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My CicLAvia Experience
by Sarina Tounian
CicLAvia is a community event that temporarily closes streets to vehicle traffic, creating a web of public space on which residents of Los Angeles are able to bike, walk, skate, socialize, celebrate, and learn about neighborhoods and cultures.
As a daily commuter to downtown LA, I was intrigued by the idea of Los Angeles being traffic-free and open for pedestrians, bicyclists, skaters and more. I regularly sit in Los Angeles traffic and gridlock in my Insight, and I couldn’t wait to experience the streets on a bicycle.
So, a few days before CicLAvia, my friend and I went to Linus Bike, a bike store in Old Town Pasadena, and purchased our dream bikes. I am now the proud rider of the Linus Dutchi 3 (in Sage). I also walked down the street to Incycle Bicycles in Pasadena and got the best accessories for my bike, including a bike rack, a powerful lock, a frame adapter, and a click headlight and taillight.
We excitedly arrived at CicLAvia at 10:00AM. From a distance, I saw hundreds of bicyclists on both sides of the road casually riding their bicycles as though Los Angeles streets were truly meant to be this way. I power-biked my way to the crowd, feeling extremely liberated and stress-free. As we slowly hit our brakes at a traffic light, we moved closer and closer together, and I felt an immediate sense of community and camaraderie with my fellow Angeleno bicyclists. We passed through every street in downtown Los Angeles, experiencing the streets, restaurants and businesses from a new perspective.
CicLAvia organizers estimate that 100,000 bicyclists, pedestrians and skateboarders participated in the event, which closed nine miles of city streets stretching from Boyle Heights to MacArthur Park and from Chinatown to Exposition Park to motor vehicles for five hours.
I watched thousands of interesting people skate, rollerblade, play music, dance, and play amongst the crowds. And, I received a lot of compliments on my new bicycle. Although it got a small scratch from the ride, it bears its scar proudly like a war wound. This is truly one of the greatest events I have ever been to, and an event that Los Angelenos should cherish in their lifetime. It helps residents of the city rediscover their love for the bicycle, get great outdoor exercise, and spend time appreciating their community. I will definitely attend CicLAvia in the years to come, and hopefully get all of my friends to join! See you all next year.
Meet Sami Osman, Policy Manager
1. What drives your environmental work and activism?
Two things – an ultra-conservatism (the green kind) when it comes to resource usage and a keen interest in applying carbon revenues to social development goals. Both of these stemming from my child-hood in sub-Saharan Africa, where there was simply not enough to go around for there to be anything to waste.
2. What is one of your most exciting and rewarding achievements?
Being accepted into law school. My last two years of high school were really tough, due to personal and family circumstances, so opening that envelope and seeing my scores, was like receiving a ticket to freedom. The future seemed to open up in front of me, promising a world full of light and life.
3. Who is your hero (or someone you admire greatly)?
My father. As a boy he walked two days to get to his uncles house, where he stayed so that he could go to school. He borrowed one robe from his uncle, so that on alternate days he could wash his own. He was the first from his village to attend high school, going on to receive University scholarships in Japan and Russia. Throughout his life he has remained pious, always seeking and sharing knowledge, embodying a gentle compassion and kindness.
4. What are your favorite and frequently visited websites?
Do email providers and search engines count? Hotmail and google follow me everywhere, collecting and selling my thoughts and data, keeping me plugged in and occupied. “Lovely morning, lovely view” says the train driver as we cross over the 110.
5. What was your most recent “That oughta be a law!” thought?
N/A, I’m an anarchist.
6. What is a tip you’d like to share for leading a more sustainable life?
Read, listen, learn, take the time to analyze your default positions… Are these really necessary, helpful to me, who or what do these affect? Ask yourself whether you really care about any of this ‘sustainability’ stuff anyways. If you do… then there are many many simple little things which can make your life easier and more productive (ie less resources used for the same levels of output).
7. Please share a personal story that ties in with one of the Reserve’s protocol sectors (ie story about your experiences composting, enjoying a forest, recycling your refrigerator)
One day I was mining coal, it was very dirty. So I stopped and planted a tree. Not true.
8. If you could spend one week in a natural area in the U.S., where would it be?
A treck up to Big Sur would be a great start.
9. What environmental book do you think should be required reading in schools?
I don’t know any – but “The End of Charity” (by Nic Frances) is an easy to read and inspiring intro into to carbon finance.
10. What is your favorite meal?
One shared with good people.
11. What is something about you that your professional peers would be surprised to learn?
It’s a secret.
David Horsey’s Environment and Climate Cartoons
As a Los Angeles-based organization, we are excited to share some of our favorite environment and climate cartoons from David Horsey, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist and columnist who recently joined the Los Angeles Times after an extensive run at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. To view more of his cartoons, check out Top of the Ticket: Political Commentary from David Horsey at LA Times or an archive of his work at Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
What are some of your favorite David Horsey cartoons? Please feel free to share a link below.
Read about newly registered projects, upcoming events & MCLE credit in our October 2012 newsletter
The Reserve Adopts Environmental and Social Safeguards Policy
The Reserve always seeks to ensure that the projects it registers not only help to mitigate climate change, but also avoid causing environmental or social harms more broadly. To this end, all projects are required to pass a “regulatory compliance” test demonstrating that they are in material compliance with applicable laws. Some protocols (e.g., forestry) have additional environmental and social “safeguard” criteria as well. On September 26, the Reserve’s Board of Directors formally adopted a proposed update to the Reserve’s environmental and social safeguard policy that clarifies their potential scope and application. Specifically:
- As always, project activities may not directly cause significant environmental or social harms. Such activities will either be declared ineligible, or the Reserve will refuse to issue credits for reductions achieved when harms were occurring.
- In some cases, the Reserve may impose restrictions or penalties for harms associated with project activities but not directly caused by them. This will only occur, however, if the harms: (1) occur in the vicinity of the project; and (2) are caused by an individual or entity that – according to the relevant protocol – is required to be involved in implementing project activities.
For example, the Reserve may review overall regulatory compliance on agricultural fields where nitrogen management projects are taking place, even though project activities may not directly affect that compliance. For these kinds of projects, the same individuals (farmers) are responsible for both the project activity and the environmental and social impacts of the fields where the activity takes place.
For coal mine methane projects, on the other hand, project developers are frequently independent entities that install methane-destruction equipment at mines owned and operated by another company. Because the Reserve’s Coal Mine Methane Protocol does not require mine owners to be involved in project implementation, the Reserve will not hold projects responsible for environmental or social harms caused only by the mine owners.
Finally, it should be noted that to date, the Reserve has never withheld credits or denied eligibility to a project that was found in violation of legal requirements or other protocol criteria. We hope that such violations continue to be exceptionally rare. This updated policy is meant to clarify how and when the Reserve will consider such violations if they do occur. Please see the Environmental and Social Safeguards Policy Memo released September 27 for more details and contact policy@climateactionreserve with any questions.
New environmental and social safeguards policy released
Environmental Cartoons by Joel Pett
Joel Pett, Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist for the Lexington Herald-Leader and keynote speaker at our NACW 2012 conference, celebrates his birthday tomorrow, September 1. In honor of his birthday and his great work, we would like to share a few of his best environmental cartoons.
We’re moving! Please update your records to reflect our new office address: 601 W. 5th Street, Suite 650, Los Angeles, CA 90071