Monthly Archives: July 2012

Brazilian Inmates Generate Electricity

July 31, 2012 by
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  Here’s a new way to think about criminal justice: an intersection of energy needs, community, and opportunity. In a rural prison a few hours north of São Paulo, Brazil, inmates reduce their sentence by pedaling bikes that generate electricity for a nearby town. The program is a recent development in Brazil and one of several related efforts throughout the country. The bikes are hooked up to small generators that power up community spaces with previously unmet needs for energy. In this particular case, a riverside park Continue reading →

Biking “superhighways”

July 20, 2012 by
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  Picture these images: 11 miles of graceful, winding highway, uninterrupted by traffic jams or lengthy red lights; foot rests along the street for your tired heels; solar-powered lights above a smooth forest pathway… We at Dickinson may find this alternative utopia difficult to picture— and that’s probably because we’ve never seen it before. Here in the U.S., highways are meant for cars and trucks. Non-renewable energy cannot be found in the middle of a forest, and there is no such thing (ask anyone) as Continue reading →

D’son Alum works with Philadelphia Charity

July 9, 2012 by
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Dickinson alumni are engaging the world…sustainably! Jim Wiley ’83, founder of the Wiley Group, works closely with Philadelphia’s Neighborhood Bike Works program to help youth overcome financial obstacles to biking. The organization’s “Earn a Bike” program operates on the same philosophy as the Handlebar, empowering riders to develop useful skills through hands-on practice. Earn a Bike participators also build whenever possible from used parts that might otherwise head to the landfill. While learning to make repairs, the youth (ages 12 to 18) find friendship and Continue reading →