Thoughts on Urban Biking
Comments (0) Yesterday, WNPR featured a show on “urban biking.” If you missed it, follow the link for the podcast. It featured some folks from the Beat Bike Blog, as well as a bike messenger and bike shop owners.
Category: how to
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Motivational Message
By Kerri Provost, September 9, 2009 6:42 am
There are plenty of inspiring people in Hartford already who are not celebrities. Instead of coughing up $20 to hear from people in high places, go talk to your neighbors.
Community Complaint Mash-Up
By Kerri Provost, September 1, 2009 8:12 am
I’m not a regular NPR listener, so I missed the original discussion of it on Where We Live, but SeeClickFix looks like an effective tool that community members can use to report various quality of life issues. In Hartford we have 311, which has been helpful to some, mainly for addressing pot holes, but I have had little luck with it. Here is another example to add to the pile.
I’ve been finding discarded needles (I’m assuming they were used to inject heroin) around Hartford. In fact, I even made a map showing the location of these:
View Needle Tracking in a larger map Continue reading 'Community Complaint Mash-Up'»
How to Respond When the Gay Pride Flag is Removed from City Hall
By Kerri Provost, June 29, 2009 10:52 am
Thanks to punkpink is a bandits tip and Queers Without Borders for sharing this video clip. “How to Tell People They Sound Racist” is the basic formula one can follow for telling someone s/he sounds sexist or heterosexist or whatever. For more about how and why the rainbow flag at City Hall was removed before its time, check out the previous blog links.
Connecticut Science Center Blast Out of this World
By Kerri Provost, May 31, 2009 2:41 am
On Saturday, May 30th, the Connecticut Science Center hosted “Out of this World,” a pre-opening celebration. You’ll probably read plenty of fact-filled reviews and articles about the new center; let me guide you through the gala and science center with no attempt at objectivity. Continue reading 'Connecticut Science Center Blast Out of this World'»
Discovering Where You Live
By Kerri Provost, January 28, 2009 12:02 pm
When new in town, it can be difficult for some people to adjust or get involved in their new community. I have never been welcomed with a plate of cookies, but I’ve never felt like a stranger either. Even when I moved away from home for the first time, I made it a point to wander, mostly on foot, to learn about what was around me. Doing this I found a train bridge, a food co-op, and a little coffee shop with the best vegan carrot cake I have ever eaten in my life. In that little city, I also saw homeless people, youth tripping on acid by the river, and was threatened with a gun by a man in his boxer shorts because he assumed that I was going to ditch a shopping cart on his front lawn.
Continue reading 'Discovering Where You Live'»
Happy Holidays!
By Kerri Provost, November 26, 2008 5:39 pm
At 5:30pm this Friday when Constitution Plaza is illuminated, the Hartford Festival of Light will enter its 45th season.
LED lights will be incorporated into this year’s display.
Continue reading 'Happy Holidays!'»
Trash Talk
By Kerri Provost, November 19, 2008 6:30 am
Clarence W. Corbin, the Director of Hartford Public Works, and Marilynn Cruz-Aponte, Assistant to the Director of Public Works, spoke to residents as part of the Understanding City Services workshop series tonight at the Hartford Public Library. Corbin mainly covered the single-stream recycling pilot program, while Cruz-Aponte dealt with the proposed Hartford Bulky Waste & Recycling Center.
Corbin’s presentation included background on the single-stream program which was introduced to selective areas in Hartford last May. Much of what he talked about has previously been reported on at Urban Compass, as a press release was sent by the Mayor’s office a few days back. Some of the key facts that he shared:
* It costs about $70/ton to dump garbage, whether it contains recyclable materials or not
* Hartford dumps about 45,000 tons of municipal solid waste (per year, I’m assuming, though he didn’t give a time frame)
* The “Go Green – Use Blue” program collects from 1000 households in the city each day
* 86% of the households in the program are compliant
* $4160 in rebates have been awarded to residents so far
* The single-stream program will only be available to those in 1-6 family residences.
The Department of Public Works is working to figure out how to expand the program, and they expressed hope that all 1-6 family residences in Hartford will be able to participate.
What struck me as annoying from a treehugging hippie point-of-view is that so much of their presentation focused on economics rather than on health or environmental benefits. Are we really only concerned with taxes and revenue?
Cruz-Aponte announced plans for the new Hartford Bulky Waste & Recycling Center, which she described as both a “transfer station” and a “convenience center.” Because the landfill will be closing on December 31, 2008, we need to find another way to dispose of our trash. She explained that residents will still place trash in city-issued bins and pick-up will continue in the same way, so that part of the process will not be changing. After the trash leaves the premises, it will be brought to the transfer station, where it will be—wait for it—transferred. The Hartford Bulky Waste & Recycling Center will also permit residents to drop off recyclables, electronics, and bulky waste like tires; however, they will not be collecting hazardous waste. There is a possibility that this center will also have a “swap center” where residents can leave items that are in good condition, and others can pick them up. Right now we have a swap center– it’s called the curb. Continue reading 'Trash Talk'»
Happy Hazardous Waste Collection Day!
By Kerri Provost, October 24, 2008 5:03 am
Tomorrow, you too can get rid of the hundreds of pesky moth balls that have been taking up residence in your living room since May. But it won’t be easy. You’ll have to schlep yourself and your hazardous waste down to the Hartford Water Pollution Control Facility at 240 Brainard Road between 8am and 1pm. The announcement on the City of Hartford website requests that the waste be placed in their original containers and transported by box; the MDC’s website is a bit more specific with their guidelines:
• Bring your waste in their original containers whenever possible. Please make sure all containers are closed. It is dangerous to transport open containers.
• Do not mix different products.
• Collect your waste containers in disposable boxes or bins, which should be transported in your
trunk. Do not put your Household HazWaste in the backseat with your children or pets.
• NO SMOKING IN YOUR CAR! Most wastes are flammable.
• Bring something to read, the wait is usually 5-15 minutes, but can be up to 30 minutes
(and at the very large collections sometimes longer).
• If possible, leave children and animals at home.
Improving Hartford and Attracting People Downtown in Three Easy Steps
By Kerri Provost, September 22, 2008 6:09 am
Julie (Live in Hartford) dug through the archives, and found that these concerns were addressed about a decade ago. It’s kind of what we tell students learning how to do research– you are joining an ongoing conversation; the conversation did not begin with you. Go read her blog entry about it.
