From the press release:

Today the City of Cincinnati became the first municipality in the region to install “sharrows” on its streets. The sharrow (shared lane arrow) is a pavement marking installed within travel lanes reminding motorists that they should expect to see and share the road with cyclists. In addition, sharrows help cyclists position themselves within the lane so as to avoid being hit by a suddenly opened car door. Although it is the motorist’s responsibility to check before opening their door, riding too close to parked cars is still a common mistake that can lead to serious injury.

The Department of Transportation & Engineering began installing sharrows on portions of Clifton Avenue today. Segments of Ludlow Avenue and Madison Road will also receive sharrows next month. The locations were chosen based on the results of a month-long citywide survey of cyclists. The markings, which include a bicycle symbol with double arrows at the top, will be placed every few hundred feet on the pavement.

The City has been unable to install striped bike lanes on these streets because of the high demand for on-street parking, and the inability to either eliminate a travel lane, or narrow the existing travel lanes. The sharrow markings have been successfully used in other cities across the country, and will be evaluated here in Cincinnati over the next twelve months.

“We want to do everything we can to encourage bicycling as a viable means of transportation in Cincinnati. That means making our streets as safe as we can for cyclists of all skill levels, said Michael Moore, Interim Director of Transportation & Engineering. “Additionally, better accommodating bicycles helps the city become greener.”

In the presence of sharrows, cyclists should ride through the center of the marking when safe to do so. Motorists should expect to see cyclists on the street, and remember to give adequate space when passing. A list of Frequently Asked Questions is available on the Department’s website at www.cincinnati-oh.gov/sharrows.

2009 Backyard Compost Bin Sale
HAMILTON & CLERMONT COUNTY RESIDENTS

Saturday, May 2, 2009
9 am - 3 pm

TWO LOCATIONS!

Anderson Center Station
(Home of the Anderson Township Farmers Market)
7832 Five Mile Road
Cincinnati, Ohio 45230

Harvest Home Park
3961 North Bend Road
Cheviot, Ohio 45211

The Earth Machine Compost Bin will be sold for $35 (retail price is $100).  Also available will be Compost Turners ($15) and Kitchen Scrap Pails ($7).  Cash or check only!  (First Come, First Served; Quantities are limited )

Expert Advice Available! Experts from the Solid Waste District will be on hand to answer questions.

If you have questions about the upcoming Compost Bin Sale, check out the website.

Come out to Fountain Square from 11am-1pm on Wednesday April 22.  There will be lots to keep you entertained and tickled green.

Make sure you’re there in time for the Eco-Go-Go Fashion Show!

Cincinnati Earth Day!

Saturday, April 18, 2009, from 12:00 noon until 7:00 p.m at Sawyer Point.

A Free-Fun-Filled-Family Day

Children’s Activities, Environmental Education, Entertainment and More

Earth Day Celebration activities this year will include: exhibitors with hands-on displays representing environmental groups, government agencies and businesses; Rock-Climbing Wall, Kayak Paddle Safety Pool, ORSANCO’s aquarium; baby animals from Farmer Frank’s Sunrock Farms; Mother Earth and story telling; an environmental puppet show; Cincinnati Zoo – Cheetahs; a children’s fashion show with creations made with recycled material; entertainment from local bands throughout the day and much, much more.

Here’s a fun gift idea for anyone on your lists that is a camera buff.

Recycled seat belts turned into camera straps. They are hand-made in Chicago. Check ‘em out.

http://photojojo.com/content/buy-this/seat-belt-camera-straps/

April 22nd start looking around. Metro will have 6 hybrid buses cruising Cincinnati.

The first of 15 buses that Metro has purchased, the hybrids will be featured at the Earth Day celebrations on Fountain Square on April 22nd and then go into service at 1pm that day.

The event is tied in with the Eco Go-Go Fashion Show at 12pm on the square, put on by Park + Vine, Nati Evolvement and The Spotted Goose, as well as other sponsors. Fashion models will be riding the Hybrid buses to the event.

