Major Bicycle Initiative in Montreal Mimics Paris Eyed in New York

While North Americans are in the midst of Bike to Work Week its important to note that most of the world bikes to work as a matter of course. It seems that North Americans are the last to jump on any bandwagon that improves our health or saves the environment.

A big splash was made this week with regards to Montreal's plans to link 3000 bicycles to its transportation network. You know that the splash is big when the New York Times reports on your launch. The Bixi system, as it is known, will have 300 solar-powered stations (to fuel the electric bikes) at subway stops and other high traffic areas in the central core of the city. The solar power also allows for easy removal of the bike stations when winter arrives.

While new to Montreal, and under discussion in New York City this program is not novel nor new. It has been operating in Paris as Velib (velo libre or free bike) for a number of years. The ubiquitous parking stalls (as pictured above) are located every 300 metres in Paris and bikes even come with a basket for your local trip to the marche to pick up a baguette and some cheese. While primarily used by locals toursists often jump aboard the bikes using their debit cards to do some sightseeing as bikes can be dropped off at any station in Paris.

Not everyone lives in Paris or Montreal but that is no reason not to get out and pedal. Benefit yourself and the environment...even if its only during Bike-to-Work Week and you've already missed half of it. There's an event near you and if you are motivated, the good news is that May is Bike Month!

What Is The Carbon Footprint Of A Google Search?

Searched this article using Google? Then you were just responsible for 0.2g of Google’s gigantic carbon footprint, according to the internet giant’s official blog.

In an effort to counter claims originally made by an article on the Times Online website that each Google search produces on average a whopping 7g of carbon, Google has tried to make public its own figures on the carbon footprint of its operations. It claims that each individual search query produces 0.2g of carbon dioxide from its secretive data centres - the Times Online article originally included the carbon cost of running the user’s PC on top of that, as well as the carbon footprint of the global internet infrastructure.

Counter-Culture Celebrates 90 Years with Pete Seeger Birthday Bash

The counter-culture stepped into the spotlight Sunday night as Pete Seeger celebrated his 90th birthday May 3, with a little get-together in his hometown of New York City. On hand at the sold-out "Garden Party" to honor the 20th century icon was a who's who of musicians that have been influenced by the gentle folk giant.

Seeger entered the collective consciousness of the nation in the 1940s and in the 50s with the Weavers scored many radio and folk standards. The civil rights movement and the Vietnam War brought him back into the spotlight in the 1960s. During this phase of his career Seeger borrowed a cue from his peer Woody Guthrie who had "This machine kills fascists" written on his guitar. Seeger had "This Machine Surrounds Hate and Forces It to Surrender" enscribed on his omnipresent banjo. The counter revolution took his words to heart and sought out the advice of his earlier recordings and many groups of the Haight-Ashbury era covered his material including The Byrds and Joan Baez.

Baez, along with Kris Kristofferson, was on hand at the Madison Square Garden show that was officially dubbed the "Clearwater Concert: Creating The Next Generation Of Environmental Leaders." They and other yippies, hippies, and singer/songwriters representing the flower power era blended seamlessly with today's counter culture vanguard led by Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello, Ani DeFranco and Michael Franti.

Seeger himself was originally dragged kicking and screaming into this event as he wanted no part of any plans to mark his birthday or his many other achievements in and out of the music world. He finally agreed to the concert on the condition that it would benefit the environmental group - Hudson River Sloop Clearwater - that he co-founded in the mid 60s. "It's not always the big things that make a difference," he said with regards to the environment, "but all the small things done by people who don't get attention."

Events to mark Seeger's 90th were also held across the country under the banner "For Pete's Sake: Sing!" Internationally, events were held in Scotland and Australia that included a performance of the play on the musician's life, "One Word We!"