POSTED BY: ALISON KERSHAW

Beef burgers have been banned by a university as part of efforts to tackle the climate emergency.

Goldsmiths, University of London said it is to remove all beef products from sale from next month as the institution attempts to become carbon neutral by 2025.

Students will also face a 10p levy on bottles of water and single-use plastic cups when the academic year starts to discourage use of the products.

The college’s new Warden, Professor Frances Corner, said staff and students “care passionately about the future of our environment” and that “declaring a climate emergency cannot be empty words”.

The move has been backed by Goldsmiths Students’ Union, with president Joe Leam saying that the university has a “huge carbon footprint” and that the promise to eradicate this in the next few years is needed.

As well as the beef ban and 10p levy on single-use water bottles and plastic cups, there are plans to install more solar panels across the college’s New Cross campus in south-east London and switch to a 100% clean energy supplier as soon as possible.

Officials said Goldsmiths will also continue to invest in its allotment area and identify other places where planting could help to absorb carbon dioxide, and will review how all students can access modules which cover climate change and the role of both individuals and organisations in reducing carbon emissions.

Prof Corner said: “The growing global call for organisations to take seriously their responsibilities for halting climate change is impossible to ignore.

“Though I have only just arrived at Goldsmiths, it is immediately obvious that our staff and students care passionately about the future of our environment and that they are determined to help deliver the step change we need to cut our carbon footprint drastically and as quickly as possible.

“Declaring a climate emergency cannot be empty words. I truly believe we face a defining moment in global history and Goldsmiths now stands shoulder to shoulder with other organisations willing to call the alarm and take urgent action to cut carbon use.”

Figures show that Goldsmiths emits around 3.7 million kg of carbon emissions each year, the college said.

Referring to the statistic in a blog, Mr Leam said: “It is clear our university has a huge carbon footprint. The promise to have ended this by 2030 at the latest, with the hope of doing so by 2025, is one which is needed.

“Whilst this plan/action is only the beginning, and much work is yet to be done, it is fantastic to see Goldsmiths taking responsibility and responding to its impact on the climate.”

–Technocracy News

There are few better ways we can think of to kick-off a new partnership than by riding motorcycles together. The open road beckons to bring those that ride together closer together through ritualistic moments of shared experience on the journey along the way. Emails are ignored, phones muted, camaraderie ensues, and the mind begins to relax as one starts to live in the moment.

After recently putting together a partnership with META to support some of their future projects, the idea came to us: meet at the META headquarters in downtown Denver’s trendy RiNo neighborhood, spend a day gathering content, put together a route plan, and then hit the road to Sturgis for a few days of riding and living the biker life. In addition to a leading motorcycle lifestyle publication and website, we admire META’s inclusive approach to motorcycling. Their motto, “A life well ridden,” celebrates riding and racing no matter what type of rider you happen to be, or what type of motorcycle you happen to ride. So, to kick off our new partnership, we went on a motorcycle adventure together.

Continue the Journey  >>

Direct Link to Tucker Blog: https://www.tucker.com/journey-of-discovery-denver-to-sturgis-and-back-with-meta-and-tucker/

First Production Twins Win for the Harley-Davidson XG750R

SACRAMENTO (August 10, 2019) – Dalton Gauthier (No. 122 Black Hills Harley-Davidson XG750R) won a hotly contested race that saw him and teammate James Rispoli (No. 71 Black Hills Harley-Davidson XG750R) reel back the early race leaders in the Production Twins class at the Sacramento Mile.

The victory came in Dalton’s second ride on the XG750R, and the third round of competition for the bike in the Production Twins class. The win showcased the performance potential of the motorcycle in a class centered around true production-based race machines.

“The whole Vance & Hines crew, everybody at Harley and Black Hills Harley-Davidson put me on this awesome motorcycle… This bike was working so good tonight. I couldn’t believe it. Right from the first lap in the Main, I knew it was going to be a good one. I got off to a good start, just like I wanted. I passed Cory around the outside in Turn 3 and just set sail. I just did consistent laps and tried to do my own race. I looked back halfway through the race and nobody was there, so I was like, ‘sweet!’”

“It’s great to see a rising young talent like Dalton achieve success so quickly in the Production Twins class,” said Eric Jensen, Global Brand Marketing Lead for Harley-Davidson. “As a brand with so much history in professional flat track racing, we’re proud to support the next generation of stars in the sport and really excited to see him add to the long racing legacy of Harley-Davidson Motor Company.”

Join American Veterans and Patriots from across the country as we gather in CRIPPLE CREEK NEXT WEEKEND August 15th-18th for the 27th annual SALUTE to AMERICAN VETERANS Rally

** Visit the Rally Website HERE:  http://www.theveteransrally.org/

** Read the 40 page 2019 Rally Program HERE:
https://tinyurl.com/y4lyqc7z

** Watch the ’19 Rally Promo Video HERE:

Harley Davidson LiveWire now features on the company’s India website.
By Rush lane Staff Writer 

Harley Davidson LiveWire is the company’s first ever fully electric motorcycle. It has been in the making for over 5 years and was showcased in production format at the EICMA Motorcycle Show in November last year. Last month, Harley Davidson revealed complete details of the LiveWire, including price for the US market.

