E-bikes gain momentum as a climate, traffic solution

In London, two community-driven initiatives are working side by side to engage residents in sustainable practices. Energy Garden, a community energy cooperative, has created green spaces in rail stations offers residents community gardens, nature education, and solar power. Repower, the other initiative, works with residents to communally invest in renewable energy for low-income neighborhoods while also providing those neighborhoods with energy jobs and mentoring services.

In the heart of one of Europe’s fastest growing capitals, cars are rapidly disappearing. To reduce pollution and build a people-first city center, Oslo has promised to ban all cars in downtown by 2019. The multi-pronged effort includes making public transportation services more efficient, building 60 kilometers of new bike lanes, and transforming parking spaces into pedestrian-friendly areas.

In Salt Lake City, a bipartisan coalition of public and private actors, including members of the business, industrial, religious, political, and civic communities voluntarily came together to pass an ambitious twenty year land use plan. The plan, which conserves water, promotes clean air, and imposes new taxes for new rail lines, was made possible by Envision Utah, a public-private partnership that capitalizes on many Utahns' cultural and religious heritage.

Since 2022, Denver has given out almost 15,000 electric bike rebates via an online portal to make them a more accessible transportation option. The applications are so popular they’re gone in seconds, and they can only be redeemed in person at participating local bike shops.

After a clean air zone was created in London, where vehicles have to pay a daily fee to enter unless they meet strict pollution standards, more young students in the area began walking and biking to school.

Ukrainian scientists invented a generator that uses organic waste from agriculture to produce cheap energy. This method can replace natural gas while disposing of agricultural waste in a way that doesn’t emit carbon dioxide.

A community-led nonprofit restarted New Orleans’ bike-sharing program Blue Bikes with a focus on affordability and equity after a for-profit company ended it during the pandemic. The founders used the bike stands and tools left behind from the original program, the city provided spaces for the bike racks, and the funders provided money for a fleet of bicycles.

Denver offers rebates up to $1,700 for residents purchasing electric bikes to encourage their adoption, increase accessibility for low-income residents, and help reduce air pollution.

Cars are Europe’s second-largest source of greenhouse gas emissions and the leading killer of children. In recent years, Paris has implemented an array of measures to prioritize pedestrians, cyclists, and transit while reducing car use. As a result, car use has dropped about 45% since 1990, the use of public transit has risen by 30% and the share of cyclists has increased tenfold.

Ireland’s energy efficiency agency, Codema, and Amazon partnered to use waste heat from data centers used for computing needs to heat council buildings and a university campus.