The first-ever “Critical Mass” bicycle happening took place in downtown Northfield at noon last Thursday, September 21, when about 25 cyclists rode en masse from 2nd and Division to the south end of downtown and back.

Critical Mass events have been happening since 1992 in San Francisco and many other cities (estimated at over 325 internationally), and are loosely organized demonstrations of the principle that non-motorized transportation is a legitimate alternative to driving a car, and that bicyclists belong on urban streets. The rallying cry of the movement, according to one local participant, St. Olaf senior Dan Borek, is “we aren’t blocking traffic, we ARE traffic!”

According to Wikipedia, “Critical Mass rides are self-organized, noncommercial and non-competitive, and they operate with diffused and informal decison-making, independent of ‘leaders’. They are often also unofficial, foregoing permits and official sanction from municipal authorities.”

Rumor has it that Northfield Critical Masses will begin at noon on the first and third Thursday of each month, proceeding from the intersection of 2nd and Division through downtown to the south, and back.

In the next few months Northfield residents have a chance to be involved in many important decisions about how to make travel easier for bike riders and pedestrians. Plans for trails, paths, sidewalks, intersections and parking will be developed. The results will affect workers, shoppers, tourists, school children and those just taking a quick ride or walk for fun.

To help people get up to speed on the issues–and how other communities are addressing them–RENew Northfield is organizing a day-long visit on Oct. 5 by Steve Clark, the Walking and Bicycling Program manager at Transit for Livable Communities. Clark will make a presentation entitled “How Biking and Walking Will Renew the Northfield Area” at 7 p.m. at the Northfield High School auditorium. Earlier in the day he will lead a tour to conduct his own analysis of local bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. He’ll also speak with a wide variety of government and community leaders at Northfield City Hall.

Participants in the 7 p.m. community meeting also will get to view plans for the development of the Mill Towns Trail and a draft of the Greater Northfield Area Greenway Corridor System, which will be on display in the lobby.
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Here’s a chance to get together for some good clean (OK, maybe it won’t be so clean) fun putting together rain barrels as a fund-raiser for RENew Northfield. As you no doubt recall, we had quite the event on Bridge Square this spring as part of Earth Jam 2006 with many volunteers turning out to unload a semi full of barrels and turn many of them into beautiful RENew Your Place on Earth Rain Barrels.

Beginning at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 23rd, we will be assembling another large batch of barrels to fill orders resulting from the RENew Your Place on Earth Rain Barrel’s run at the State Fair’s Eco Experience. Volunteers are needed! Contact us if you’d like to be part of this fun event.

Barrels may still be ordered as well, at the discounted price of $135. If you haven’t yet added one (or several–I have three!) of these beauties to your yard to collect pure rainwater (excellent for watering house plants, shrubs, trees and gardens), this may be your last chance.

Thousands of roofs will be replaced in the coming months in the Northfield area as a result of the August 24 hail storm, mine included. These will include not only residential roofs, but also the roofs of many larger commercial, industrial, institutional and public sector buildings.

Many badly damaged roofs are already in the process of being replaced, but some of us have yet to begin work, or have more lightly damaged roofs and the luxury of being able to be more deliberative about what kind of roofing material/system is used.

I have fielded several inquiries from folks interested in knowing about “greener” roofing alternatives (i.e. roof systems with lower embodied energy; systems with the EPA’s Energy Star rating; more durable systems; roofing materials made from recycled products and/or recyclable at the end of their useful life; etc.). A good primer on greener roofing options can be found in the February/March 2005 issue of Mother Earth News.
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Watch for the RENew Northfield “Greener Transportation Alternatives for Northfield” entry

in this Sunday’s Defeat of Jesse James Days Parade.
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