Go Gas Free: It's a Patriotic Thing

Does it bother you that our new Secretary of State is an Oil and Gas Executive? Worried about that 19% of Rosneft? Wonder about what will happen if an SEC rule requiring oil and gas companies to disclose payments made to foreign governments is canned?

In addition to protesting and writing letters and calling electeds, if you're not doing it already, it might be time to consider in a more serious way making a commitment to not-driving on a regular basis.

The car's a useful transportation tool, but we overuse it, and the more we are dependent on fossil fuel dollars, the more chicanery there will be.

The winter's not a very good time to try to start walking, biking, and busing more, alas. But here we are. Nothing about this moment is very good timing. So think globally, act locally. You know. It won't be realistic to shift all your trips, but maybe you can do one a week - think something like Fuel Free Fridays.

Something to help? Mark your calendars for March 7th.

To support Safe Routes to Schools funding and programming at the Legislature this year, the entity-formerly-known-as the Bicycle Transportation Alliance, now the Street Trust, in coalition as the For Every Kid Coaltion, have been holding a series of Town Halls around the state.

In March, it will be Salem's turn.

Bolted on to that Town Hall will be an Open House for the Winter-Maple Bike Boulevard. Word is there will be door prizes in addition to several speakers!

So Save the Date! Tuesday, March 7th:

• 3/7 - For Every Kid Town Hall @ Salem (4:30-6pm)
• 3/7 - Salem Neighborhood Bikeways Open House (6-7:30pm)

The Town Hall will be in Broadway Commons, 1300 Broadway St NE #100. RSVP here.

Slipping a Reminder by the Ignition!

You might remember the clinic last fall put on by Salem Environmental Education. This spring hopefully they will put it on again. Just Walk also has lots of walking resources, and in addition to scheduled loop walks, it's good to consider walking to work or to the grocery store.

Our incipient klepto-authoritarian moment isn't just going to go away, and it's going to take deeper, more difficult action to dislodge it.

So take a moment and give some real thought to driving less and to walking, biking, busing more, and adding that as part of your advocacy and patriotism.