Tools for Life

A How-To Guide from Recycle-A-Bicycle
By Delphine Taylor

"The basic ingredients are kids and bikes. If you've got those two, you're halfway there."

If you were faced with a pile of discarded bicycles and a bunch of energetic kids, you might try to put the two together and end up with a cleaner environment and a group of proud and skilled young cyclists. Transportation Alternatives' Recycle-A-Bicycle program has done just that, and to help those interested in doing the same, founders Karen Overton and George Babiak recently published Tools For Life, a 72-page manual that describes everything from setting up shop to designing a curriculum.

The idea for the book came out of demand. "We were getting at least five calls a day from people who wanted to start their own youth bike recycling program," says Overton. "Finally, I thought it would save a lot of time for everyone if we just put all the answers to the questions in one book." Having won a sizeable grant from the Environmental Protection Agency for editing and publishing costs, T.A. completed Tools For Life, in April. With four thousand copies ready for distribution, the book illustrates T.A.'s role as a leader in environmental education. "When the kids saw a real book with their faces, names, and drawings in it, they were amazed," recounts Overton. "I said, 'You guys are famous! Your book is going all over the country!' Suffice it to say, it was a great day in class."

Recycle-A-Bicycle (RAB) first came into being in May, 1994, when T.A., with the help of the Manhattan Borough President's office and the Children's Aid Society, opened up shop at Intermediate School 218 in Washington Heights. Since then, T.A. has expanded the youth education program to three other school-based locations, in East Harlem, Williamsburg, and Park Slope. Though not the first of its kind, RAB stands out as the largest program and the first to work through schools. A national model, RAB has already inspired similar programs in Philadelphia, Albany, and Boulder. With the publication of Tools For Life, more will pop up around the country.

So far, more than 500 students have learned how to transform rusty clunkers into trusty rides. The hands-on atmosphere also teaches them self-discipline, patience, respect, and cooperation, values sometimes hard to grasp in the traditional classroom. The children, between ten and thirteen years old, also learn that by rebuilding bikes, they can strengthen their communities. In the past, RAB has given recycled bikes to a summer day camp, a pediatrics center, and an urban youth project in Harlem.

The kids also learn about taking an active role in preserving the environment in and beyond their neighborhoods. A mother whose daughter participated in RAB single-handedly organized a clean-up of the East River esplanade, and a group of students petitioned the principal at I.S. 218 to install bike racks. "Most people think that Recycle-A-Bike only teaches technical skills," says Overton. "But it's much more than that. These kids are our future, and we hope we're giving them the means to embrace and respect that future."

Tools For Life begins by asking, "Have you ever walked along a New York City street on garbage night?... Have you ever walked into a classroom where the students are excited about their work?'' According to Overton and Babiak, the answers are yes and yes. In nine chapters, the authors recount the evolution of RAB, offering practical advice on organizing (whether to make an alliance with a community group or go it alone), staffing (you'll need an expert mechanic first and foremost), creating an efficient and safe workshop, collecting and storing used bicycles, fundraising, and structuring the repair course. The book also includes a detailed tool order list, copies of job descriptions, a directory of similar programs, and an extensive bibliography. On the final pages are a final exam and useful forms that can be copied, including certificates of completion and signs of shop rules (Number 1: Respect your instructors, your classmates, your tools).

Though the book's strength is its completeness, its charm lies in its conversational style and memorable anecdotes. "We wanted to describe our learning process," says Overton. "It's just as important to know what we did wrong as what we did right." In the chapter entitled "Nuts and Bolts," they suggest storing recycled wheels on a simple wheel rack, that "looked so much more professional than the piles of wheels that our credibility at the school was bumped up a notch or two." To ensure that tools wouldn't disappear, they hung them on a board, drew outlines around them, and labeled them. Not only were the students able to put the tools back, but they remembered the names as well.

The center of the book, literally and metaphorically, contains a detailed description of RAB's eight-session repair class and the "Earn-A-Bike" program. After completing the course, which runs from fixing a flat to understanding and adjusting gears, students can put in extra hours to get their own bikes. "It would be cruel to dangle bikes in front of kids and not offer them a chance to earn one," the authors write. To keep students motivated and focused, the authors recommend decorating the walls with words of wisdom. One popular poster reads, "Remember, you are the doctor…and the bicycle is the patient!"

A wonderful resource as well as a pleasure to read, Tools For Life captures the optimism and energy of Recycle-A-Bicycle and the authority of Transportation Alternatives. It serves as proof that a sound idea, backed up with ingenuity and hard work, can turn a simple machine into a vehicle for change.

Tools for Life is available online.