Green Options Buffalo

Green Options Buffalo Community Workshop
Website	http://www.greenoptionsbuffalo.org
Founded	2008
Location	Buffalo, New York, United States
Language	English;
Services Offered	DIY Repair Services; Pay Repair Services; Earn-A-Bike Services; Workshops; Bicycle Advocacy; In-School Programs;
Mission Statement	Green Options Buffalo (GO-Buffalo) works to create healthy, environmentally sustainable, community friendly transportation in the Greater Buffalo Region. Through advocacy, infrastructure improvements and community programs, GO-Buffalo strives to make positive impacts in our environment, community, personal health and economy by enhancing Buffalo’s quality of life attracting others here to live, work and play.

Green Options Buffalo , also referred to as GO Buffalo is a non-profit organization for bicycle advocacy and programming in Buffalo, NY.

As of December, 2011, programs include Recycle-a-Bicycle, Bicycle Benefits, Commercial District Bicycle Parking, Complete Streets, Safe Routes to School and the Community Bicycle Workshop.

Contact Info

640 Ellicott St. Ste. 447
Buffalo, NY 14203
(716) 218-7161

Services Offered

Recycle-a-Bicycle

Inspired by non-profits and community organizations of the same name, our Recycle-a-Bicycle programs are after-school initiatives for at-risk youth within the city of Buffalo. Students learn about bicycle repair and maintenance, as well as safety, health and the environment, while building their own bicycles from refurbished parts. Recycle-A-Bicycle gives youth the chance to learn basic mechanic and problem solving skills, learn how their actions can impact their health and the health of their communities and have a positive impact on their environment through reducing the amount of used bicycles entering the waste stream, curtailing car emissions and circulating hundreds of bicycles back into the community.

Bicycle Benefits

Commercial District Bicycle Parking

This was established in partnership with the City of Buffalo to provide custom-designed bike racks along the city's thoroughfares. To date over 170 bicycle racks have been installed with several hundred more scheduled for installation throughout 2012.

Community Bicycle Workshop

The Green Options Buffalo Community Workshop is a place where people can go to volunteer, become members, learn to repair and maintain their bicycles and learn more about what we do.

We have complete refurbished bicycles for sale, along with a stock of used parts available to everyone.

Our shop also serves as a place to donate your used and/or unwanted bicycles.

Complete Streets

This is a policy that GO Buffalo helped pass in the City and county that will guarantee that all transportation users (including bicyclists and pedestrians) are considered when roads are re-constructed and maintained. A Coalition has been formed to work collaboratively with the city to raise awareness of complete streets and provide technical assistance in their implementation.

Safe Routes to School

A new program that is being launched in conjunction with the City of Buffalo and a large grant from the New York State Department of Transportation. The goal of this program is to encourage school-aged youth to walk and bicycle to school through education and safety enhancements. An example of how this may be done is to have a "bike train:" adult supervisors ride to "bike stops" where children wait to join fellow riders on their way to school.

History

Following the lead of programs in New York City, a Recycle-a-bicycle program was implemented in Buffalo around 2001. Inspired by Toronto's Yellow Bicycle program, Buffalo Blue Bicycles bike sharing program was started around 2004. Founders of Buffalo Blue Bicycles developed an agreement with the City of Buffalo to use an old Police Precinct building as a workshop, and the office was being run out of the Wellness Institute in City Hall. In 2008 the organization began receiving grants, providing consulting to institutions and organizations, and developing public policy. These new developments highlighted the need for a larger, umbrella organization to manage the growing programs and services and Green Options Buffalo was born.

Future Developments

GO Buffalo has recently developed a business plan for GO Bikes, a Community Bicycling Resource Center that will consolidate the organization's operations to a single location, including a low-cost retail component to increase economic independence, self-funding and sustainability. GO Buffalo would have a workshop, offices and storefront in CenterSpace, a work-in-progress multi-use building housing a variety of local organizations.