City Streets of Green

BY BECKY JO FARRINGTON
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION MANAGER

Eleven kids from Lansing each received a new mountain bike from Riverfront Cycle as part of a program that had them learning about — and practicing their own — “Green Transportation.” The program is called GET City and stands for “Green Energy Technology” in the City. It is a  partnership between Michigan State University, the Lansing Boys and Girl’s Club and Michigan Energy Options. The program gets funding through the National Science Foundation.

For a week in June, the kids were at Michigan State University to learn and meet local experts in the field of green transportation; interview the public on the topic; and capture digital images to create educational videos about green transportation in Lansing.

The kids also met members of the group GrassRoutes Caravan who visited to talk about why they chose to ride their bikes as part of a “biking village” from Madison, Wisconsin, to Detroit, Michigan.

A local expert John Lindenmayer of the League of Michigan Bicyclists taught the kids about the importance of bicycle safety and how people can enjoy biking of all kinds.

Tim Potter of MSU Bikes gave the kids a tour of how many types of transportation share the road at Michigan State University, as well as a close up look at the bicycle repair shop in Bessey Hall.

MC Rothorn of the Mid-Michigan Environmental Action Council stopped by to talk about many different types of green transportation that kids can do, how to be both independent and safe, and gave the lowdown on the difference between coal and gasoline, and the issues around those types of fossil fuels.

Amanda Hartmann of the Greater Lansing Area Clean Cities Coalition (GLACC) introduced the idea of “idling” and the power that kids have to influence decision makers in their homes and schools to reduce idling.  She also shared some great pictures of alternatively fueled vehicles.

Rosie Stern of Safe Routes to School explained that having a safe way to get to school and around the community is crucial to green transportation.  The “Make Trax” program was introduced to help identify challenges to walking and riding bikes to the Boys and Girl’s club.  The kids participated in creating an interactive map that included pictures and captions of unsafe features on the way to the Club.

The bikes the kids received were in recognition of all their hard work.  Those involved in the summer program have been involved in GET City for anywhere from several months to several years.

On the final day of the program, the group traveled to State Representative Joan Bauer’s office to present their videos to Sarah Anthony, a staff person who also has roots with the Lansing Boys and Girl’s Club.