Bike Miami Valley and Bergamo Center for Lifelong Learning earn National Recognition
Bike Miami Valley and Bergamo Center for Lifelong Learning earn National Recognition as Bicycle Friendly Businesses by the League of American Bicyclists.
Bike Miami Valley and Bergamo Center for Lifelong Learning earn National Recognition
The League of American Bicyclists recently recognized Bike Miami Valley with a Platinum Bicycle Friendly Business (BFB) award and the Bergamo Center for Lifelong Learning with a Bronze designation. These designations earned the businesses a place alongside over 1,400 businesses across the country contributing to the movement to build a more Bicycle Friendly America. Bike Miami Valley is currently the only Platinum designated Bicycle Friendly Business in the state.
“We were thrilled to receive the Platinum level award from the League,” says Bike Miami Valley Executive Director, Laura Estandia. “Our nonprofit strives to practice what we preach by participating in the Bicycle Friendly Business Program. This designation reflects the effort we’ve put into a work environment that encourages biking to work.”
“Since these businesses applied for the Bicycle Friendly Business award in February 2020, much has changed across the country,” said Bill Nesper, executive director of the League of American Bicyclists. “What hasn’t changed is the commitment of our Bicycle Friendly Business award winners to the health and well-being of their employees, customers, and community through the promotion and encouragement of bicycling as a means of transportation, fun, and fitness.”
Bike Miami Valley and the Bergamo Center For Lifelong Learning join 75 other new and renewing BFBs in the League’s Spring 2020 round of business awards, which includes government agencies, Fortune 500 companies, bike shops, and other employers across industries, all united in a commitment to transform American workplaces to be more welcoming to customers and employees who bike. The Bicycle Friendly Business award recognizes an organization’s contributions over months and years to the movement to build a Bicycle Friendly America for everyone.
“As Americans look for ways to move around safely, it’s communities and businesses offering solutions that enable people to more easily go places by bike,” said Nesper. “We know more people are biking during the pandemic and we anticipate more Americans will rely on biking to work as a safe, socially distant method of transportation as employees go back to work. Thanks to the leadership of organizations like Bike Miami Valley and the Bergamo Center for Lifelong Learning, more people will have the opportunity to choose to bike.”
Brent Devitt, the executive director of The Bergamo Center and avid cyclist himself, describes Bergamo as an ideal location next to the Iron Horse Trail for guests and staff alike to commute to the Center and access other local trails in the area. The Bergamo Center encourages cycling as an easy option for transportation and provides amenities such as two folding bicycles for free guest use and incentives such as a cycling & commuting resource center available to guests and staff.
As part of the BFB network, these businesses will have access to a variety of tools and technical assistance from the League to become even more welcoming to people who bike. When employees bike, great things happen:
Bergamo Center staff have saved 133 gallons at a value of $466. That amounts to 2661 pounds of CO2 emissions saved from the atmosphere and a total of $2,927 saved at $1 per mile, when all costs of car commuting are considered such as car ownership, etc.
To learn more about the BFB program, or to apply, visit the League online at bikeleague.org/business.
