Provide the Ride at QBP

By Chuck Sween,  Customer Service, bcsween@qbp.com

Tis the season to be jolly…and cold…and snowed in…but sustainable!   My apologies for a dearth of posts recently, but I’m about to make up for lost time by answering every single question you’ve ever had about how to make the holiday season sustainable!  Drum roll please…

Eggnog!  Drunk in sufficient quantities, it has the power to keep you  keepin on through any holiday ordeal. 

Of course, eggnog is not a panacea, so I’ll do my best to answer a couple of common questions:

Which is sustainable, real or artificial trees?

It turns out this is a really difficult question that must take into account a lot of variables, so here it is as simply as possible: a real tree is OK if it was grown locally (within 100 miles) and if you make sure it does not end up in a landfill.  Many municipalities have collection services after the holidays.  An artificial tree is OK if you use it for as long as possible (in theory, that’s measured in decades, not years).  The latter choice is made better if you can find one that uses recycled materials and if you can find a way to recycle it at its end of life (not easy from what I’ve read).  But of course, the truly sustainable choice is a potted tree/plant that you either use year after year or plant outside once the weather turns nice.

How long do I REALLY need to warm my car up?

Well, it depends.  If you’re warming your car up so it’s comfortable when you get in, I’d recommend warming it up for about three months.  If you’re warming it up to decrease wear and tear on its vital components, it really only takes 30 to 60 seconds and some gentle driving for the first couple minutes after you’ve departed.  Warming longer than that wastes gas, and your car will come up to temperature faster if you’re moving. 

What do I do with batteries after the Rugrats have exhausted them?

 The good news is there have never been more options for recycling batteries.  The bad news is it can make it hard to know what’s right for your household.  First, check with your waste management company.  Many will accept batteries for recycling if they’re in a separate container, clearly labeled, and set aside from your other waste.  Second, check Call 2 Recycle to find a drop-off location near you.  Third, you could try iRecycle, which is convenient but expensive.

Which is superior, Legos or K’Nex?

Legos.  Always Legos.  OK, that’s not necessarily related to sustainability, but it’s a fact.

As always my friends, thanks for taking the time to read.  Happy holidays!  Or happy winter if you’re not of the holiday-celebrating persuasion!

By Lisa Anderson,  QBP’s Environmental Coordinator

What happens when you put 25 people, from 11 businesses, in a single home?    Awhile ago we had a chance to find out.    Three of QBP’s ACE Committee; Seth Nesselhuf, Jeff MacPhail, and myself have gotten a chance to work with Clif Bar’s Community Service initiative called In Good Company.   The premise for our week:  25 people-- representing 11 likeminded, community oriented businesses descended upon West Oakland, California for the purpose of doing good.

In Good Company focuses on providing healthy food, safe housing and environmental sustainability for communities in need. We had an amazing week. Not only did we learn a lot about the communities we volunteered in, but we also learned a lot about each other. One would think 25 people living in one house would be a nightmare. It was actually quite the opposite experience.

We spent seven days doing a variety of community service projects in West Oakland . We planted bamboo at the port of Oakland to help improve the air quality. A community center garden was in need of a good weeding, which we did and replaced those weeds with native plant species.

Our big projects for the week were building chicken coops and raised bed gardens so that local residents could have access to fresh food. City Slicker Farms is a non-profit that behind this big push for the re-emergence of urban farms.

We worked with Grid Alternatives  to install solar panels a couple of low income families’ houses.  Summing the week up in a few short words and couple of photos doesn’t do it justice.  It was an amazing life-changing experience which I am still processing.

 I leave you with a quote from one of our leaders from the week, Thao Pham of Clif Bar. “Change happens when you realize what you do makes a difference. “

Greetings, friends.

This week QBP’s Lisa Anderson, Jeff MacPhail (representing ACE QWest), and I will be traveling to West Oakland, CA to work with Clif Bar’s In Good Company. In Good Company is Clif Bar’s version of ACE (Advocacy, Community, Environment)except they focus on pulling people from like minded companies together to work at different “local” non-profits.

While we are there we will be working for City Slicker Farms  which is an organization that works on strengthening the food system for West Oakland residents as well as GRID Alternatives , a non-profit that installs solar panels on roofs of low-income families. During this time we will be learning as much as possible regarding how other companies use their ACE type programs as well as the viability of continuing the In Good Co project in the future with other QBP co-workers.

For more info on these organizations you can click on their links. Also, if you have any interest in donating money towards this project please click  here  for City Slickers or here for GRID Alternatives. Your donation will go directly towards the cost of the materials we will be using for our build projects.  

If you have any questions on this program, please feel free to ask me.

Thanks,

Seth Nesselhuf, QBP’s ACE Coordinator

 As you   may have read  on Facebook or Twitter about our Crock-pot Extravaganza,  QBP’s ACE committee will be planning another Bikes 4 Families series of events this holiday season.

