
-Mike has glass items (ornaments, vases, canes), nerf guns, clothes, knickknacks
-Liz has a bunch of stuff for the yard sale
-Erica has dumpstered items + donations from Jesse's housemates
-Elise can poster for the yard sale
-Liz will make big neon paper signs
-Elise, Liz, and Erica will price things on Friday evening 7 PM at 607 N 46th St - all others invited! we will silkscreen the backs of the t-shirts afterwards!
-folks are desperately needed to help staff the yard sale on Saturday any time between 9 and 3! contact Erica to sign up.

raffle
- Ortlieb will donate two office bags for the raffle
- Elise will contact Reload for raffle donations
- we have a big thing of raffle tickets
- more to come with raffle tickets - this is not a priority

fundraising letter
- Liz will edit the fundraising letter

benefit show
- Saturday Jun 28, 8 PM, Healthy Times Fun Club house at 11th & Pike
- rockin' rock show with Big Spiders Back, Troubleshooting, and Madrid

- silkscreen
we will be silkscreening on Friday evening at Erica's house after pricing!!! see above under 'yard sale'

Media/Press:
- Nova has sent a bunch of press releases
- Laura has expressed interest in helping with press releases
- there have already been two responses to the rgbg e-mail account

Rider/Volunteer Outreach:

- Elise will put a post on Craigslist, possibly VolunteerMatch
- not for riders necessarily, but people interested in helping
- will forward to riders, we can forward to our listserves
- CBC another good contact

Bike Building/Maintenance:

- Mike needs to get his bike maintained, he'll drop it off somewhere

Ride Logistics:

volunteer events/toured are organized through Arcata
- 2 hour tour of Green Homes at HFH Olympia before we ride to Centralia
- Volunteer Day-- Cowlitz County HFH
- Tour Olson Woods- Community Partners for Affordable Housing (CPAH)
- (pending) tour Portland HFH Leed Developement
- potential for a stop in Chico (organic dairy farm at UC-C may lead us to other interesting contacts)
- party in SF when we arrive... (need to find contacts for this)
- schedule 4 days of rest over the course of the trip

We're still here!

2008-06-19T22:16:00.000-07:00

Check out the changes to our website at www.ridegreenbuildgreen.org!

We are working hard on fundraising, finalizing our sites and route, and publicity. We are still looking for additional riders and volunteers. Do you have connections to sponsorships, gear, or other support for the ride? Do you live west of the I-5 corridor between Seattle and San Francisco and have space for 12-20 riders to sleep or camp out? Do you want to help us coordinate or fundraise or publicize the ride? Let us know at rgbgseattle at gmail dot com.

4/2 Rider Meeting Minutes

2008-04-04T19:55:00.000-07:00

Attendees:
Jesse, Laura, Liz, Elis, Jessamynn, Elise, Nova, Mike

To Do's:

- Noted "To Do's" Taken On (all else is open for the taking!) :
Liz: List/Register RGBG with Environmental / Sustainability Orgs., poster. Moe Bar Happy Hour fundraiser
Nova: poster, contact Erica Barnet
Elise: update website, site coordination, create poster and flyer, create bio example, keep on Ron about bikes
Jesse: Site Coordination
Jessamyn: Benefit show- chop suey?

- Screen Printing Shin-dig:
Monday, April 14th @ 6:00pm.
Rain: 2214 N. 48th.
Shine: 123 NE 52nd St
Bring T-shirts to print on! Those that would be suitble to sale, give away, wear yourself, & so on.

- List/Register RGBG with Bike Touring Websites and Newsletters--
Adventure Cycling, Seattle Randonneurs, Cascade bike club, Seattle Bicycle Club. Seattle Likes Bikes

- List/Register RGBG with Enviromental / Sustainablity Orgs.
Cascade Green Builder Association, UW-Architecture and Planning Dept., Architecture for Humanity, Sustainable Ballard

- Poster (UW and othe places that folks who have the summer off might lurk)
create poster with more details about ride (give us money!, email info, donate info, what we do, why?), B&W friendly

- Cost assessment
things to consider: food, gas, potential lodging, tools, contingency fund

- Site Coordination List - who has been contacted, follow-up:
Elise and Jesse meeting this Monday to create list and contact

- Bikes
Elise will keep emailing and call Ron- busy guy!

- Tool Donations
see if we can get a basic bike repair tool kit donated.
Riders should each bring their own mini pocket tool.

