Cycling for Sustainability
Landscape Designer Matt Blackburn led OLIN in joining the 2012 Commuter Challenge.
Many at OLIN’s Philadelphia studio take advantage of the City of Brotherly Love’s bicycle-friendly streets and neighborhoods by bicycling to work. Landscape Designer Matt Blackburn recently organized a group of studio members to put their enthusiasm for two-wheeled urban transportation to the test by participating in the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia’s 2012 Commuter Challenge. The competition, which runs from May 1st through August 31st, calls for bicyclists to team up and show their commitment to this nearly carbon-neutral source of transportation. By recording the distance spent commuting to work and other destinations, or even just leisure riding, OLIN’s team will rack up points for every mile traveled and push themselves to truly embrace this sustainable lifestyle.
Matt, an avid cyclist who bikes seven miles to and from work every day, took the initiative to form OLIN’s team because he believed it could be a valuable way to get studio members involved in a cause that is important to the future of urban communities. “I do the majority of my daily commuting by bicycle because I find it to be efficient, healthy, environmentally friendly and fun,” Matt said. He continues, “I wanted to get OLIN involved in the 2012 Commuter Challenge because I hoped that the lure of competition would get our studio members as invested in bicycle commuting as I am. Bicycling offers riders a rich way of experiencing the city, and as designers who focus on creating sustainable communities, we owe it to ourselves to gain from the unique perspective it affords.”