In the US, price of Harley Davidson electric motorcycle Livewire starts from $29,799, which as per today’s conversion rates, is approximately Rs 21 lakhs. But don’t expect the price of the bike in India to be anywhere close to Rs 21 lakhs.
In fact, on road price of Harley Davidson Livewire electric motorcycle in India could be in the Rs 50 lakh region, making it one of the most expensive Harley money can buy in the country. The motorcycle has already been patented in India. As per unconfirmed sources, the bike will debut in India on 28th August.

Harley Davidson LiveWire is built on a cast Aluminum frame contributing to lighter weight. It gets a new powertrain which the company calls as H-D Revolution. This includes a permanent magnet electric motor offering power output of 78 kW or 104.6 bhp and 116 Nm peak torque.

Offering 100 percent torque right at the onset, the bike is capable of acceleration from 0 to 100 kmph in 3.5 seconds and from 100-128 kmph in less than 2 seconds. The 15.5 kWh battery pack allows LiveWire to deliver a range of upto 235 kms while within city limits and upto 158 kms on the highway. This has been measured using World Motorcycle Test Cycle (WMTC) standards.

The electric bike gets 300mm twin discs in the front with Brembo Monobloc calipers and single 260mm disc at the rear. It gets regenerative braking and drag torque-slip control allowing the rear tyre to be in contact with the road under braking conditions. The electric Harley gets Michelin Scorcher tyres measuring 120/70 ZR17 front and 180/55 ZR17 rear.

Harley Davidson LiveWire is fitted with an RESS – Rechargeable Energy Storage System. This battery pack can be changed via a conventional AC wall charger in 12.5 hours while via a DC fast charging system this is accomplished in 60 minutes.

On board features include a 4.3” TFT display with integrated Bluetooth connectivity to a smartphone providing infotainment, turn by turn navigation, telephone, music and voice recognition. The system also allows for easy location of motorcycle, information on the nearest charging station, geo fencing and battery and bike statistics. It receives a 6 axis IMU ABS system with traction control and rider modes of Sport, Road, Rain, Range, and three custom modes.

–www.Rushlane.com

Eight members of the U.S. House of Representatives introduced House Bill 3663 in mid-July. The proposed piece of legislation is titled, “Complete Streets Act of 2019.” It is no less than a mandate that all states implement policies to address “critical gaps in pedestrian, bicycle, and public transit infrastructure.”

The Complete Streets protocol would prioritize modes of transportation for new road construction and improvement projects this way:

1. Pedestrian mobility
2. Bicycle mobility
3. Public transit
4. Vehicular operations
5. Freight operations

Interestingly, the Brookings Institute found through an analysis of U.S. 2016 Census data that commuter use of transportation modes is nearly the opposite of the Complete Streets agenda:

Drove alone                                                76.3%
Carpooled                                                     9.0%
Used public transit                                        5.1%
Worked from home                                       5.0%
Walked                                                         2.7%
Took a taxi or rode a motorcycle                  1.2%
Bicycled                                                        0.6%

Ominously, HB 3663 includes this passage: “The benchmark and guidance [of Complete Street projects] shall . . . focus on modifying scoping, design, and construction procedures to more effectively combine modes of transportation into integrated facilities that meet the needs of each of those modes of transportation in an appropriate balance.”

It is that last phrase, “in an appropriate balance,” that catches the eye. What does that mean? If the goal is to convert even more urban street pavement from car and truck to bicycle use, at what point will transportation planners be required to explain how demand will catch up to supply by transforming roads into more bike lane and sidewalk space? And while they are at it, the planners should also address how restricting vehicular traffic to provide comparable road access to seriously underused modes of transportation won’t lead to unintended negative consequences for the free and efficient movement of people, goods, and services, and therefore to the nation’s economy.

Yes, streets need to be safer for all road users. We discussed that from a pedestrian standpoint in “Problem Solving Ain’t What It Used To Be” (NMA E-Newsletter #496). We followed that with, The Not-So-Hidden Cost of Vision Zero” (NMA E-Newsletter #500), which provides information about the staggering sums of taxpayer money being spent to attain a goal of zero road fatalities and shares some Zero experiences from NMA members. Complete Streets and Vision Zero are two peas in a pod, with both casting a boney grim reaper finger of blame at motorists.

Some of the supporters of HB 3663 in the House are also the legislators we are courting to sponsor the NMA DETER Act which would stop the federal funding of state traffic enforcement campaigns based on ticket quotas. Both are critical issues for motorists that shouldn’t be mutually exclusive: Stopping the authorization of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of street conversion projects across the country without evidence that pedestrian and bicyclist road use will increase appreciably, while also contesting a similar funding each year by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for forced, by-the-numbers ticketing campaigns.

It will require political finesse to defeat HB 3663 (and similar Complete Streets legislation) while also encouraging many of the same House members to incorporate our ticket quota ban into their transportation bill. That is the true appropriate balance we must strike.

Read the happy run of Easyriders magazine as outlined by J.J. Solari.

https://www.bikernet.com/pages/The_Short_Happy_Life_of_Easyriders_Magazine.aspx

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