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 →

Biking at Dickinson Publication

June 28, 2012 by
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The Center of Sustainability Education (CSE) is now offering a print resource for Dickinson bikers, with common routes, Rules of the Road, and some good reasons for why biking is a great alternative to driving. Find directions to the Dickinson Organic Farm, names of local shops and businesses, and maps to guide your trip. If you’d like a copy for yourself, find a print version of “Biking at Dickinson” in the Handlebar, by the Department of Public Safety (DPS) dispatch window, or in Kaufman 190, Continue reading →

CSE Intern Frequents the Handlebar

June 18, 2012 by
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Words from a summer CSE intern, who is now practicing what she preaches: well here I am, putting an eye to the Biking at Dickinson blog, re-vamping logos, and editing a biking print publication, and before last Thursday I had not yet experienced the Handlebar for myself. I can now say that I have entered the basement of Davidson-Wilson, confronted the sweet smell of gear grease, and learned to fix a flat tire. Many thanks go out to volunteers Tabea Zimmerman and Greg Howard; I Continue reading →

Eller Finished Her Bike!

May 4, 2012 by
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Eller Mallchock ’15, finished the month and a half-long process of putting her new (old)  bike back together yesterday at the Handlebar! With the help of Glen and Edward, she stripped the entire bike, cleaned the parts, shined them up, found herself a new saddle, and put it all back together again! Now the Schwinn Varsity she got from Ross at Recycle Bicycle Harrisburg is back on the road! Way to be, Eller!