The second Summer Parkways is upon us and if you’re looking for an opportunity to join your friends and neighbors and enjoy walking, running, cycling, and other forms of active transportation on a city street all in a car-free environment, this event is for you. On August 22 from 9 am to 1 pm, three miles of roadway will be closed to automobiles and opened up to create a 5-mile loop for bikes, pedestrians, skaters, and other human-powered forms of transportation. The course will run along Howard Street between Riverfront Park and Corbin Park, with fun events at either end of the route and at a few destination points along the way.

If you’re interested in volunteering, please visit http://summerparkways.com/volunteer-opportunities/ and sign up to set up or break down the course, direct traffic, assist vendors, help with recycling, or provide information to participants. Also, check them out on Facebook. If you have any questions or are interested in signing up to volunteer, please contact Kate Cornwall at (509) 209-2404 or kcornwall@landscouncil.org.



































Also don't about forget the bike decorating contest!

Spokane cyclist killed. Officials have not released the name of the cyclist but according to KXLY, a 38-year-old male rider was crossing the intersection at Second and Scott at about 6:00 Sunday evening when he failed to yield to traffic and was hit by the driver of a red pickup truck. Investigators say the cyclist sustained severe head and abdomen injuries in the collision and was pronounced dead at scene. Officers say he was not wearing a helmet.

Composting 101 for City Folks. Is this you? It could be. Composting is a DTE hobby. Check this slideshow from Grist, as Darby Minow Smith reminds it’s not just farmers who can enjoy the dirt. “However, every day city dwellers throw away huge amounts of organic matter that could be turned into that precious material -- through composting. Yard trimmings and food scraps make up 26 percent of U.S. waste, and once this organic matter hits the landfill, it breaks down slowly due to lack of air: your farmers-market tomato can produce methane, a deadly greenhouse gas, in a not-so-green afterlife.” Full story HERE.

Remember "Drill, baby, drill." I know. So 2008. But the news Obama is requiring a more thorough environmental review before approving new offshore drilling permits is not good enough. A moratorium is needed. Time and time again, this administration granted BP an exemption from environmental oversight until it took the death of 11 workers and nearly five million barrels of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico. Full story HERE.

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