Smart Trips coordinator Kirsten Wert to present 'Transportation in Bellingham' Oct. 26 at Western

Western Today staff

October 22, 2012

Smart Trips Program Coordinator Kirsten Wert will present “Transportation in Bellingham” as part of Western Washington University’s Huxley College of the Environment Speaker Series at 3 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 26 in CF 125 on the Western campus.

The presentation is free and open to the public.

Wert came to the transportation field from a background in sales and marketing in the outdoor industry. A lifelong bike commuter, she has been coordinating the Whatcom Smart Trips program for the Whatcom Council of Governments since 2007. In addition to working with more than 130 employer partners and assisting Smart Trips participants, she has developed numerous Smart Trips outreach programs including:

House parties to encourage women to bike, bus and walk more.
Monthly senior outings from the Bellingham Senior Center using the WTA fixed route service to teach seniors how to use the bus system.
A School Smart Trips with four hours of curriculum and a separate website for 7th-grade students to encourage them to start making more independent trips.
Wert will present the ins and outs of getting around Bellingham by bus, bike and on foot. Learn best practices to incorporate into your daily routine, including how to confidently share the road with cars while cycling, as well as best routes to take. She will cover some of the must-have gear for our rainy winter weather. Bring your transportation questions and get ready to walk, bus and bike for the rest of the year and beyond!

  • Nov. 2: Sylvia Yang of Western’s Shannon Point Marine Center will discuss organism-environment interactions in intertidal marine systems.
  • Nov. 9: Jack Nisbet and David Douglas will present “A Naturalist at Work: An Illustrated Exploration Across Two Centuries in the Pacific Northwest.”
  • Nov. 16: Screening (excerpts) and discussion of the film “American Meat” with director-producer Graham Meriwether.
  • Nov. 30: “The Future of Land, Land Trusts, and Food.” Panelists: Laura Ridenour (Sustainable Connections), Steve Hollenhorst (dean of Western’s Huxley College of the Environment), Jim Ashby (Community Food Co-op), Stephen Trinkaus (owner of Terra Organica and the Bellingham Public Market).
  • Dec. 7: Scott Miles and Rebekah Green of Western’s Resilience Institute will speak on Japan's recovery in housing and critical infrastructure following its devastating earthquake and tsunami.

Anyone interested in these topics is encouraged to come and participate; the presentation will include a question-and-answer period. The speaker series is held by Western's Huxley College of the Environment to bring together the environmentally minded community and other interested members of the WWU and Bellingham communities. Speakers address topics of contemporary environmental concern in the region and the world.

For more information, please contact the main office of Huxley College of the Environment, at (360) 650-3520.

Western’s Huxley College of the Environment is one of the oldest environmental colleges in the nation and a recognized national leader in producing the next generation of environmental stewards. The College’s academic programs reflect a broad view of the physical, biological, social and cultural world. This innovative and interdisciplinary approach makes Huxley unique. The College has earned international recognition for the quality of its programs.