- Send press release to, newpapers, grist, Erica Barnet-Stranger, Real Change. This will be done once websites up-to-date

- Contact renewable energy, green appliance companies for sponsorship: Energy Star, Solar/wind/hydro

- Website updated very important, so we can more aggressively promote RGBG
Elise to be in contact with Scott for help with site support.
Once site is updated, tightened up, "professionalized", press releases and posters and flyers ALL OVER!!

- Rider Bio's:
Elise will post example on google groups to make it easier for everyone!
Still need:
Josh
Erica
Mike
Jesse
Nova
Laura
Elise
Elizabeth
Karsten

- Fundraising events:
Liz- Moe Bar Happy Hour
Elise- Estradasphere space show
Jessamynn- Chop Suey

- Support Vehicle:
we are still looking for a reliable vehicle and driver

- Route:
details about the route will be defined once a few sites are arranged

- Donations:
A RGBG pull-down tab will be up on the HFH EKC site within the next week or so.
Once it's up, Elise will re-email directions for online donations in support of the LEED home for HFH EKC

Current Riders
• Josh
• Erica
• Jessamynn
• Mike
• Jesse
• Nova
• Laura
• Elise
• Elizabeth
• Karsten
• Matt
We lost two, due to school-- Congrats to Elis on getting into her grad school of choice!
We are Seeking more riders!

Upcoming Related Events-- "promotion opps."

4/8 Tuesday: Green Drinks
Without further ado, APRILS GREENDRINKS (bring your own cup)! THE NEXT GREENDRINKS WILL BE ON TUESDAY, 8 APRIL 2008, HOSTED BY EverGreen Escapes and Crooked Trails. They will be hosting at the Pioneer Building at 600 1st Avenue, 98104, in the Pioneer Square neighborhood. For logistical questions regarding the March Greendrinks, please call 206.650.5795. As per usual, the April Greendrinks will begin between 5:30 and 6pm.
Please help us reduce waste - even compostable waste by bringing your own mugs.

.83 hosts long rides every Sunday http://www.point83.com/

Meeting Date TYPO and then CANCELED!!!

2008-02-06T12:56:00.000-08:00

The meeting tonight, and the non-existent meeting on Saturday were canceled. Next date TBA... check back soon!

Rider Update

2008-01-29T20:07:00.000-08:00

Here's where things stand. If I have left something out feel free to add on at the blog:

NEXT MEETING:
February 9th
6:30-7:30pm

University Branch, Seattle Library
Located at the corner of 50th and Roosevelt Way NE

Site Coordination:
- Jesse is coordinating workdays with the East Bay HFH affiliate.

Wheels:
Matt Dupre is coordinating a day for those that need bikes to meet with Ron.

Fundraising:
- An Americorps member with Habitat is willing to set-up an Ebay account for us to sell items for fundraising
- Mike Eader is organizing Art Sales. His idea is posted on the blog.
- Laura is seeing about us having a screen printing party for t-shirts to sale.
- Erica is seeing about a space to have a fundraising house party.
- Film showing at the UW to raise funds

Training:
- Slow Sunday's with NOVA (info on blog)
- Other personal training outlines can be found on the Blog
- Ride-opps calendar: it would be good to have someone keep a calendar
of local ride opportunities for people to train, accessible via the blog.

Operating Costs Sponsorship:
This is an area that needs some work.
We need a rough analysis and estimate of operating costs for the trip.
Any volunteers? Josh is willing to work on finding sponsors.

Media and Outreach:
- Erica is doing up a press release.
- Nova's networking with Cascade for riders and support
- We will have a table at during Bike to Work Day via Starbucks
- Jesse has spread the word like mad. Can you provide a list of who you have contacted, so we don't double dip?

Upcomming rides...

2008-01-18T12:37:00.000-08:00

July 12-13 STP (Seattle to Portland) 204 miles over two days (or over
three if you take the STP Un-Classic) If anyone knows someone that
can sleep a few people in Centralia or Portland maybe a bunch of us
could go. They require registration, but I would prefer to "pirate"
the ride. You follow but don't use their facilities (water, etc) and
are self-supported.

There's also the World Car-Free Conference in Portland in June 16-20
that has a free day, otherwise it's a hefty registration unless you
join the World Car-Free Network.

April 22: Daffodil classic http://www.twbc.org/events/daffodil/
and various sundry and unsundry events as well (world naked bike ride, anyone?)

http://www.spokespeople.us/
Rides are first Saturdays starting March 1. You are welcome to come to
a ride in March, April May June or July and bring material about RGBG.

