GAS PRICES ARE RISING AND GLACIERS ARE RECEDING. WHAT'S THE ANSWER? WALK & BIKE TO WORK

WHAT: Walk & Bike Month

WHEN: June, 2008

WHERE: Various locations throughout Boulder

HOW MUCH: Free

ON THE WEB: www.communitycycles.org

LOCAL SCENE

G laciers are the connecting thread between 7-year-old Logan Abbott and Jonathan Dorn, editor in chief of "Backpacker" magazine. Both are 2008 recipients of Boulder's Commuter of the Year Awards, along with Kenna Bruner and Logan's younger sister, Kailas. As Boulder prepares for a month-long celebration of alternative transportation, their stories serve as a source of inspiration.

For Dorn, the motivation to commute 11 miles roundtrip to work each day springs from the changes he's observed on his many backpacking expeditions. From Glacier National Park, where he's witnessed the disappearance of some glaciers, to Mount Kilimanjaro, whose majestic snowcapped peak will soon be bare for the first time in over 10,000 years, the impact of climate change is undeniable.

"The actions that I take, or that my family takes, are responsible for those glaciers melting. I'm part of the problem," Dorn says. "So becoming less of a problem is a really gratifying idea, because I think about what kind of wilderness I'm going to leave to my kids. And I want to do everything I can to make it as beautiful and pristine as what my parents left to me."

Along with setting a personal goal of swapping 2,000 vehicle miles for bike miles this year, Dorn brought his passion to work with him, commissioning a carbon-footprint analysis of "Backpacker's" operations. By making changes in production and purchasing offsets, the magazine is moving toward its goal of becoming carbon-neutral. The idea caught fire with the staff, who have set a goal of 25,000 alternative-transport miles, and in April the challenge was extended to "Backpacker's" readers.

Aside from a near-collision with a skunk and wearing out several bike tubes, most of the experience has been positive, along with one surprising bonus.

"One thing that I found wonderful about the commute is that I've got 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes at the end of the day to really clear my head and just be alone with my thoughts and let my mind wander," he says.

"That was unexpected. I sort of expected to get in better shape and lose weight and save money and save the planet and so on, but that's been the one neat unexpected benefit."

For Logan Abbott, caring about the environment is a family affair. He was only 5 when he began accompanying his mother, Terri Cook, on her quest to set up an RTD Eco Pass in their South Boulder neighborhood. Having recently relocated from a small town with no public transportation, Logan was enthralled by the buses moving past his window. "Buses are cheap entertainment for a little boy," Cook says.

Cook and Logan's father, Lon Abbott, both geologists, had taught the children about global warming, and why it was better for the environment to buy used toys and clothing rather than new items. "I tried to empower the children that we do have choices," she says.

As she canvassed houses with Logan and Kailah alongside, Logan "came into his own and took it to heart that we're messing up the planet," she recalls. "All of a sudden he started interrupting, saying, 'If you don't get this bus pass then the glaciers will melt,' or, 'the polar bears will die.'"

Logan also urged his mother to cut back on car trips.

"He said, 'Mommy, we're driving too much, and this month let's only drive a few times.' And so we sat together and set a goal of 10 times driving for the whole month."

While Kailah, now 3, was too young then to understand or participate, she's following in her big brother's footsteps.

"She'll go through phases where she doesn't want to take the bus or she doesn't want to be in the bike trailer, or things like that. But she sees a car go by, and she'll say, 'They're wasting fossil fuels.'"

Along with her concern for the environment, Cook now has a new worry. After Lon was injured in a climbing accident recently -- he's now in rehab, and doing well -- she frets about the riders who don't wear helmets. Having seen the results of brain trauma, even with the proper gear, she wants to protect others. "I keep wanting to stop people and say, 'You really want to wear a helmet.'"

Walk & Bike Month will give people plenty of reasons to don leg bands and proper headgear. Presented by GO Boulder and organized by Community Cycles, the month-long event is packed with over 40 activities, including hikes, group rides, and maintenance clinics. The decision to expand to a month rather than a week gives local organizations more chances to participate, and Boulder residents will reap the benefits. Director Sue Prant suggests checking the Web site, www.communitycycles.org, frequently, as events and prizes continue to be added.

New this year are Park(ing) Spaces day on June 13, when various businesses will convert a parking space into an outdoor living area, and the Bike to Shop program, which features discounts and prizes for those who walk or bike to merchants. Cards for both programs can be downloaded from the Community Cycles site; bingo cards for Bike to Shop can also be obtained from a booth Walk & Bike Month will maintain at the Farmer's Market on Wednesdays and Saturdays in June.

The granddaddy event is Bike to Work Day on June 25, and Prant encourages everyone to register at www.drcog.org to ensure that Boulder is recognized for its participation and that cyclists can claim their prizes. Everyone who registers will receive a free leg band and bike bell, and will be entered to win other prizes, including concert tickets to Boulder Theater and a bike. Even with the longer time frame, Prant hopes enthusiasm will remain high throughout the year.

In addition to celebrating walking and biking, the emphasis is to get people to consider alternative commuting every day of the year. "Each trip is a decision about what's the best way to get there," Prant says.