CUE Loves Bikes

by Ryan Puckett

The Center for Urban Ecology at Butler University (CUE) is an inspirational place and I’ve had the pleasure of working with CUE for the past year. CUE is all about how our urban lives interact with the natural environment and how our city is an ecosystem unto itself.

As humans, one thing we can do to tread lightly on our local ecosystem is ride our bikes more. I realize that’s easier said than done. I, for one, have a newborn, a 4-year-old in daycare and consulting job that takes me all over the city. Try taking care of all that on two wheels!

But occasionally, I like to ride. I recently signed up for a Pacers Bikeshare membership – it’s a great way for me to travel throughout downtown (and the bikes are fun to ride too). From time to time, I also make my way to Gallahue Hall on the Butler campus via my humble, low-budget commuter bike.

The CUE staff member who really takes the cake on biking is the indomitable Molly Trueblood, local redhead celebrity and community organizer for the Indianapolis/City as Living Laboratory (I/CaLL) project.

Recently, Indy-based storyteller Tim Taylor directed a video of Molly’s bike habits and her mission to save the planet, one bike ride at a time. The timing of the video of Molly is great as May is National Bike Month. Established in 1956, National Bike Month is a chance to showcase the many benefits of bicycling — and encourage more folks to give biking a try. Check it out!

Others at the CUE are also passionate about about their ride. You’ll frequently find CUE Director Tim Carter about Midtown on bike during the summer and I’ve seen Travis Ryan, chair of the department of biological sciences, (un)locking up on campus and at Hubbard & Cravens. McKenzie Beverage, Butler’s first sustainability coordinator, can frequently be seen on her trusty Masi Speciale CX she’s named “Root Beer”.

When I asked McKenzie about her bike habits, here’s what she shared,

“I have been a bike commuter since I was in college. It started out of necessity because I lived in a college town but I quickly fell in love with it. I have lived close enough to campus or work that I’ve always been a year-round bike commuter although I admittedly drove to work quite a bit over this nasty winter because the roads weren’t clear and the temperatures were so extreme. Before moving to Indy, I was able to take a bus to work so this is the first year since college that I’ve relied so much on a car.

I commute by bike for so many reasons. It saves on gas, I get exercise, and it’s better for the environment. There are some more subtle reasons I ride too. I get to smell the wonderful spring blooms, hear kids playing during recess, and observe tiny interactions between people as I pass.”

Keeping with the Bike Month theme, local bike advocacy superheroes IndyCog are challenging Indy residents to participate in the National Bike Challenge and collectively reach a goal of 1 Million Miles in May.

And if you’re heading to ‘The Race” on Sunday, IndyCog has the skinny on how to ride to the Indy 500.

Ryan Puckett is the principal of TWO21 LLC and a communication consultant for the Center for Urban Ecology.