Carrotmob Crams Cafe: NOPA Gets More Green

Lauren Almeda-Reddell, relaxed for the pic, busy for the mob

Matching Half Cafe: lots of light, great art, and the stained-glass windows

The Carrotmob phenomenon roused mid-NOPA today and dispelled thoughts of drizzle and staying warm and dry indoors. During one brief stopover at about 3:30 this afternoon, more than 75 Carrotmob followers packed into the Matching Half Cafe located at McAllister and Baker streets. Proprietors Jason Wahlberg and Lauren Almeda-Redell and their staff looked a little dazzled, happy, and non-stop busy serving all the new and returning customers. The band Sufi (see clip above) kept the cafe bouncing. Outside on the extra-wide Baker sidewalk, two tents with seating offered respite from the light rain. Gathered round-about were several members of the Wigg Party, including Morgan Fitzgibbons and Ben Kaufman, who greeted all and boosted the event that their group organized. A PBS film crew captured much of the buzz for a feature on Carrotmob, planned for broadcast in a month.

All proceeds from this afternoon's mob mash will be matched by the cafe for a whopping 200% re-direct of funds toward purchase of a bike trailer for trips to the farmers' market. One less car on the streets, reduced oil consumption, and better air quality.

See previous post on Carrotmob in NOPA.

Green Consumers To "Carrotmob" Local Cafe; New Bike Trailer in the Balance

Lauren Almeda-Reddell and Jason Wahlberg, proprietors of Matching Half Cafe

Carrotmob, the two-year-old San Francisco-born sensation, plans to swarm NOPA's popular Matching Half Cafe this Saturday afternoon to help the business adopt more sustainable practices. If enough customers purchase sweets and savories, coffee and brew, the cafe's proprietors will use the profits to buy a bike trailer to get food from farmers' markets without a car. They'll also kick in a, yes, matching half, to re-invest 200% of what they make during the event for the new transport.

Hatched by San Franciscan Brent Schulkin, Carrotmob is a straight-forward organization of purchasing power to promote a good cause. The idea, according to the group's website, is to "coordinate purchases to reward environmentally and socially responsible businesses with a mob of new customers." Begun in 2008, more than 100 Carrotmobs have sprouted worldwide.

The Wigg Party will host NOPA's venture into consumer mob potential. "It's a great opportunity to showcase what we are building here in the neighborhood," explained Wigg Party founder Morgan Fitzgibbons. The Wiggs organized a competition among local businesses to be selected as a Carrotmob beneficiary. Fitzgibbons said the Matching Half won the opportunity because of their 200% kick-in offer and their choice of realistic goals for the proceeds. The Wigg Party itself is all about sustainability. Taking it's name from the east-west bicycle route, the Wiggle, members work to make the community a leader in the sustainability movement.

Carrotmob regularly turns out a huge crowd of customers. When the group first selected the K&D Market on 16th street in the Mission, hundreds of shoppers lined up outside the grocery for hours and boosted sales to more than $9,000. The market's owners used the profits to re-do indoor lighting to be more environmentally friendly.

To make Saturday's mob scene even more compelling, PBS will film a segment on site for an upcoming feature on Carrotmob. Help get one more bike trailer and one less car on city streets while you grab some coffee,tea, beer, wine, baked goods and more.

Carrotmob @ Matching Half Cafe

1700 McAllister at Baker

Saturday, October 23, 3-6pm

cash purchases only

For Carrotmob theory and practice, check this:

How Organized Consumer Purchasing Can Change Business from carrotmob on Vimeo.

And for how Carrotmob played in the Mission:

Carrotmob Makes It Rain from carrotmob on Vimeo.

Really? "Taking Kids by Bike: Faster, Less Stressful, and A Lot More Fun"

photo courtesy of busbozo on Flickr

Surely this isn't just a Florida phenomenon, but a mother in Orlando touts a discovery that makes transporting her two young daughters to school followed by her own commute to work a whole lot simpler.

For readers without kids to transport, "Angie" gives a quick rundown of the routine on Commute Orlando Blog. NOPA parents with little ones might not have time to commiserate, especially those with kids who have places to go. But they know the drill. According to Angie, "Any parent that has had to run errands with kids in tow knows how frustrating it is to buckle, drive, stop, unbuckle, ad nauseum."

Parents at the tipping point of trying bicycles-for-transport might appreciate the encouragement and information that this converted Florida bicyclist offers. She compares the time and effort for moving kids around in a car and on bike, and whether it's school, play dates, or errands, bicycling wins feet down. She also offers tips on the advantages and disadvantages of using bike trailers for kids -- she doesn't like them -- and how utility bikes work better for her and her husband.

photo courtesy of bikinpolitico on Flickr

Angie's ringing endorsement is hard to beat: "The time and energy we save by running errands by bike has completely changed our quality of life; this kind of life improvement is priceless."

Pedal-Powered Hauling @ BIKE THE BLOCK

See it happen and you're impressed. Do it once and you're converted. Hauling by bike is cool, inspiring, motivating, and easier than you might think. NOPA cyclists bike their kids, their groceries, their desks, their apartments, really, most everything you can imagine -- and some you never would.

Newbie haulers start with paniers on the side, or they mount a front basket, or bungee their stuff on a rear rack. When they're ready for some real human-powered transport, cyclists switch to cargo bikes, xtracycles, and the trailers for when you forego the U-Haul for the U-Bike.

All kinds of hauling gear and bikes will roll onto Grove Street between Baker and Lyon this upcoming Sunday for NOPA's BIKE THE BLOCK, a three-hour bike-themed block party. Trade tips about what works best, find a neighbor to invest in a bike trailer together, and take a few trial spins. Be sure to get a copy of the SF Bike Coalition's "Schlepping, shopping, hauling, lugging, moving, grooving...by bike" pamphlet.

BIKE THE BLOCK

Sunday, Sept. 27

10 am to 1 pm

Grove Street, between Baker and Lyon

3 hours non-stop, all-bike splurge in NOPA.

(But you don't have to be a cyclist to have a good time).

• Kids skill course
• bike decorating
• bike service station
• electric bike demo
• show'n'tell bike trailers
• 6 person funcycyle (you have to ride this with your friends and neighbors!)
• Coffee to power you up compliments of Central Coffee & Tea
• Free Raffle of Mojo Bicycle Cafe T-shirts
• Ever-popular Free Walk or Bike Ride to Divisadero Farmers Market

(See tomorrow's post for a profile of the Dan the DJ and his partybike).