Week 5 - Community Efforts

Profile a community-based environmental effort either in Cincinnati or your hometown. Use a combination of media, including (but not necessarily limited to) videos, photos, sketches, and links to news articles and relevant websites, to create a holistic snapshot of the problem the effort confronts and the effort’s mission, activities, accomplishments, and challenges. Supplement these materials with your own narrative as necessary to introduce and tie together each media element. Cite materials not your own as appropriate. This profile must contain at least three different types of media (e.g., photos, news articles, and a video; or news articles, organizational website screen shots, and photos) and have 3–6 paragraphs of narrative in total.

Image source:  Cincinnati.com

In 2014, Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley announced a new sustainable program was coming to the City of Cincinnati - the Bike Sharing program.  Intended to help reduce traffic congestion as well as our carbon footprint, the bike sharing program was an initiative that drew ample media attention.  This program was spearheaded by long term environmental activist mogul, Brewster Rhoads, an eccentric but energetic man that runs the Green Umbrella, an environmentalist coalition across the tri-state.   

http://www.cincyredbike.org/

The initiative is given life by CinyRedBike.org, a non-profit program created by the City in order to help oversee the success of the program as well as revitalize the 4 bike trails in the city.  Over 200 new bikes are set up at designated areas.  Simply insert your credit card or pay in cash to 'loan' a bike for the day.  The iconic red shape of the bikes stand out in a unique fashion, which help prevent theft.  Although these counter measures exist, this program operates very much on the honor system.  The program stands out as very attractive especially to downtown users, who might rather want to use the bike instead of hailing a cab or walking across town for a meeting or lunch.  

Image Source:  Cincinnati.com

So what are the economics behind the program?  The program emphasizes accessibility and affordability.  It only costs $8 to rent a bike for a full day, or $80 for a yearly membership.  The program itself was originally allocated $1.9 million and each of the four bike trails were allocated $200,000.  Since its inception in late 2014, the bike program has received additional funding increasing its total to $2.2 million.  

So was it successful??  Initially the answer is:  Yes.  By its third day, the program had seen over 300 unique users.  However what about one year later?  Downtown, you can still see at least one bike user every few city blocks, but that's a far cry from its proclaimed 300 number a year ago.  During the school year, locations such as Uptown remain unused, as they compete with UC's own bike rental program from the UC Recreation Center.  

The final verdict is that the bike share program undisputed provides a positive resource to Cincinnatians.  It adds youth, vibrancy, options, and most importantly - environmental options to its residents.  However at over $2 million dollars, it may not have been the most environmentally cost effective model.  The money might have been better spent installing solar panels in the new development projects in downtown and across the city.  Still, the program is self sustaining and will exist for years to come.  Ultimately, visibility is a good indicator of success, and this program by its own existence helps promote a culture of environmentalism in Cincinnati, and that in and of itself is priceless.