Citizenship Building Block #18: Try Biking to Work
- Zachary Slobig wrote in Transportation, Cities and Living
Commuting sucks. ‘Mega commuters’ endure 90 minutes each way to punch the clock. More Americans fall into that category than there are residents of Copenhagen. Why point to that Danish city? It’s got the busiest biking street in the Western world—the result of years of public pressure and infrastructure investment that reshaped commuting habits. The arguments for bike commuting are familiar: healthier for you and the environment; saves you tons of cash; often faster than driving or taking public transit. Here’s another: it’s an opportunity to see your city or town without looking through a pane of shatter-proof glass. Another: it’s a lot of fun. In many places it can seem too dangerous to bike to work—no bike lanes and a gauntlet of taxi doors and four-wheeled aggression. A suggestion to mitigate those concerns: find at least one bike buddy. There’s strength (and safety) in numbers. So go ahead and try it. This week, saddle up and ride a bike to work. It might become a habit.
Innovation in the Streets: It’s Transportation Month
- Stef McDonald wrote in Living, Transportation and News
Let’s face it: getting from point A to point B isn’t always easy. Or fast. Or convenient. Or green. Think about how often we gripe about getting to where we need to go, whether it’s commuting to work, running to the grocery store, or driving to your kid’s T-ball game. Transportation can be a real bitch.
GOOD HQ is in Los Angeles, which recently reclaimed the honor of being named the worst city for traffic in the U.S. You can imagine the conversations by our water cooler. We started to talk about transportation in our city and then other places—and then other countries. We’ve decided to put our attention to the issue of Transportation for the month of May.
Illustration by Kate Slovin
Roar of the Crowd: Social Media Cheers of Encouragement for Jason Collins
- Stef McDonald shared in Sports and Living
When news broke that pro basketball player Jason Collins came out as gay, supporters—from fellow athletes to a former President—flocked to Twitter to send him words of support and thanks. In his Sports Illustrated story, he wrote, “I wish I wasn’t the kid in the classroom raising his hand and saying, ‘I’m different.’ If I had my way, someone else would have already done this. Nobody has, which is why I’m raising my hand.” In this case, tweets of support are like virtual high-fives. Way to go.
Why Good Fences Make Bad Neighbors: Annie Leonard’s Backyard Commune
- Annie Leonard wrote in Living, Cities and Communal Living
When we were younger we all lived together in a big house in Washington, D.C. One couple moved out west for grad school at UC Berkeley, and over the next two decades, as other houses on the block became available, we all migrated. We tore down the fences in our back yards to have one huge shared garden; because so many in the community are avid gardeners (I’m not), I like to say that I live in a Monet painting with my best friends.
We share Stuff all the time. We only need one barbecue, one table saw, one lawn mower, one fax and scanner. Because we share so much, we buy and consume and throw away less Stuff. Sure, we save money and conserve resources, but the real benefits are not material.
Playborhoods: Why Children Playing Street Games Is the Best Measure of a Healthy Neighborhood
- Mike Lanza wrote in Education, Living and Cities
Many decades ago, neighborhoods were bustling with life. They were also bustling with children playing in groups, with no adults supervising them. Today, most neighborhoods are dead boring, and it’s difficult, if not impossible, to find children playing in them.
All this is no mere coincidence. Children have always been the most prominent people in neighborhoods. In fact, in many ways, children have always acted as the catalysts for neighborhood life. In my childhood neighborhood in the Pittsburgh suburbs back in the 1960s and 70s, my activities with friends were constantly pulling my parents and my friends’ parents together. They’d call each other to discuss one kid eating or sleeping at another’s house, and then they’d end up chatting about other things.
The Home Team: In an Age of Virtual Niches, In Praise of Opening Doors to Unfamiliar Neighbors
- Frank Chimero wrote in Living, Creativity and Cities
I’ve never had a door that wasn’t next to someone else’s. Growing up, my bedroom was nearest to my sister’s; after that, I left home for college and dorm life, then greeted adulthood with successive apartments in the city. Chicago, Portland, then Brooklyn—with each move, I gained more neighbors on each side.
