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The biking staff in RTC's new national office quickly exceeded the capacity of the three floor-to-ceiling bike racks. A fourth was recently installed to accomodate the overflow.
Anne Zuparko and Ben Gettleman, of the Western Regional Office, both find that riding their bikes to work helps reduce their environmental footprint.
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RTC Bikes-to-Work:
Every day often feels like Bike-to-Work Day around the national office in Washington, D.C. for Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC), an organization that loves to imagine ways to make active transportation more accessible for Americans. Out of the 30 or so staff members in the D.C . headquarters, in fact, about 14 bikes roll into the office every morning.
"I love everything about biking to work," says Kartik Sribarra, outreach manager for RTC. "I love that I get my workout in the morning, fresh air, saying hi to walkers and runners and nodding my head at other bikers as they ride by."
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy's office is located in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of downtown Washington, D.C., close to a few rail-trails, including the Capital Crescent and Washington and Old Dominion Trail (W&OD). RTC staff members have access as well to four in-office bike racks (floor-to-ceiling poles that kind of look like a bicycle merry-go-round), lockers and showers—particularly handy in D.C.'s sweltering summers.
"My favorite thing every morning is when I round the top of the hill from where I live and I get the best view of the city," says Kelly Pack, coordinator of trail development. "Every morning I get to see the [Washington] Monument and the Capitol building, and it reminds me of big things going on all the time."
The Washington, D.C. office of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy isn't the only office that has staff members that bike to work. Anne Zuparko and Ben Gettleman* (pictured) both ride their bikes to work, arriving at the Western Regional Office in San Francisco, Calif., ready to start their day.
"I do ride my bicycle to lessen my environmental footprint and to stay in shape, but my main motivation for biking to work is that it is just plain fun," says Anne, program assistant for RTC's Western Regional Office. "I love riding my bike through the city – I get to ride through two parks (Golden Gate and the Panhandle), cruise up and down some steep hills, and pass by several beautiful neighborhoods all before I start my day. Plus, it's free and I don't have to sit in traffic on the crowded, slow busses."
Staff members that commute by bike say their daily ride to work makes a difference in their energy level. "I don't drink coffee, and I don't need to!" says Kartik. Elton Clark, human resources manager, agrees. "For me," he says, "once I get off my bike and get to the office, I feel less stressed, want to start my day right. I just have so much energy in the morning."
For other bikers, the commute to work is all about community.
"It sounds funny but I really like passing the crossing guards at schools," says Kelly. "They are the nicest crossing guards and wave to me in the morning. It's a real sense of community [out there]. You see the same people every day."
So does riding a bike to work have an influence on the work our staff does for Rails-to-Trails Conservancy? "I am living the Burn Calories, Not Carbon!™ Pledge and have been for a while," laughs Milo Bateman, membership coordinator.
*Ben Gettleman is the Manager of Trail Development for Rails-to-Trails Conservancy's Western Region.
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