the Norman Sustainability Network

From The Norman Transcript:

Cleveland Area Rapid Transit transported a record number of passengers Thursday in the public transportation system’s Dump the Pump initiative.

CART increased its average daily ridership by 88 percent, transporting 2,333 passengers and eclipsing the 2,239 mark from Dump the Pump 2008, CART spokesperson Kris Glenn said in an e-mail.

The Main Street and Alameda/East Norman routes accounted for almost half of the total riders, experiencing increases of 181 percent and 191 percent, respectively, Glenn said.

Read the rest.

From The Norman Transcript:

Norman residents responded to the newspaper ads and posters around town by riding the bus.

“It’s very convenient, and I like that they have the free ride day today, ’cause it introduces more people to the bus routes,” said Floreta Buzzell, who moved to Norman about two weeks ago. She saw the ads about Dump the Pump and decided to use her day off work to ride around different routes and get to know the city.

There were plenty of incentives to ride the bus Thursday. In addition to free rides all day, everyone who rode the bus got a free T-shirt. Some routes also had live entertainment.

Last year’s Dump the Pump saw huge increases in ridership on the Alameda and Main Street routes. Although final numbers weren’t in Thursday evening, the same seemed to be holding true for this event.

The 10 a.m. Alameda East route was so full at times riders had to stand. Business people, bus regulars, errand-runners and even families rode the bus.

Read the rest.

Get ready to rock & roll on June 18 as CART is encouraging Norman to get out of their cars to ride the bus for Dump the Pump 2009.

The event will include free bus fare all day and a free t-shirt to riders (while supplies last), entertainment on the buses arranged by NSN, as well as a public transportation rally at Andrews Park at 6 p.m.  The rally features an address by Norman Mayor Cindy Rosenthal, a free concert by Resident Funk, and an NSN bus date auction.  Winners will ride the bus to a dinner, movie, picnic, and/or sporting activity accompanied by some of Norman’s most beautiful and/or interesting people!

Riders also have a chance to win $100, a bicycle, a Nintendo Wii and a pair of OU football tickets.

In last year’s Dump the Pump, CART doubled its average daily ridership.  Help us make Dump the Pump 2009 even better!

The performers schedule for the buses is as follows:
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ROUTES: buses pick up & drop off at the south oval on the hour (every hour)

MAIN STREET | N10 Red Route
noon – 1pm…. Michael Loveland & Sean Barker (Earlybeat)
2 – 3pm………. Kara Joy and Kyle
3 – 4pm………. Norman Community Theater
4 – 5pm………. Comedians:
5 – 6pm………. Penny Hill (Solo) & Lauren Zuniga (spoken word)

LINDSEY EAST | N11 Orange Route
noon – 1pm…. Eric Sarmiento
2-3………………Annatova
4 – 5pm………. Carly Patterson (Workweek)

LINDSEY WEST | N12 Purple Route
noon – 1pm…. Tyrone Richard (acoustic)
4 – 5pm………. TBA

ALAMEDA/East Norman | N21 Green Route
noon – 1pm…. Comedians:
4 – 5pm………. Clint Tharp & Derek Harris (The Grown Ups)

As well as entertainment by the local street performer troupe PFC, the Norman Community Theater and COMEDIANS:
James Nghiem
Spencer Hicks
Leah Kayajanian
bradchad Porter
Derek Smith
Anthony Cavazos
Cameron Buchholtz

Watch for PFC and random poets on all routes!

From Voices of Oklahoma:

Norman residents have shown they care what happens to their trash. Seventy-two percent of Normanites voted for curbside recycling, and the percentage of participating households  has been unusually high since the program began last year.

However, a large gap remains in the waste being recycled in Norman. While businesses are able to recycle cardboard for a fee, Norman has no commercial recycling services for plastic, glass, or aluminum. Some Norman Citizens, including workers and business owners, would like these services expanded. But with the state of the world economy, the value of recyclable materials has been in steep decline, making it increasingly difficult for municipalities to exchange the recyclables for cash.

Read the rest.

From The Norman Transcript:

June 18, a day of festivities will focus on one thing: encouraging people in Norman to ditch their cars and ride the bus instead.

Cleveland Area Rapid Transit’s Dump the Pump initiative will feature promotional give-aways, local civic and business leader endorsements, a free concert and even a juggler or two.

The event will include free bus fare all day and a free T-shirt to every rider, CART spokesperson Kris Glenn said.

A public transportation rally will be 6 p.m. at Andrews Park featuring Norman Mayor Cindy Rosenthal, a free concert by local band Resident Funk and prizes for those who rode the bus during the day, he said. Prizes will include a bicycle, $100, two OU football tickets and a Nintendo Wii.

Read the rest.

We are having a general membership meeting this Sunday, May 24, 3:30 pm, in the breezeway outside Native Roots Market, 132 W Main St. Refreshments will be provided.

We will talk about current and future NSN projects, elect new officers from our steering committee, and discuss and vote on revisions to our by-laws.

This Sunday will be the best opportunity to become more involved with NSN or learn more about where we are going as an organization. If you have a project that NSN might be interested in working on, there will be time for presentations. If you plan to present, please let us know ahead of time by calling Gene at 405-640-9119.

See you then!

From The Norman Transcript:

Starting Saturday, a slew of activities centered around products made with fair labor practices will encourage Norman residents to buy fair trade certified products.

Local group Norman Fair Trade will host seven events in nine days to celebrate the first-ever Fair Trade Awareness Week in Norman.

“We encourage people to come and join us in supporting and promoting a system that puts an emphasis on human dignity and environmental sustainability,” said Ajit Bhand, member of Norman Fair Trade.

The group sponsors events to raise awareness about fair trade and encourages local businesses to sell fair trade products. They are also working to make Norman an official Fair Trade City.

Read the rest.

• OU Lean Institute to extend program to private sector / The Journal Record
• Bike ‘n talk with the mayor / The Norman Transcript
• Group seeks to expand recycling push / The Norman Transcript

From The Norman Transcript:

Cleveland Area Rapid Transit is encouraging Norman to be part of the solution by celebrating Earth Day on Wednesday by offering free fare on all routes.

CART is joining Metro Transit in Oklahoma City in the initiative to promote public transportation as a more environmentally friendly way to go to work, school or just to the grocery store.

The campaign is aimed at transit being part of a metro area solution to reducing an individual’s carbon footprint. A recent American Public Transportation Association study shows one bus replaces an average of 45 cars, drastically reducing air pollution and easing congestion on roads.

Kara Joy McKee of the Norman Sustainability Network said the future of society depends on developing sustainable solutions to the environmental, economic and equity challenges the world faces.

“Public transportation addresses all of these needs by reducing greenhouse gasses, saving money in fuel costs and road maintenance and providing a safe and reliable means of travel for everyone regardless of status,” McKee said.

The regular bus fare for Norman routes is 50 cents while the Sooner Express to Oklahoma City is $2.25 each way.

CART is the only public transportation system in Oklahoma to operate solely on alternative fuels, which is made possible by the newly opened University of Oklahoma Transportation Operations Center. The facility has been lauded for its fueling capabilities, most notably its abundance of CNG.

For more information on how to ride the bus free on Wednesday, visit CART online at www.ridecart.com or call 325-CART.