Offer Spare Room to Someone Displaced by Boston Bombing
- Zachary Slobig wrote in Living, Pray For Boston and Cities
Join the massive and inspiring list of folks opening up their homes in a time of crisis.
Let’s Get Neighborday in All 50 States
- Hannah Wasserman shared something to do in Neighboring, Neighborday and Living
Hey GOOD Community!
Help us get Neighborday celebrations in ALL 50 states. Right now we in are 32 different states, which is pretty good, but we can do better. Below are the states which don’t currently have celebrations planned, so if you have friends in these places, tell them about Neighborday. Have them click “to-do” here and fill out the form linked to this post. We’ll be updating this Do as we check states off the list, so you can keep up with how we’re doing.
States that have yet to host a Neighborday:
![Why Dallas Is No Longer ‘The Butt of Everyone’s F*cking Joke’- Patrick McDonnell wrote in Living, Cities and Urbanism
The other day I saw a poster on a friend’s Facebook that said “Welcome to Austin. Please don’t move here. I hear Dallas is great!” The accompanying description read: “My city is the butt of everyone’s f*cking joke.”
That sentiment really gets at the root of how people view Dallas. It’s not an Austin or Portland or Seattle. It doesn’t have that flavor and urban lifestyle where you can walk, bike, and ride public transportation easily, where there’s a diverse city life and robust population density. Interestingly, all three of the aforementioned cities lay claim to the “Keep [your city] Weird” slogan.
Continue reading at good.is](http://24.media.tumblr.com/15519e2c75308ca25f197a55d98cc3a5/tumblr_ml1vi7chLP1qjq5r9o1_250.jpg)
Why Dallas Is No Longer ‘The Butt of Everyone’s F*cking Joke’
- Patrick McDonnell wrote in Living, Cities and Urbanism
The other day I saw a poster on a friend’s Facebook that said “Welcome to Austin. Please don’t move here. I hear Dallas is great!” The accompanying description read: “My city is the butt of everyone’s f*cking joke.”
That sentiment really gets at the root of how people view Dallas. It’s not an Austin or Portland or Seattle. It doesn’t have that flavor and urban lifestyle where you can walk, bike, and ride public transportation easily, where there’s a diverse city life and robust population density. Interestingly, all three of the aforementioned cities lay claim to the “Keep [your city] Weird” slogan.
‘The American Dream Starts With the Neighborhoods’: Why Harvey Milk is the Patron Saint of Neighborday
- GOOD HQ wrote in Living, San Francisco and Cities
You may have heard we’ve declared the last Saturday of April “Neighborday” and we’re encouraging you to spend some time that day getting to know the folks who live near you. April 27 will be a celebration of that basic human inter-connectedness that powers great neighborhoods—the kinds of places where we all want to live.
Overlooking Duboce Park in San Francisco sits the Harvey Milk Center for the Recreational Arts, a monument to a man devoted to creating thriving communities, one block at a time. One of the outside walls of this building contains a fragment of a quote from a little known speech he made in the early days of city politics: “The American Dream starts with the neighborhoods.”
Illustration by Jessica De Jesus
![[Updated: Round 1 Results] Elimineighbor™ Challenge- GOOD HQ wrote in Living, Cities and Neighboring
ROUND 1 UPDATE:
Mr. Rodgers was the big winner of Round 1, when he lambasted Marcy D’Arcy with a whopping 98 votes to her 2! The biggest upset of the the week was Mr. Feeney just barely edging out Wilson from “Home Improvement,” who was the heavy favorite (Vegas odds were 3:1). Boner Stabone is turning out to be the real Cindarella story of the Elimineighbor Bracket Challenge, where he hopes to continue his momentum when he faces Mr. Feeney in Round 2.
Next week’s marquee matchup: Urkel vs. Freddie Krueger. Will Urkel manage to annoy Freddie to the point of defeat, or will Freddie claw his way to victory?
Don’t forget to cast your vote next Monday and Tuesday on our Facebook page at 12pm PDT, and remember to sign up to host a Neighborday HERE.