Just what is Bikes 4 Families? It’s QBP’s way of giving back during the holidays. Each year we raise enough money to supply every member of 4 low-income families with bicycles, helmets, and locks. These bikes are used for transportation to work, school, and for general recreation. For a family that is barely making ends meet, this comes as a real boost to their moral, health, and ability to get around. Here is a photo from last year’s bike give away.  

They didn’t want me to take any photos of the children but I got a great shot of the bikes being put into the van that was taking them home. The family consists of a single mother from Somalia and her 4 children. One of the daughters has down syndrome. The special care for the daughter combined with her struggle to find work put the ability to purchase a bike for any of her children out of grasp.  They were all very pleased with their new bikes and kept riding them around Full Cycle as we fitted their helmets and taught them how to use the locks. All in all it was a very rewarding experience. We would like to continue that experience into these holidays with your support.

We work with Full Cycle and the Pillsbury House http://www.puc-mn.org/ to find the families that are both in-need and are good candidates for these bicycles. We make sure that your money is spent as wisely as possible.

For this season we will be hosting a series of events including but not limited to: Crock-pot Extravaganza, chili feast, art sale, a sample sale, and Terri and Brigitte style bake sales. Who knows, maybe we could get a few events going out at QWest as well?

Thanks again for your lunch purchase and crock-pot cooking yesterday. All in all we raised about $400! Any and all support for this project is welcome.

Thanks again,

Seth on behalf of ACE

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Cool shirt, cool business supporting bicycle advocacy

Sidebar:

What QBP staffer is wearing the shirt?   

By Chuck Sween, CS Agent and ACE Committee Member

As part of my day job here at QBP, I’ve been writing e-mails regarding sustainability and business, covering a lot of the concepts I outlined in my first post (Sustainability? Whatdyamean?)   

Well, a great point was made in regard to another of my posts, The Sustainability of Frugality.  QBP is in the business of selling bike parts.  Every few years, Campagnolo, Shimano, and SRAM come out with a new line of parts, usually lighter weight and higher performance, sometimes with a whole ‘nother gear, and always with a few grumblings about “planned obsolescence.”

Here is the problem: every time a manufacturer comes out with “New and Improved!” it devalues the “Old and Inferior!”  If a product is no longer in demand, sales suffer, and it no longer makes sense for a manufacturer to continue offering support products for it.  Once those consumables are consumed and there are no longer any parts to replace them, the parent parts is obsolete.  A wall hanging.  Boat anchor.  Garbage.  I cite high quality freewheel compatible hubs as an example (thank you Phil Wood, RIP).

I can already hear the arguments, because I’ve made them a thousand times myself.  True, you have few choices in high quality freewheel compatible hubs (for example), but what we have now is better.  Bikes are safer, more comfortable, more durable (arguably), faster, etc.  I’d also like to note that all of these same arguments can be and are applied to everything from automobiles to sewing machines. 

That puts us squarely in a sticky situation.  Only a fool would buy a bike (or car, or computer) that is less safe, or less comfortable, or slower, and we are surely not fools. 

So what are we to do?  As is quickly becoming my modus operandi, I’ll pose some questions for which I have no answers: What does “better” mean?  How much better do we need our stuff to be?  Better at what cost?

The latter question is most important.  Better is better, and better is good.  Hard to argue that.  But, if making a product better renders its use or consumption unsustainable, then we have no choice in the matter.  Sooner or later, due to lack of raw materials, energy, or build up of waste, that product will cease to exist, and better becomes a moot point.  Thanks for reading, and strive every day to make yourselves better my friends.

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The ride includes campsites, luggage transfer, road support (all hybrid, electric or veggie-powered!), meals, bike mechanics, bike guides, and the nightly Expert Speaker Series.   The ride is open to 200 cyclists.  Proceeds support Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, Green America, and 1Sky.  Don't miss this opportunity to ride for clean energy, the climate crisis, and pedal power!  

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By Chuck Sween, QBP Customer Service Agent and ACE Committee Member

A couple days ago, my friend Andy (international CS) loaned me a copy of a 1994 Bridgestone catalogue.  Many are aware, but for those who aren’t, Grant Peterson was the man behind Bridgestone USA.  He can now be found at Rivendell, and he is the quintessence of “retro grouch,” and I say that with utmost respect.  His opinions, whether or not you agree with them, are strong and well considered.  His retro-grouchiness pervades Rivendell today as it did Bridgestone then, and the catalog reflects that.  The content of the articles runs the gamut from how spokes are swaged to the sundry uses of beeswax.  The article of interest was written by Peter Egan and is entitled, “Make It Last.”  Its essence is the value of taking care of our “stuff” and avoiding disposable products.  It was written in ’94, but the issues about which he talks are as important (or more so) today as they were then.

My ”fast” bike is a Cannondale with Campy Record 10.  She’s my baby, and rarely sees wet pavement.  After every ride, her chain gets wiped down and re-lubricated, and that chain has outlasted most forecasts for chain longevity.  In college, I drove a ’93 Chevy S-10.  I dutifully changed the oil and fixed that which needed fixing.  When she died, the odometer read 307,000.  I have a pair of pants with patches on the patches.  I don’t wear them anywhere nice, but since I’m not often allowed into nice places (for reasons having nothing to do with my pants), they’re still perfectly functional.

