Efficient Technique: Buy It For Life

Cast Iron Pans

“Buy It For Life” means acquiring and using products that are built to last a lifetime. Amidst the thousands of disposable goods and cheaply-constructed gadgets that provide continual fuel for consumerism, there remain some products that promise … [Continue Reading]

Top 5 Bike-Friendly Small Towns

Bicycling_in_Davis_CA

Most lists of the top bike-friendly towns include major metropolitan areas, but small towns, those with a population under 100,000, actually pull in higher percentages of bike commuters. Small towns have the advantage of smaller road grids, easier … [Continue Reading]

The Underground Railroad Bicycle Route: 2,000 Miles Of Freedom Cycling

Underground Railroad Bike Route

Few historical inventions could claim to offer its users as much freedom as the bicycle. Suffragettes of the 19th century went so far as to call the bicycle a "freedom machine". So it's only fitting that cycling and freedom once again meet up at the … [Continue Reading]

The Longest Mountain Bike Trail In The World (2500 Miles)

great_divide_set

It could be said that the Great Divide Bike Trail is like the Mount Everest of cycling adventures. Not only is it the longest mountain bike trail in the world at 2,500 miles, but it has over 200,000 feet of elevation gain. Stretching from Canada to … [Continue Reading]

The Longest Paved Bike Trail In The U.S. (100 Miles)

Atlanta_Silver_Comet_Trail-biking

Twenty years ago a trio of cycling enthusiasts had a vision for a network of bike trails around the Atlanta area. What began as a dream to provide Georgians with off-road trails to promote a healthy lifestyle has now developed into the longest paved … [Continue Reading]

U.S. Electricity Demand to Fall 5-15% by 2020

electrical-meter

Economists Doug Mitarotonda and Ahmad Faruqui of The Brattle Group recently teamed up with economists at Global Energy Partners to study and forecast American energy consumption. Their surprising conclusion is that the United States will be consuming … [Continue Reading]

A Town Without Cars: Bicycle City

girl-cycling

Bicycle City is a planned community built around bicycles. No cars are allowed. A real world cycling utopia, the project, started by Ohio-based Bicycle City LLC, has been in the design phase since the early 1990s, but in 2010 the town of Gaston, … [Continue Reading]

World’s First Wave Energy Power Plant Opens In Spain

crashing-waves

The small town of Mutriku in the Basque region of Spain is the first in the world to open a commercial wave power plant. The Basque government energy agency Ente Vasco de la Energía (EVE) debuted its €2.3 million ($3.1 million) project in July. … [Continue Reading]

Catalina Island: 14-Year Car Waiting List

view-catalina-island

Catalina Island is the only place in California where the number and size of road-going motor vehicles is regulated by law. For residents of the island who want to bring a personal car, this means signing up at the bottom of a 14-year waiting list. … [Continue Reading]

The Largest Car-Free Place In U.S.: Mackinac Island

mackinac-bikers

Mackinac Island lies between the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan within the Straights of Mackinac, a strip of water separating the peninsulas as well as connecting the Great Lakes of Huron and Michigan. This 3.8-square mile island is part of … [Continue Reading]