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NOAA Marks Bike to Work Day in Silver Spring with Morning "Juicer"


Barry Reichenbaugh
Office of Communications
Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR)

A Bike to Work Day "Juicer" in Silver Spring, Md., drew more than 70 NOAA commuters the morning of May 16, 2008, despite steady rain in the Washington, DC area. The juicer was hosted by the NOAA Bike Team, a new subgroup of the NOAA Green Team, which focuses efforts on helping NOAA and individuals reduce energy use and recycle more.

The event was an effort to "bring together the biking community, share lessons learned and help potential bike commuters with safe bike routes," according to Tom Smerling, NOAA Bike Team co-chair.

Bill Broglie, NOAA's chief administrative officer (and sponsor of the NOAA Green Team and Bike Team) kicked off the event with words of encouragement and support of all NOAA cyclists.

Many cyclists posted their commuting locations on a wall map, including Thea Naikelis and Rachel Soraruf with the National Ocean Service. They both rode to Silver Spring about six miles in the rain and 60-degree temperatures from their Adams Morgan neighborhood in Washington, DC. Naikelis said they typically bike to work a couple times a week during the warm months, and riding in the rain was "easy in comparison" to the triathlon they recently completed in a downpour.

Bike to Work Day participants.

Bike to Work Day participants Thea Naikelis and Rachel Soraruf with the National Ocean Service mark their commute on a wall map at a morning "Juicer" held in Silver Spring, Md., May 16, 2008.


NOAA used the event to launch the new NOAA “Bike Bucks” pilot program, which rewards local bike commuters for riding their bike to work.

Bike riders in the program earn monetary rewards to redeem with local merchants. For more information on Bike Bucks, visit https://secure.seco.noaa.gov/ECS-Council/Green_Team/Bicyclist_subteam.html, or contact NOAA Bike Team Pilot Program Coordinator Regina Spallone at regina.l.spallone@noaa.gov.

Display tables at the event offered giveaways items such as bicycle bells, a health benefit display, maps for planning bicycling routes, and bagels & coffee (donated by the SSMC4 NOAA Gourmet Deli). The NOAA Gym offered bicyclists a place to change clothes. The event ended with four raffle drawings for two bike computers and two bike tune ups (donated by Silver Cycles).