Nova's Sunday Slow Ride

2008-01-18T12:25:00.000-08:00

Slow Sundays
When: 1pm meet-up, 1:30pm ride bikes (Sundays)
Where: Cal Anderson Park @ the fountain
Why: to ride bikes! There may be times when we have to wait up for folks, or help them fix flats, but it'll be a good chance to meet people, enjoy riding your bicycle, and get to know the lay of the land that is Seattle. Another goal is for everyone to feel more comfortable riding in traffic!
How: at a reasonable pace. It may feel slow to some, but hopefully it's just plain relaxed and comfortable enough for everyone. Our rides generally include multiple stops for food/drinks/exploration, as well as chances for latecomes to catch up. Mileage runs anywhere from 6-25 miles, but at a pace so comfortable you'll find yourself surprised at how much ground you've covered!

Be well, N*

1/9 Meeting Outcomes and Rider Updates

2008-01-15T15:40:00.000-08:00

1/9/08 Meeting Outcomes and Updates:

Riders
Couple new riders... one down,
Amanda Steinhauser has decided not to join. Bad timing for her.

Nova Clawson
Mike Eader
Josh Coffman
Dave Sanford
Elis Wooton
Erica Weiland
Jessamyn Bateman-Iino
Matt Dupre
Jesse Card
Elise Cope rgbgseattle@gmail.com

Tasks
If anyone has any helpful leads for leads for a particular persons tasks,
it would be great if you could email them!

Nova Clawson: netwrok with Cascade Bike Club, goodwill shirts for screenprint, post Slow Sunday and training info on blog
Mike Eader: Mike hinted at putting together an art fundrasing event? ehh?
Josh Coffman: Josh is a few states away-- he could help with media outreach or sponsorship, ehh?
Dave Sanford: reference for training: http://www.aidslifecycle.org/training/.
Elis Wooton: sourcing support vehicle, contact City Year for fundraising support
Erica Weiland: looking for fundraising party location, contact Dignity Village
Jessamyn Bateman-Iino: Jessamynn has bands she can network with for a fundraising show
Matt Dupre: Site Coordination
Jesse Card: Site Coordination, RGBG stencils and screen printing
Elise Cope: email RGBG logo to Jesse for, send riders sample email for fundraising, email experimental college green course info, see about official Habitat event, establish online donation system

Fundraising
- handed out RGBG and HFH EKC Fact Sheets. (Mike, Jessamyn, Dave and Josh still need em)
- potential fundraising workshop next week
- resources: I REALLY reccomend y'all check out this site for your fundraising initiatvies. Use the link at top to get more specific... http://www.aidslifecycle.org/fundraising/

Let's Build Some Bikes!I will be contacting the following riders soon to set up a date for us all to visit Ron at Sharing Wheels, and begin building our bikes:

Mike Eader mikeeader@hotmail.com
Josh Coffman coffmanjoshua@gmail.com
Elis Wooton elis.wooton@gmail.com
Jessamyn Bateman-Iino mousethespiffy@aol.com
Matt Dupre mdupre@nmu.edu

Current Needs:- Short bio and headshot of riders. Can everyone submit these by this Monday? That would be most helpful :)
- Sponsorship for operating costs
- Media networking: spreading the word to websites, newspapers, radiostations, et. al.

If anyone can take any of this on... let me know!
If anyone needs anything... I'll get you what you need!

And Also: Check out this course through Experimental College. It's cheap:
http://depts.washington.edu/asuwxpcl/catalog.php?sec=courses&category=HOUSE%20and%20HOME%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20&num=1727

Some Thoughts on Rider Fundraing

2008-01-15T15:11:00.000-08:00

Everyone agrees that raising $2,000 is a daunting task at first.
So far the general consensus from riders is that group fundraising events are prefer ed-- as such the whole $2,000 is not all on an individuals head.
We will all need to raise money on our own however. With a personal "ask", being comfortable with why you're asking for $ is essential. Renovate your mindset around asking for money: what stops you? Know that it's not a YES or NO
to you personally-- but to the cause. People have all sorts of reasons for not giving. If your going to make things up prior asking someone for $, make things up about why they WOULD give, not why they won't. We're not concerned with people not donating. Doesn't mean they will or they won't... rather we're just commited to people making a contribution. It's not personal.

Present your cause as an opportunity for others... not as a favor or a personal need. Really, that's what it is... it's an opportunity for someone to make a difference. Get your donors present to what making a positive contribution provides for themselves and their lives. Ask questions... Let them do the talking!

