WorldLegacy Training Blue Bike Program

Press Release
“Blue Bike” Program Launches with Festival
CHAPEL HILL August 19, 2006 The long-awaited bicycle loan collaborative for the area, the “WorldLegacy Blue Bike Program,” will start rolling at the Blue Bike Festival to be held at Weaver Street Realty and WCOM community radio across from Weaver Street Market in Carrboro on Sunday, August 27th from 8:30am-3:00pm. This event is a combination membership drive, fundraiser, and bike collection and painting day for the bikes that will be used in the program. 

With the intention to raise community awareness of this new program, three area organizations are uniting to host the festival. Students United for Responsible Global Environment (SURGE), The ReCYCLEry, and The WorldLegacy strongly encourage area residents to stop by to sign up for the program, donate new or used bikes, and learn about other ways to get involved in this unique effort. Local merchants will also have an opportunity to simultaneously serve the community and boost business traffic by volunteering to act as “hubs” for the program. 

The Blue Bike Program has been likened to a library system for community transportation. Members can pick up or drop off blue bikes by presenting their membership card at a hub, and use the bikes for up to 24 hours for local travel. SURGE, the key sponsor of the program, plans to establish hubs in Carrboro, Chapel Hill, and the UNC campus. Alison Carpenter, Field Coordinator for SURGE notes, “This novel approach to getting around town is a powerful and positive combination of cleaner air, reduced traffic, new life for used bikes, and true sense of community.” About the sponsoring organizations
. The WorldLegacy is a coaching company offering a full curriculum of adult educational workshops and leadership programs that enable people to have extraordinary lives. 
SURGE, Students United for a Responsible Global Environment, is a nonviolent network led by students, but not limited to students, dedicated to achieving social, economic, political, and environmental justice through collective education and action. 
Located in Carrboro, NC, the ReCYCLEry is a direct-service not-for-profit organization whose mission is to encourage the use of the bicycle as a mode of transportation and recreation.