A Moving Family Inspires Moving Planet-Houston

Before one learns to ride a bike we usually need someone to show us how. And in order for us to keep riding we often need friendly peer pressure to keep us going at it. It is in that spirit that on Saturday, Sept 23rd and 24th many Houstonians will be participating in the Houston portion of Moving Planet, a global day of action to raise awareness about the need to address climate solutions and to illustrate a few.

Through similar events in cities throughout the world, people will be moving by bike, skate, skateboard, or anything else with wheels – but no motor – to illustrate what can be done by individuals through simple and small actions. And while coming together in each city they will be sharing their larger stories of how they seek to contribute to a greener environment at home and work too.

In Houston, one such participant will be Joyce Almaguer-Reisdorf, an avid cyclist, mother, and graduate of Rice University who embodies this spirit in how she gets around town with her 6 year old twins using a partially homemade bike that alludes to memories of Houston’s past.

“It takes a little bit of bravado to ride around town with your children in an old mountain bike fitted with a rocking horse head and a tail.  We made the back seat into a horse design because we knew (the twins), who are six, would get a kick out of it.  And they do!  The pony bike always makes us smile.  We also thought the pony would help make us a little more conspicuous to drivers, and thus a little safer.  And we thought that by bringing a smile to someone’s face, maybe they could try getting out of their cars and biking, too.”

Getting around their neighborhood, to area shops, the library or visiting with friends on the pony bike is important to Almaguer-Reisdorf not only to protect the environment but also to help educate her children.

“I feel we need to ride our bikes and walk more because even the twins at six years old have come to understand, mainly by listening at meetings and to conversations I have with other people, that we have a fossil fuel problem, a pollution problem and a climate change problem.  As a result they want know what we as a family are going to be doing about it.  Changing our transportation behaviors is one thing we can do. Also I want to demonstrate to them that we can be clever and strong, and that we don’t need a car-like so much of American culture dictates. We can be just fine–better than fine!—on foot or on transit or, our favorite, on a bike.”

In addition to biking, the Almaguer-Reisdorf clan have implemented other conservation measures around the home that get the kids involved.

“We’ve been living in our house since late 2006 and we’ve gradually made changes and adjustments to improve our energy efficiency.  We’ve made some simple changes, like starting to replace our incandescent bulbs with CFL bulbs, and installing motion sensor switches in the bathroom so we don’t accidentally leave the lights on. Our washing machine and dishwasher are connected to cold water only and have internal heaters, to minimize heat loss from our water heater, which we turned down.  We installed an extra door in one of our hallways so that at night we only cool or heat our two bedrooms, and don’t lose any cool or warm air to the rest of the house.  When it broke down we replaced our main air conditioner with a more efficient model that also has a heat pump, so we can heat our house in winter more efficiently and comfortably.  Storm windows and doors add a degree of security for our downstairs rooms, while also helping protect us from the elements and drafts.

The house came with special solar screens on its upstairs west-facing windows to reduce the heat from the sun, and they seem to help in the summertime. Ceiling fans in most rooms help keep the house cool without turning the thermostat on too low.  We support wind power with our electric bill–wind is not a complete solution, but it’s a start.  We’ve also tried to make behavioral changes, like buying in bulk, cooking at home as much as possible, eating in season, and becoming involved in meetings where decisions are made about our transportation dollars”

“As Houston grows and the risk for drought increases due to climate change, we must consider water, as well.  We’ve made our small yard more drought-resistant. We have lots of drought-resistant natives and drought-resistant ornamentals.  Even though I am in a very urban area the berries and flowers support birds, bees, and passing hummingbirds and butterflies. Very recently we also started collecting the condensate from our upstairs air conditioning unit.  We slowly drip a small amount of the collected water into a bird bath, which has so far been discovered by a very happy mockingbird, and use the majority of the water for the fruit trees in our patio. We’re considering using the grey water from the washing machine, as well.  It’s a very efficient machine, but six-year olds generate lots of dirty laundry!”

While the Almaguer-Reisdorf lifestyle is a bit different than many are living today (or that Joyce and her husband even grew up in), they know they are not alone. Many more young families are embracing a more carbon-aware lifestyle and planning to gradually integrate more changes in their own home and lives as time and resources allow them to do so.

And the younger kids coming up might even be interested in a pony bike for their own families some day in the future.

“It’s wonderful to listen to my kids sing on the way home, or watch them wave at people when they notice our contraption.  It’s nice to feel the night air–especially after we’ve been at the pool–and listen to the frogs singing in the grass. This city can be so beautiful when we get out of the steel and glass cage of a car and onto a bike.”