Hang out with your neighbors on the last Saturday of April (a day we’re calling “Neighborday”). Click here to say you’ll Do It, and we’ll send you GOOD’s Neighborday Survival Guide and a bunch of other fun stuff.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/6a19a930701bc689870dfce8fbe80f83/tumblr_mkc8uezVnA1qjq5r9o1_250.jpg)
[Updated: Round 1 Results] Elimineighbor™ Challenge
- GOOD HQ wrote in Living, Cities and Neighboring
ROUND 1 UPDATE:
Mr. Rodgers was the big winner of Round 1, when he lambasted Marcy D’Arcy with a whopping 98 votes to her 2! The biggest upset of the the week was Mr. Feeney just barely edging out Wilson from “Home Improvement,” who was the heavy favorite (Vegas odds were 3:1). Boner Stabone is turning out to be the real Cindarella story of the Elimineighbor Bracket Challenge, where he hopes to continue his momentum when he faces Mr. Feeney in Round 2.
Next week’s marquee matchup: Urkel vs. Freddie Krueger. Will Urkel manage to annoy Freddie to the point of defeat, or will Freddie claw his way to victory?
Don’t forget to cast your vote next Monday and Tuesday on our Facebook page at 12pm PDT, and remember to sign up to host a Neighborday HERE.
Hang out with your neighbors on the last Saturday of April (a day we’re calling “Neighborday”). Click here to say you’ll Do It, and we’ll send you GOOD’s Neighborday Survival Guide and a bunch of other fun stuff.
Citizenship Building Block #11: Learn to Cook a Dish With a Story
- Lara Rabinovitch in Living, Food and Building Blocks Of Citizenship
Food is a window into culture. Learning to cook a dish from your heritage will make you a better global citizen by enriching your mind—and belly. So this month spend some time with a grandmother and learn how to cook a dish she knows well. This may be with your grandmother, someone else’s grandmother, or your grandfather—because he’s the cook of the family. Whether it’s Japanese rice balls, Brazilian feijoada, Ukrainian varenyky, or curry vindaloo, learn how to make at least one dish from one part of your heritage. It might be tuna casserole or tamales or thin-crust pizza. Either way: take notes, ask questions, and taste. You’ll learn how to make something to share with others while also reconnecting with a part of your past. Think of it as culinary archaeology, only tastier.
A Neighborday Manifesto: Because We’re Better Together
- Kyla Fullenwider wrote in Living, Cities and Neighboring
Neighborday is about creating a new story. It’s about transcending the old story of self to create a new story of us. It’s about expanding our definition of self to include those who live above us, below us, and next to us. It’s a call to action of the most important kind: to let our neighbors in, and to build more self-reliant streets, blocks, and neighborhoods, together.
Read the full manifesto on good.is
Hang out with your neighbors on the last Saturday of April (a day we’re calling “Neighborday”). Click here to say you’ll Do It, and we’ll send you GOOD’s Neighborday Survival Guide and a bunch of other fun stuff.
Illustration by Tyler Hoehne
Welcome to the Elimineighbor™ Bracket Challenge
- GOOD HQ wrote in Living, Cities and Neighboring
Hidey ho, neighbors!
Have you always liked Quagmire more than Flanders, and it keeps you up at night? Ever been in a fistfight over who’s more adorable, Winnie Cooper or Marisa Cooper?
Well, now’s your chance to make your opinions heard.
Welcome to the inaugural Elimineighbor Challenge, a weekly Facebook contest where you get to vote for your favorite pop culture neighbors, from Kramer to Urkel and everyone in between. You’ve heard of March Madness, well this is… Neighbor… madness… or something.
Every Monday and Tuesday for the next five weeks, we’ll be hosting polls on our Facebook page at noon PST, with results posted every Wednesday until a winner is crowned.
We started this tournament to raise awareness for Neighborday, a new holiday on April 27th where we at GOOD HQ are challenging our community to host 1000+ block parties around the world. We’re so excited about it that we even made a video, see?
Go here to learn more and sign up.
And don’t forget to tell your friends, say hi to your neighbors, and get out the vote!
Thou Shalt Love Thy Elimineighbor!
Guns from classic movie scenes, reimagined as thumbs up/s.
- Casey Caplowe in Gun Control, Living and The Internet
As the header on the Thumbs and Ammo blog says, Real tough guys don’t need guns, they just need a positive, can-do attitude.