Meeting Tomorrow Night!

2008-01-08T15:46:00.002-08:00

Wednesday, Jan 9
6:30-7:30pm (time has been changed as the library closes at 8pm)
University Branch, Seattle Library
located at the corner of 50th and Roosevelt in NE.
http://www.spl.org/default.asp?pageID=branch_open&branchID=27

Please be prepared to review your findings from assignments.
We need to take this to the next level and the current ten of us are the foundation!

My cell phone is MIA,
if you need to reach me use my work cell #:
425.5907351

Thanks... see you tomorrow! Bring friends!

Elise

Rider Training Developement

2008-01-08T15:46:00.001-08:00

In response to my assignment on providing a training schedule, I was not able to recover the schedule I used in 2005. After looking around at several things on the web, I think the information at http://www.aidslifecycle.org/training/ is good. There schedule can be slid forward a couple of months to start now and to accommodate that we are going in July and August rather than June. There is a lot of good information here, but the key things are getting started, and building up seat time. People should be looking at the weekly time commitment and planning accordingly. It does impact everyone’s schedule, and especially on weekends with longer rides. It is a good idea if folks make a paper copy of the plan, and then record their rides to see how they are tracking the plan.

Right now I am doing some riding in my basement on a trainer. I look forward, though, to starting some early spring riding. It may still be cool, but once you get going its not so bad. Especially important is the social aspect of riding with friends. Look forward to an e-mail net where we can start letting people know about RGBG training rides. We might do things such as converge at Log Boom Park (the top of Lake Washington on the BGT) and then ride a while together. Longer trips can be around Lake Washington, out into the Snoqualmie Valley, up to Snohomish and on towards Arlington, or south along the Green River Trail or the Maple Valley trail.

I won’t be at the meeting on Wednesday, but look forward to reading about it.

Thanks,
Dave Sanford

Wednesday, January 9 Info Session

2008-01-03T08:13:00.000-08:00

7-8 PM
Location TBA (Amanda is working on it... if you have any suggestions let her know!)

Meeting Agenda:
- New Riders (two new riders! We're at 9 now)
- Review Tasks
- Fundraising
- Defining Affordable Green Housing
- Training
- Let's Build Some Bikes!

If you have anything you would like to add to the agenda let me know!

An Update from Jesse

2007-12-20T12:56:00.000-08:00

I forwarded to Ron and asked him what
he'd prefer on bikes. Ideal is that riders would volunteer at Sharing
Wheels both building their bike and building/repairing bikes for
others.

Second-most preferable is you can just purchase the bike you like
that's available there.

The Bike Shack also has that option but it's not nearly as formalized
and the selection is much smaller. It is, however, much closer and
manned more days of the week. Same thing applies there, you could
build your own bike or you can buy a ready made one there (also
uber-cheap) and Erica and I (or other Bike Shack volunteers) can teach
you lots of simple things that you'll need to know on the road at an
organized workshop or something if you like.

There are also other places like the Bikery who do training and class
things as well. http://www.thebikery.org/news.html (a drivetrain class
this Saturday!)

So there are lots of options and some might prefer to do one or another.
I'd also like to amend the statement of what type of bike you'll have
at the end. Quality can vary depending on what's available and what
you like. I certainly wouldn't promise a "high-end road bike" to
anyone, let alone everyone. Ron (and myself) favor 80s mountain bike
frames and touring frames for long-distance rides. They're very
sturdy and hold up under many many road conditions. Lots of people
really prefer a touring or road bike with very skinny tires, but won't
necessarily handle the weight or adverse road conditions as well or,
possibly, last as long.

Ron should get back with me in the next few days on if he has bikes
available in those sizes that are really good matches in the next
coupla days.

I revisited my map that you included. I had it as 14 days from
Seattle to San Fran, that just glancing at the distances I would
revise to about 17 or so. Currently the average ride length per day
is 83 miles, with 3 century+ days. Many riders wouldn't appreciate
that.

Here's my recommendation locales to see if there are nearby
projects/green buildings/hosts:
1 Seattle-Oly
2 Oly-Centralia
3 Centralia-Longview/Kelso
4 Longview/Kelso-Portland
5 Portland-Salem
6 Salem-Eugene
7 Eugene-Roseburg
8 Roseburg-Grants Pass
9 Grants Pass-Crescent City
10 Crescent City-Eureka
11 Eureka-Big Bar
12 Big Bar-Redding
13 Redding-Chico
14 Chico-Sacramento
15 Sacramento-Fairfield
16 Fairfield-San Francisco

Which only knocks it down to estimated average of 71 miles/day (1149
with highway avoid on), but shows you how much leeway we can make.
That's 6 days of 80+ miles, one above 90. These are all doable miles
and allows us to make more project and/or rest days, but you'll
definitely feel it some of those days.

