~ Norman Vincent Peale

Can you imagine a bicycle built for charging batteries?  Keegan Stephan, a bike mechanic and environmental activist, built one about a year ago that he pedals in his apartment to power his refrigerator.  The device consists of a Schwinn bike which is connected to a fly-wheel that is then connected to a dynamo.  Energy created by the dynamo flows through a motor and something called a diode, ultimately charging a black marine battery. 

The Occupy Wall Street protesters have been persistently camped out in Zuccotti Park near New York's financial district since September 17, using gas-powered generators to provide heat and to charge devices.  On October 28, citing safety concerns, the NYC fire department confiscated several of the generators that provided power to the occupants in the park.  

Mr. Stephan saw this moment as the perfect opportunity to both help the OWS camp as winter approaches and to demonstrate to the public how people can produce pollution-free energy.  Several volunteers helped to transport the energy-producing bikes down to the park and assemble them.  Now the bikes are attracting crowds of onlookers and one volunteer is even considering asking tourists to help pedal.

It is estimated that 6 hours of pedaling will provide 100 hours of laptop and cell-phone use. These human-powered, energy-producing bicycles have all kinds of potential, not just for the protesters, but for communities, organizations and entrepreneurs.

Imagine a spinning class that raises power by pedaling to help the less fortunate heat their homes for the winter or cool them for the summer.

Or how about a public park equipped with these battery bikes that provides a great exercise opportunity while lighting the park?

Some imaginative entrepreneur could develop a chain of bike gym/internet cafes whose customer's workouts would help keep overhead low.

There is no limit to the power of the human imagination.  All that is needed is an open mind and a willingness to try and try again.  Keep pedaling, even when the road gets bumpy.  You never know what you will find at the top of the hill.

Power from the people!

~~~~~~~~~

Check out a short video demonstrating the bike on the TIME'S UP! website (see link under Elaborations, up and to the right).  Then make some people-powered Pumpkin Pasta with Creamy Mushroom Sauce.

1 cup organic pumpkin (from a 15 oz can)

Pinch of salt

2 & 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting

1 organic egg

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup finely chopped shallots, minced

1 clove of garlic, minced

Scant 1/4 teaspoon crumbled dried rosemary

8 oz carton of mushrooms, wiped clean, trimmed and sliced thin

1 cup organic heavy cream

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil for pasta water

Freshly grated parmesan cheese 

Make Pasta:

Put pumpkin in a large bowl, along with a pinch of salt.  Add flour and egg and mix well with a fork (mixture will be crumbly).  Using your hands (and arms!), knead pasta into a ball of dough.  Keep kneading until flour disappears and dough is uniform in color.  Let dough rest 5 to 10 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough ball using a rolling pin into a thin circle (approximately 15" in diameter).  Cut circle into 4 equal sections, then cut each section into 4 equal strips.  You should now have 16 strips.  Roll each strip a little more to make them thinner and even out their shapes.  Don't worry about making them look perfect, though, as their rustic, imperfect appearance is part of the charm.

You can now cover the pasta strips tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate them until you are ready to cook (up to 8 hours).

Cook pasta:

In a 5 quart pot, bring 3 & 1/2 quarts of water to a boil.  While water is heating, make sauce.

Make sauce:

Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat.  Add shallots and garlic and sauté, stirring constantly, until shallots are translucent (about 1 minute).  Add mushrooms, reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring often until mushrooms soften (about 5 to 7 minutes).  Add a pinch of salt and the rosemary, stir.  Add 1 cup of water, stir well and heat 5 minutes.  Add cream and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes more or until sauce has thickened.  Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.  Reduce heat to low and keep warm until pasta is done.

Once pasta water is boiling, add 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and a generous amount of salt to the pasta water.  Add pasta and cook al dente (2 to 4 minutes). Make sure you taste the pasta for doneness, you don't want to overcook it!  

Drain cooked pasta well and add it to the pan with the sauce.  Stir a minute or two and serve immediately with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Baked version:

Preheat oven to 400°

Butter an oven-proof dish.  Layer cooked pasta strips with the mushroom sauce and top with parmesan cheese.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Serve hot.

Serves 4