Most posters or signs today say, “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.”  What we often forget is those are listed in order of importance.  Recycling is absolutely essential, but it requires loads of energy.  Reusing is better, but production of any product requires raw materials and energy.  We amortize those costs with increased use, but they are costs nonetheless.  Reducing consumption is the only way to avoid those costs in the first place.  What’s the first step in that process?  You make it last.  You lube those chains, and change that oil, and you patch those jeans, and sure it takes some effort, but it also saves money.  I’m frugal (pronounced “cheap”), Record chains aren’t inexpensive, and I’d be lying if I told you my motivation for taking care of mine wasn’t monetary.  This is a true win-win situation.  And who knows?  I saw one of my younger cousins this weekend, and she’d paid good money for jeans with holes in the knees.  Maybe I’m trendier than I thought?  Keep the shiny side up and the rubber side down, and thanks for reading my friends.

Well, it has been confirmed: globally, June was the warmest June ever (http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2010/20100715_globalstats.html).  Not that we needed that confirmed.  All the proof I needed was contained in the steady stream of sweat splish-splashing on the top tube of my LHT every time I stopped.  Gross, huh?  Don’t worry, this is not a post about climate change.  This is a post about air conditioners, and how to stay comfortable using them as little as possible.  Once again, it’s about energy flow (like water, it flows downhill, or from hot to cold).

-           If it’s cooler outside than in, try opening windows first

-          Open windows at night, and if it’s predicted to rise above a comfortable temperature during the day, close them in the morning

-          Close drapes and blinds during the day to keep out that nasty sun

-          It’s more efficient to cool small areas, so if the heat only affects your sleeping, try a window air conditioner in the bedroom rather than central air, and don’t underestimate the cooling power of a fan.

-          Incandescent and halogen light bulbs produce a lot more heat than you think, yet another reason to switch to fluorescents or LEDs.

-          And, if you must use air conditioning (and let’s face it, in Minnesota and Utah, you’re going to) try to avoid peak hours of demand, make sure your system is well maintained, and be conservative in what’s considered “comfortable.”

-          Finally, and perhaps most importantly, there are few more pleasant ways to cool yourself than with a tall, frosty beverage.

Thanks for reading.  Keep the shiny side up and the rubber side down, and stay cool my friends.

by Chuck Sween, Customer Service and a QBP ACE member

I try to take care of my body, starting with riding to work, followed up with what I put into it.  I also love cereal.  It’s fast, easy, cheap, and it tastes good.  I was walking down the cereal aisle, and the label “natural” was everywhere.  Kashi, Post, Bear Naked, Peace, General Mills, etc.  There was no rhyme or reason as to how it was applied.  It was everywhere, and it was so common it had become meaningless.

            The bike industry isn’t so different.  We toss out the word “alloy” all the time, and in the bike industry, it means aluminum.  I want an alloy frame, or alloy bars, or alloy rims.  Yet in any other context an alloy is simply a mix of metals.  Any metals.  In the bike industry, alloy has taken on its own meaning, and because of that, it has lost some of its meaning elsewhere.

            There is another word getting tossed around a lot lately, and I fear it could suffer the same fate, and QBP is as guilty as any entity.  That word is “sustainable.”  Sustainable development. Sustainable communities. Sustainable architecture.  Sustainable living.  Sustainable business practices.  It’s everywhere, and if we’re not careful, it will cease to mean anything.

            So what does it mean?  Ha, now that’s a great question, isn’t it?  Well, the most widely cited definition is probably the so-called Brundtland definition, drafted in 1987 at the World Commission on Environment and Development (chaired by Gro Harlem Brundtland, hence the name), which states that sustainable development is that which “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." (United Nations. 1987."Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development." General Assembly Resolution 42/187, 11 December 1987).

            Neat, huh?  Oh, but I’m hoping you critical thinkers out there have come up with some good questions.  What constitutes a need?  How many future generations?  What are we sustaining and for how long?

            Unfortunately, these questions don’t have neat answers.  So maybe it would be easier if we narrowed our scope a little.  Let’s talk about sustainable business practices.  In the context of business, sustainability means three things: taking care of your employees (because they’re taking care of the business), taking care of the environment (because no matter how many degrees of separation, we all depend on healthy natural systems), and maintaining profitability (because unprofitable businesses don’t last long).  That’s it. 

Seems simple enough, but I’m reminded of the immortal words of Keith Bontrager, who said, “Light, strong, cheap.  Pick two.”  Taking care of employees means paying livable wages.  That directly affects profit.  It costs money to recycle, but it takes care of the environment.  All these tradeoffs…

            So here’s the thing.  Sometimes, we just don’t know what is or isn’t sustainable.  We make the right decisions using the best information we have available, and we pay attention to the effects of those decisions and adjust accordingly.  This is a topic I’ll be revisiting on a regular basis.  Thanks for stopping by.