The ReCYCLEry: Community Action for Clean Transportation

Yesterday we covered the vision of a group of activists in North Carolina fighting to create a permanent home for Carrboro Greenspace, “a public space where all people can enjoy and engage with their local environment(s) and work to developing truly sustainable ways of living.” In our post we mentioned The ReCYCLEry, a project that has existed on the proposed site of Carrboro Greenspace for some time, and which now faces eviction unless the Greenspace bid is successful. Given how much TreeHugger loves bicycles, and how much we love community action, we thought it would be worth bringing you a little more information about this organization that combines two of our biggest passions. The ReCYCLEry is a direct-service not-for-profit organization whose mission is to encourage the use of the bicycle as a mode of transportation and recreation. They do this through:

- Hands-on skill building, teaching people how to repair and maintain bicycles;
- Salvaging bicycles ensuring that anyone who needs a bicycle can earn one;
- Outreach to underserved communities with these services.

The group runs an exchange program offering use of their facilities, tools, equipment and knowledge for donations of time, labor and funding. The exchange is based on the time invested in teaching community members how to repair bicycles, and these community members can earn a refurbished bicycle by spending time helping another member of the community. The group runs Sunday afternoon work sessions, and Monday evening basic mechanic classes, and has also set up a ‘blue bike’ program, known as BUB, which offers hubs of community owned bikes around town that can be checked out by members to provide clean, urban transportation options. As mentioned in yesterday's post, anyone with time or money to spare could do a lot worse than get in touch with the Recyclery, or Carrboro Greenspace, and offer your services in the effort to keep this important community resource alive.::The ReCYCLEry::

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• 57,000 New Jobs Could Be Created in US National Parks
• Francis Collins
• Jargon Watch: IR3S (Integrated Research System for Sustainability Science)
• Foster + Partners Green Building in Buenos Aires: The Aleph

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