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This Saturday, June 5th, from noon to 4pm,  is the 11th annual Eco-Solar Home Tour, giving you a close-up look at the many homes in Edmonton that are making good use of our abundant solar resource. The tour is free, and self-guided across the multiple sites, each being treated as an open house. There are 5 different sites on the tour this year – there could easily have been 30!

If you have an interest in energy efficiency and conservation, renewable energy use or clever home design, you’ll undoubtedly find the tour a fascinating way to spend your afternoon. Find out what you can do about reducing your home heating, electricity, and water bills along with your environmental footprint, all while enjoying a nice ride through Edmonton. With the attached bike map, finding each house shouldn’t be a problem.

See the official web site at http://www.ecosolar.ca for all the details about the tour and the houses.

For the bike bus in the video, there were about 15 kids. It is a regular thing and new people are joining the club and bike bus every day. They have set it up that they plan on riding unless otherwise noted. The kids treat it like an actual bus. Several kids have seen the bus pass by day after day and then decide to join it. There is a set start point and other kids join in along the ride.

Orlando Kids Take Back the Streets — By Bike

(Photo by BikePortland.org)

The bike box is an intersection safety design to prevent bicycle/car collisions, especially those between drivers turning right and bicyclists going straight. It is a green box on the road with a white bicycle symbol inside. It includes green bicycle lanes approaching and leading from the box.

First Look At Portland’s New Bike Friendly Green Space

How have we missed this for so long? Three of our favourites; local communities, libraries and bicycles; all merged into the one enterprise, known as the Arcata Community Library Bike Project.

link: Library Bikes: Too Good An Idea to be Quiet About : TreeHugger

Nationally acclaimed urban designers George Crandall and Don Arambula, founding principals of Crandall Arambula, will discuss the lessons learned from Portland’s regional transportation system. They will speak on the history of planning in Portland, Metro, and Oregon; transit corridor alignment and station safety; and how to create station area amenities that are sustainable and economically vital.

- Regional Transportation: Lessons Learned from Portland

(via Boing Boing )