Around the Arch Blog

The Reno City Council has declared May 15-21 as Bike to Work & School Week. As a result, the City of Reno has been registered in the Commuter Challenge and encourages all employees to ride their bike at least one day during that week. Go to www.bikenevada.org and register and make sure you note you work for the City of Reno .

Register on the Bike to Work website and you’ll be entered into a community raffle with the chance to win $500 toward the purchase of a bicycle of your choice! You’ll also get a certificate for a 10% discount on commuter merchandise (helmets, backpacks, tire patch kits, leg bands, etc. – does not include bicycles) at participating bike shops.

Get a free cup of coffee on Friday, May 21, at a participating Commuter Coffee Shops.  See www.bikenevada.org  for a list.

In honor of Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful’s community cleanup, the City Council declared May 8th in the event’s honor. The Great Truckee Meadows Cleanup celebrates its fifth year of sprucing up our community. You can still volunteer by going to ktmb.org or by calling 775-851-5185. Pictured: Council Member Jessica Sferrazza and KTMB President Debra Rutledge.

Council Member Dave Aiazzi talks about the City’s latest wind turbine project at Mira Loma Park in southeast Reno and other alternative energy projects. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHChIbSPa2U]

Grab your bike and mark your calendars for May 15 through May 21, 2010. It’s Bike to Work and School Week!

At yesterday’s City Council Meeting, Mayor Cashell presented the proclamation to announce the week in hopes of encouraging all commuters to join the City of Reno and the Truckee Meadows Bicycle Alliance in promoting and participating in bicycling as an alternative, non-polluting form of healthy transportation. 

Commuters who travel by bicycle employ a clean, quiet, and efficient mode of transportation while helping to reduce harmful exhaust pollutants and improve air quality, saving on fuel and maintenance costs associated with driving to work or school. Moderate physical activity such as bicycling on the part of employees can in turn be a benefit to employers by reducing healthcare costs, decreasing absenteeism, and increasing productivity.

The City of Reno and Truckee Meadows Bicycle Alliance encourages parents and kids to bike safely by observing all safety measures, including wearing a helmet and obeying all traffic laws.

To help raise awareness about Bike to Work Week, local elected government officials are riding from Sparks City Hall to Reno City Hall on May 17 at 10 a.m. More information will be sent out in the upcoming days.

The Reno City Council has made “green” a priority by enhancing the City’s efforts to reduce its impact on the environment by providing leadership in the community to encourage residents and businesses to join in this effort. To learn more about the Green Priority and how the City is “Keeping it Green” visit www.reno.gov.

To learn more about Bike to Work and School week visit www.bikenevada.org— “Burn calories, save money, help the environment and have fun.”

The City of Reno and Windspire Energy™ (formerly Mariah Power), developer of the Windspire® wind turbine, released an RFP to paint the City of Reno’s Windspire wind turbine during a live Artown event on July 8th at the West Street Market. The event is a celebration of the City’s commitment to both art and renewable energy.

To read more about this exciting partnership and event with the City of Reno, Windspire Energy, and Artown click here.

For a $10 donation you can get rid of your e-waste, except televisions, at the Old Park Lane Mall site from 9am to 1:30pm on Saturday, May 1. To get a voucher, visit New2Ucomputers or Whole Foods.

NV Energy staff gave the City Council a SureBet rebate check for $50,129. The rebate is for projects in which the City has used alternative energy in the Reno Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Initiative. The City has put solar panels on public buildings and is saving energy at City Hall, mostly through conservation programs. The City is also putting up wind turbines at various locations, including the roof at City Hall. Pictured: Mary Simmons and Johnny Hargrove of NV Energy and Jason Geddes, City of Reno Environmental Services Administrator, Reno City Council and Linda Bissett, NV Energy.

Gather your neighbors and join the City of Reno, City of Sparks, Washoe County, Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful, and numerous other agencies to help clean up our community. The event is the Great Truckee Meadows Community Clean Up on Saturday, May 8 from 8:30 a.m. until 12 noon.

Once you have saved the date in your calendar please sign up at www.ktmb.org or call 851-5185.

To learn more and view the Great Clean Up flyer click here.

We hope to see you on May 8th!

Residents in Washoe County will be able to dispose of their household bulky items (free of charge) and municipal solid waste (reduced rates) during special community events in April. These events are being held in an effort to reduce illegal dumping in our community. For complete details and requirements please read this information from Waste Management.

The City of Reno will join millions of people around the world in a bold statement showing concern for our planet. Will you join too?

On Saturday, March 27 the historic Reno Arch along with Reno City Hall and other city buildings will go dark for one hour in recognition of Earth Hour. The symbolic event is from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. (local time). Along with the darkening of the Reno Arch, downtown businesses have also been asked to join in this effort by turning off exterior or non-essential lights.

Sponsored by World Wildlife Fund, Earth Hour is the largest event of its kind in the world. According to World Wildlife Fund, in 2009, nearly one billion people from 4,100 cities in 87 countries turned off their lights, as well as international landmarks including the Golden Gate Bridge, Empire State Building, Eiffel Tower, Great Pyramids, and the city skylines of Las Vegas, Hong Kong, and Tel Aviv. The goal of Earth Hour is to raise awareness about climate change issues, to encourage businesses, individuals, and government to take actions to reduce their carbon emissions and their impact on the environment in their daily lives and operations.

Extinguishing non-essential lights for one hour will help show that Reno stands with the rest of the world in seeking solutions about climate change and bringing awareness about environmental concerns. The City of Reno encourages everyone to join in this symbolic statement.