12/12 Meeting Minutes

2007-12-13T22:51:00.000-08:00

During last nights session we began to divide up tasks and form groups.

GENERAL UPDATES

Registered Riders:
Elis Wooton
Jesse Card
Erica Weiland
Jessamyn Bateman-Iino
Dave Sanford
Amanda Steinhauser
Matt Dupre
Elise Cope

- Next RGBG Meeting: January 9th. Exact location and time TBA.

- Application Deadline for Riders: Feb 1. 12 more riders to go!

-The RGBG website will be up by next week. The site will give anyone interested a clear picture of what RGBG all about. (We don't really have that right now unless you come to a meeting!) People will also be able to access the rider application online. In the meantime, RGBG's progress can be followed at www.rgbg.blogspot.com. Once the website is up, the blogspot will still serve as a common forum of communication for riders and organizers. **Cue current riders to network with eachother via www.rgbg.blogspot.com**

ORGANIZATION GROUPS

- Site Coordination:
Matt Dupre is going to began coordinating with sites. It was decided last night that 10 "work days" at green affordable housing projects would put more a lot of pressure on our schedule. As such we're aiming to work at 3-4 sites, perhaps spending a couple days at each. Matt will look into volunteer opps. at Habitat for Humanity affiliates as well as other green affordable housing orgs. The route plays a big part in what sites we work at. Right now Matt is looking at an amalgamation of the Oregon Bike Route, and this: http://tinyurl.com/2ukbpa

- Wheels:
Jesse Card is networking with Sharing Wheels Community Bike Shop in Everett for riders to build their own bike. And by "own" bike, we mean bike that's affordable, you know every inch of because you built it and is the equivalent of a high-en- kick-ass road bike. http://mysite.verizon.net/res1liz9/index.html.
Elis Wooton is researching options for a support vehicle and will report back Jan. 9th with some options.

- Rider Training: Dave Sanford is going to put together a training schedule for riders that we'll review Jan 9th. Elis Wooton and Jessamyn Bateman-Iino are lining up someone to train riders on fundraising. Each rider will raise $2,000. We'll talk more about this, and fundraising goals next meeting. All funds raised will be donated to Habitat for Humanity, EKC to sponsor their first LEEDS Certified affordable home. (*key word; affordable)

- Community Events: No one working on this yet-- Once sites and route have been established we will form this group, going to work on creating an opportunity for people to participate in smaller legs of our trip as we ride to San Fran.

- Sponsorship: Funding from sponsors will be solely for operating costs. Elise Cope is researching estimated operating costs and potential sponsors.

- Media and Outreach: Elise is spreading the word-- as are all the other riders as they tell people what they are up to! Remember to use those conversations as an opportunity for registering riders, or green+bike advocacy contacts.

3rd Info Session

2007-12-01T12:33:00.000-08:00

Interested in riding? Don't want to ride, but you like the cause and want to help organize?
Info and organizational sessions every other Wednesday 7-8.

December 12, 7pm
@ 123 NE 52nd St, Seattle 98105

For more info conatct
Elise Cope
508.317.0647
rgbgseattle@gmail.com

2007-11-30T09:39:00.000-08:00

Defining Green Affordable Housing

Green building fosters long term affordability for low income families. According to Global Green USA, low income families spend more income on utilities than on education and healthcare.

With our communities expanding as they are, there is an ever growing need to address poverty and the environment such that we create sustainable, healthy communities. The green movement is surely on the up and up- with Al Gore winning the Nobel peace prize, organics becoming common selection at our grocery stores, and nearly every where you turn some company, organization or magazine is boasting their commitment to preserving the earth and making that commitment accessible to you.

Environmental Impacts of Building

Some of the biggest impacts we have on the environment lie within the structures we build to accommodate our lives. Buildings in the US account for:

• 40% of total annual US energy;
• 25% of water use;
• 20-30% of municipal solid waste stream;
• 30-40% of wood and materials use;
• 25% of greenhouse gas emissions;

The Green Affordable Housing Coalition outlines green affordable housing projects with the following criteria:

• Are integrated to the site and region;
• Use energy, water and materials wisely;
• Minimize and recycle construction waste;
• Create their own energy;