Read More:
http://www.sorta.com/news/2009/nr17.html

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2009/03/30/daily67.html?ana=from_rss

Spring Volunteer Opportunities with the Civic Garden Center

• Compost Kids Spring Series begins in April. Orientation – Thurs, April 2, 10-noon followed by a potluck lunch.
• Egg Dyeing with botanical items from nature. Messy and lots of fun! Need several adults or teens to assist with FOUR sessions: Fri. April 10 and Sat, April 11. Call for details.
• Bulk Mailing Prep for PHHS (plant sale) invitations: Tues March 24, Wed, March 25, Thurs March 26, any time from 9:00 to 4:00.
• Plant Sale - the Best Plant Party in Town, says Cincinnati Magazine:
  Set-up from Tues, April 28 through Fri, May 1, midday.  Tasks include: setting up tables, unloading trucks, price labeling all plants, setting up signage, potting up donated plants, and more.
  Crew needed Fri pm after Preview Party to re-set Auditorium space for Saturday activities.
• Neighborhood Garden Kick-Off - Saturday, May 16th 8:30- 1:00.

Join with us as we get out into the gardens to get the season started. Meet at the Civic Garden Center, pick up tools and head out in teams to one of our Neighborhood Garden sites.

• Garden Festival @ Findlay Market – Sunday, May 17th during market hours, staff an informational table for the CGC and sell plants.
• Glorious Gardens Tour private gardens in Indian Hill – Sunday, May 17th 1-5 pm. Assist with check-in and registration.

Tonight is Earth Hour, an event that asks you to turn off your lights and power for an hour starting at 8:30 PM.

Last year, we gave it a try and found it was a lot easier than it may seem. We sat by candlelight and made music playing the tin whistle.

According to the Enquirer, the City of Cincinnati is making a conscious effort to turn off the lights in city buildings this year.

If you decide to give it a try, here are some ideas to try while the power is off:

• Take an evening walk if the weather is nice
• Sit by candlelight and talk with your family
• Make your own music with a guitar, recorder, or piano

Read more about Earth Hour:

http://www.earthhour.org

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090327/NEWS01/303270089/-1/NEWS010703

The city is working to make strides to become a more bicycle-friendly place.  Read about the latest plan to add “sharrows” in key locations.

From a release from the Cincinnati City Planner:

This spring, the City of Cincinnati will launch a pilot project that will evaluate the use of an experimental shared lane pavement marking called a “sharrow.” But, first we need your input to select the best locations.

Go to www.cincinnati-oh.gov/sharrows and take our online poll to tell us which corridors you think are most in need of sharrows. Voting ends April 15th, and we’ll announce the pilot project locations soon after.

The sharrows create improved conditions for bicycling by suggesting where cyclists should ride to avoid being hit by suddenly opening car doors. The markings also serve to remind motorists to “share the road” with cyclists.

Sharrows are typically installed on roadways:

• With full-time on-street parking, where cyclists are in danger of being doored;
• Without on-street parking, when the travel lane is too narrow for a motorist to safely pass a cyclist without changing lanes.

Suggestions for sharrow locations can also be e-mailed to sharrows@cincinnati-oh.gov.

Barbie celebrated a milestone 50th birthday recently, and has done quite a bit of changing over the past few decades to keep current.

The Enquirer ran an article yesterday about local people’s Barbie experiences, and included a story from myself and my niece (who you might remember from the Cary’s Corner series a few months ago on this blog) about a project I put together and gave to her and her younger sister for their birthdays.

About halfway down in the article, you will see mention of the Urban Eco-Village Playset that I created from saved materials around the house.  Over the next few days, I will present a tutorial on how this was done in case anyone wants to spend their 2009 saving money and reusing materials to make their own playset.

Here’s a panoramic photo of the Urban Eco-Village Playset to peak your interest.

Brianne's Urban Eco-Village Playset