Create a National Bicycling Trail Over Pipelines

I have an idea of creating bicycling and walking trails mostly located within the right of ways of pipelines that travel throughout the US. Utility companies have installed many pipelines across the US that are maintained as tree free right of ways of various widths. Some are gas pipelines, some are for telecommunications, or a combination of various uses. 

These treeless landscapes are ideal for using as transport venues. All it takes is just adding an asphalt or gravel pathway and that is it. 

Of course, there are issues to deal with. Deals would have to be made with all of the utility companies. It would have to be determined if each right of way is safe to have pedestrians. The pipelines do cross highways and roads, so ways around these obstructions will have to be found. And, these projects would need to be funded and maintained by someone. Otherwise utility pipelines are a great resource that could be used for creating a national trail system.

If this idea is put into practice somewhere, please feel free to give me credit for the idea. Thank you!

Maryland Bicycle Symposium: Greening Our Cities

Blog post by Roland Oehme

ANNAPOLIS, MD — I attended the annual Maryland State Bicycle Symposium in the beautiful capitol of Annapolis on February 22. This annual event is open to everyone, and encourages the public to learn the latest in bicycle advocacy issues statewide.

During the symposium, I sensed an appreciation for past accomplishments as well as a strong desire to increase bicycle safety and awareness, and improve bicycle facilities and infrastructure.

In the United States (with the exception of a few regional examples like Portland, Oregon) most people cannot use bicycling as a safe and convenient commuting method. Bicycling is still rather an anomaly, used by only a few strong souls to commute and by suburbanites who recreate by first driving to bicycle trails– and they frequently have to drive many miles, since trails are not always located where people live.

This despite the fact that bicycle-friendly communities in any setting, whether urban, suburban, or rural, promote a stronger connection to local places and people, a healthier lifestyle, and cleaner air. ...

To read the entire article on SCGH's website, click here:

http://www.sierraclubgreenhome.com/green-news/maryland-bicycle-symposium-bike-friendly-cities-are-livable-cities/

Plants as Renewable Resources Exhibit at the Progressive German Federal Garden Show (BUGA)

Every two years at the Federal Garden Show in Germany, called BUGA, there is an exhibit organized by the German Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection that showcases plants as valuable renewable resources. Outside there are many rows of various crops organized by industrial categories like dyes, pharmaceutical, foods, textiles, oils, fuels, and so on. Inside the pavilion the various plants are shown with their respective end uses. For instance, hemp is always a major example displayed here, growing outside, and shown inside usually shown with the hemp door panels used by some car manufacturers like Daimler as well as other uses.

There are many other plants that may be used as renewable resources for our industrial society. This exhibit and the garden shows are truly remarkable and you will surely not see anything like them here in the US. This progressive attitude by the German government and its citizens, as is showcased at their garden shows, is the reason that I started organizing ecotours to Germany every two years to coincide with the garden shows. This ecotour visits some of them most cutting edge sustainable design and living concepts in architecture, garden design, urban planning, product design, transportation, and so on. The next ecotour is next year in August 2009. To learn more, please visit: www.GreenHarmonyTours.com.

Roland's Websites:
Green Harmony Living
Green Harmony Design
Green Harmony Tours