Dear Climate Activists,

It's all about Local! Ventura County is stepping out. Local food, green local business, local water, and VCCool's amazing kids' bicycle rodeo for local transportation. So come out and join the fray.

And thanks for the hundreds of actions you already take to help cool global warming!

-From the folks of VCCool
www.vccool.org

VCCool's Kids' Safety Bicycle Rodeo!
Free helmets, free tools, custom helmet art, bike rides, skill course!

Saturday, May 31st
9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
255 W. Stanley, Ventura, CA
Free

For youth of ALL ages - tots to 19
(Parents encouraged to come too!)
Live Radio Interview - KVTA

VCCool is at it again - helping kids help the planet! We're putting on a humdinger of a bicycle rodeo. Flyer. We'll be:

• Checking kids helmets, and giving them a free one if they need it.
• Checking their bikes and doing minor repair - on the spot!
• The Ventura Police will be explaining traffic safety.
• Kids can test their riding ability on our challenging skill course.
• For older kids, we've got fix-a-flat classes and a flat toolkit for class participants.
• There's a puppet show for all ages.
• Kids Art will be in charge of custom helmet paint jobs with non-toxic spray paint!
• We have two ride's on the Ventura River Trail (2.5 mile and 8.5 mile). There are fantastic prizes for every young rider while supplies last. We really hope parents bring their bikes and ride too! (17 and Under - Get your waiver signed if you want to go on the ride! )

This year - the bicycle rodeo will be part of SummerFest, an outdoor extravaganza put on by the Ventura Unified School District and the parent volunteers of VEP. Parking may be tight - but not for bicyclists! They get free valet parking right by the event entrance. so remember to BRING YOUR BIKE!

Who is Making the Kids' Rodeo Possible?

Well obviously VCCool and over 30 event volunteers are behind this amazing event! But we needed tons more help - and here's who stepped up to the plate:

Channel Island Bike Club: These folks are serious about promoting bicycling in the Ventura area. They are our key funder, have tons of volunteers at the event, and are main organizers of the two rides.

Bike Depot: Shelly Sund has been doing bike repair and rentals for decades. Bike Depot is making every grant dollar go twice as far, and coaching us on what kids like. Her shop is a real part of the community on West Main St.

Uncle Tren's Race Productions: Experienced trainer and a key organizer behind VCCool's bike rodeo, Tren Morris has taken care of details large and small to make sure Kids of ventura have a great event.

Giant Bicycle: Coming through with a generous gift, Giant Bicycles will be providing light sets for kids who complete the 8.5 mile ride. Patrick Vanhorn of Giant Bikes will personally install the lights for young riders who return with their "passport" stamped.

City of Ventura: City Manager Rick Cole and his fantastic staff saved the whole event from some serious pickles. It's great to have the backing of a city that's "getting its green on." The Ventura Police will also help coach at the event.

Kid's Art: Lynne Okun (provider of free art experiences for kids) is putting together a group of artists to customize helmets. If that's not enough, she has even found a non-toxic spray paint. Wow!

Trek Bikes: Trek bikes donated 120 tubes, and is letting us use their shop for the many volunteer training days before the event.

CAUSE: A local advocate for working families - has really been important for our fledging organization, including being our fiscal sponsor so we could accept grants.

Lassen's and Trader Joe's: Lassen's will be providing healthy lunch foods and beverages for our event volunteers, with Trader Joe's helping out with nuts and chips.

This is a community pulling together to help our kids get into bicycles and be part of climate care, safely. Thank you everyone!!

Local Green Business Get Listed!
Ventura County’s Social Good Directory

Launched this Spring, this new site was created to help spread the word about socially conscious, sustainable businesses and organizations in Ventura County. Listings on the site are free as long as you qualify. There is a short application process and the site owner (Social Good Marketing & Design, Inc.) is currently in discussion with like-minded nonprofits in the County about partnering and getting the word out. Click here to visit the site and get yourself listed.

Wana be a Locavore?

Sunday, July 6th
3-5 p.m.
E.P. Foster Library - Topping Room
651 E. Main St., Ventura

A Locavore is a person who get's their food from local sources, instead of eating meals with a more complex travel itinerary than Condi Rice.

Sounds pretty simple - right? Well Kris and Joe Young are looking for a group of 100 people who are willing to be a locavore for one year starting January 2009! What a great way change our food economy, and cut down on gas-intensive cruz trips for oranges. Think about it. This is powerful!

Rachel Morris, president of VCCool, has decided to throw her fork into the ring. You can check out her personal locavore blog which will probably sport even more entries starting January 2009.

Water-Use Efficiency Policy Updates and Drought Contingency Planning

Wednesday, May 28
8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Camarillo City Hall – Council Chambers
601 Carmen Drive, Camarillo
Free

What does water have to do with Global Warming? Well, for one thing, pumping water is the single largest use of electricity in the state of California. For another, availability of water is predicted to be affected by climate change. Come get informed at this Association of Water Agencies of Ventura County event. Flyer

Reservation (by May 26th)

June 3, 2008 Elections - Proposition 98 and 99

Remember to vote on Tuesday, June 3rd. Be sure to educate yourself on the important differences between the deceptive Prop 98, and its counterpart Prop 99.

More information by the League of Women Voters
More information by the Planning and Conservation League

If you received this message from a friend, and you'd like to be on Ventura's Global Warming email list, send a note to the action@vccool.org with instructions to add you to the global warming e-mail list.

To remove yourself from our list, simply send a note to action@vccool.org with a request to remove you from the global warming list..