Not much going on with me and cycling today, since the family had a Christmas celebration to attend that had been postponed. Here's some fodder from various sources that may or may not be interesting.
Planet Bikes Hires the Sun:Madison, Wisc.- January 3, 2008 - Planet Bike, a leading manufacturer of innovative, high quality, and practical bicycle accessories, is proud to announce the addition of a new member of the staff – and this is no ordinary employee. Each morning, he begins work at the crack of dawn and never takes a day off. And, during the height of the summer, he will put in 15 hour days.
Well, if you guessed the newest super employee is the Sun, then you guessed right. On January 3, Planet Bike’s newly commissioned 10 kilowatt solar power system began generating electric power atop the company’s headquarters in Madison, WI. Projections estimate that the 48 panel system will more than offset the company’s energy needs. In fact, Planet Bike plans to sell nearly 2/3 of the sustainable electric power back to the city’s power grid.
The photo voltaic power array on the roof of Planet Bike offices is the third largest of its kind in the Madison area and will help Planet Bike reduce its carbon emissions by 15 tons annually. According to Niels Wolter, the Solar Electric Program Manager at Focus on Energy, Planet Bike’s estimated annual output will be around 12,000 kWh per year.
As a proponent of the bicycle as a sustainable and carbon-light form of transportation, the company’s decision to go solar goes hand in hand with the company’s commitment to creating positive change for people, their communities, and the environment. Owner Bob Downs also feels that it is important to show other business leaders that conducting business in a sustainable way is not only the right thing to do but is, in fact, good for business.
Since its inception in 1996, Planet Bike has believed that the bicycle can improve our environment and our quality of life. Therefore, each year it has donated at least 25% of profits to causes that promote and facilitate the use of bicycles. Since its founding, Planet Bike will have donated more than $500,000 to the grassroots advocacy movement.
###(Thanks to Planet Bike for that press release. I thought it was pretty cool)###
Oh! Woe Is Me!: Mr. 24 is now a Colorado resident and is having a hard time with wind lately. Huh? I thought we had winds like that in Iowa all the time. (How soon one forgets) Then I see him saying he's been riding lots of gravel out there too. Looks like you can take the boy outta Iowa, but you can't take the Iowa outta the boy! What was that he used to tell us here? "The winds are our mountains", wasn't it? Well, he's still got wind for mountains it would seem, and he's also got......uhhh.......mountains! Sounds like paradise to me. I don't know what he's complaining about!
Speaking of Gravel..... I think it is high time to start grinding some, as in long rides. Now that the warmer air will have got rid of the icy coating, I think I should be safe from casing it miles away from home and not being able to get back. Also in gravel news is the upcoming plans to recon the T.I.V4 course. A report will happen once d.p. and I get the deed done. This is a sore spot with me, since I wanted this done earlier, but the weather started earlier than usual this year and ruined my plans. Oh well!
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