globalbriefs
Solar Surge Global Rise in Sun-Generated Power
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Bikes-to-Go Cycling Gains Ground at Colleges and in Cities
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ay is National Bike Month, and more universities continue to
commit to bicycling as a sustainable, healthy and environmentally conscious transportation choice. Recently, Harvard University joined Princeton and Yale as an official Bicycle-Friendly University (BFU), and the League of American Bicyclists designated 14 new BFU members, expanding the program to 58 colleges in 30 states across the U.S. with more to come. When New York City opened
registration for a public bike-sharing program, Citi Bike, more than 5,000 people signed up within 30 hours. Similar demand for more cycling options is happening across the nation where shared bicycle programs are taking root (see
Tinyurl.com/ Top50BikeFriendliestCities). San Antonio’s B-Cycle program began in 2011, and in less than two years the program logged more than 140,000 trips and just over half a million miles ridden. The Alamo City now has about 450 bikes available at 53 B-Cycle stations in and near downtown where anyone with a credit card can quickly borrow a bike for a fun and healthy trip. A 24-hour day pass is $10 (and the first 30 minutes are free), and annual memberships are $80 (at each checkout the first 60 minutes are free).
For more information, visit BikeLeague. org. For more information about the San Antonio B-Cycle program, visit
www.sanantonio.bcycle.com.
ast year, the U.S. joined Germany, Italy, China and Japan in producing more than 10 gigawatts of solar production nationwide. Now, other countries have awakened to the opportunity and are on their way to catching up. The popular Scandinavian retailer IKEA has sold $10,000 solar panels in 17 British outlets. Peru recently started a National Photovoltaic Household Electrification Program to connect 2 million of its poorest residents with solar power. In the first phase, 1,601 solar panels were installed to power 126 impoverished communities. The plan is to install about 12,500 photovoltaic systems for 500,000 households at an overall cost of $200 million. Earth Hour India is helping citizens to switch to solar energy in villages that previously had no electricity. Woodlands stores, in partnership with World Wildlife Foundation-India, has launched a collection drive across the country, inspiring individuals to donate to help light up more than 100 households in three villages in Madhya Pradesh with solar power. The residents had traditionally depended on forest resources for their energy needs.
Greening Garbage Activist Turns City Food Waste into Rural Soil
eremy Brosowsky had an epiphany at a Milwaukee, Wis., greenhouse a few years ago that set him on a more sustainable path: “What if we could take our garbage and grow food in it?” He was in the Midwest to learn about urban agriculture at Growing Power, the pioneering urban farm of McArthur Genius Fellow Will Allen, and was considering starting a rooftop agriculture business. Allen’s emphasis on the importance and
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elusiveness of fertile soil intrigued him. “If you don’t dramatically improve the soil, you cannot grow food in cities,”
Brosowsky realized. His solution was to create Compost Cab (CompostCab. com), a Washington, D.C.-based service that picks up and delivers urban food waste to local farms for composting. Nearly 100 cities already divert food waste from landfills, but Brosowsky emphasizes, “Composting is not just about waste reduction. It’s about food production, education, jobs and creating social benefits.” He hopes to roll out Compost Cabs in other cities.
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Natural Awakenings San Antonio
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