A recent article in The New York Times reported that environmental consciousness and community trust in Portland, Oregon, can now be found in the form of a yellow bicycle. Inspired by a documentary about life in Holland, Joe Keating, director of the United Com-munity Action Network, and a friend started a bike project. Thanks to their ingenuity, people of all ages can be seen pedaling about the streets of Portland on yellow bicycles with signs that say, "Free community bike. Please return to a major street for others to reuse. Use at your own risk."
The bike project's beginning was aided by a non-profit center that teaches children the art of bicycle maintenance. The children helped reconstruct 10 bikes that were acquired by rummaging through neighborhood garages. The project has renewed interest in non-polluting forms of transportation and led to inquiries on how to launch similar bike projects in other cities.
Not one community bike has been stolen since the outset of the project in November 1994. In Portland, the yellow bicycle has become a symbol of civic responsibility. The question remains as to whether such a project could flourish in cities where yellow bicycles-and examples of community trust-seem few and far between.
Fashion Statements
Business Ethics magazine reports that Robert Dunn, formerly vice president for corporate affairs at Levi Strauss & Co., was named president and CEO of Business for Social Responsibility, an advocacy group that promotes socially responsible business. "What has given me the greatest pleasure in my position at Levi Strauss is the opportunity to work on issues of responsible business practices," Dunn was quoted as saying when he left the company.
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