Helping People Fix Bikes: Ramon Martinez Brings a New Bike Co-Op to Austin

Ramon Martinez, founder of Bici Lbre in Los Angeles
and HOPE Likes Bikes in Austin

Sometimes, you have to leave Austin to re-discover Austin. Last week, I flew back to Los Angeles for my little sister’s college graduation. (My own graduation happened fourteen years ago.) Even though the San Gabriel Valley, just east of the city, brings up stark visions of thick smog, stucco strip malls, and tangles of freeway overpasses, I was looking forward to a few days off and cooking by Mom.

My first day there, I had plans to hang out with my brother. I met him at Bici Libre in downtown Los Angeles, where he volunteers as a bike mechanic. Bici Libre is a community bike workshop space (or bike co-op) – with the help of volunteers they fix bikes and teach people how to fix their own, for a suggested donation.

Bici Libre also reclaims abandoned bicycles and redistributes them, as well as provides education workshops, to underserved communities throughout the L.A. County. This non-profit organization is a project of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition (LACBC).

Read the rest of the article in Latinometro.

When Earth Day Was Every Day and Everyone Walked

The Big K, Greenwich, NY, James Howard Kunstler, 2010

Ever since March, my calendar began filling up with Earth Day activities. Lectures, demonstrations, mixers and, of course, the big 2012 Austin Earth Day Festival at the Historic Browning Hangar at Mueller. I was all set to go on Sunday, but as I was having coffee that morning in my kitchen, with the French doors swung wide open letting in the cool backyard breeze, I thought about a few things.

The radio was tuned to KMFA, one of my favorite stations because the commercials are generally non-intrusive, classical music keeps me and my dogs sane, and the station has innovative programming so you are not stuck listening to the same old Mozart, Beethoven and Bach over and over.

A commercial came on announcing a store that was locally and independently owned, selling 100 percent cotton and organic clothing. (Would have been better if they were sustainable and fair-trade as well!) Not too long ago – maybe some time before World War II – these qualities weren’t luxuries, or options for the eco-conscious. These were part of normal everyday life.

Read the rest of the article in the Austin Post.