The Ohio Environmental Education Fund (OEEF) awards grants targeting environmental issues in Ohio around which there is a significant need for more education and awareness. In 2015, the Ohio EPA determined, due to significant environmental impacts in our state, an immediate need for education to reduce air emissions. So the OEEF sought to fund innovative projects that would provide citizens the skills to make informed decisions and take responsible actions in this area, foremost by promoting alternative modes of transportation.

Enter our bicycle corrals, aka "Pedal Instead". As you likely know, Pedal Instead provides free, secure bicycle parking for cyclists at festivals and other events. And while the program obviously serves cyclists, it is unique within the bicycle community in that it also interfaces with thousands of diverse non-bicycling members of the general public, who might not enter a bike shop or go on a ride but will request information from volunteers as they pass a corral. Yay Bikes! therefore requested that OEEF help us maximize Pedal Instead's educational potential by making our corrals more visible, attractive and engaging to cyclists, "bike curious" members of the general public and others attending community events and festivals in Central Ohio. We are thrilled to announce that Yay Bikes! has received an OEEF grant to:

Expand awareness of the Pedal Instead service, encouraging more people to ride to events
Increase the extent to which Pedal Instead provides actionable information to event attendees regarding transportation bicycling
Link event attendees to the on-road educational experiences available through Yay Bikes!, to increase their cycling knowledge and confidence

With OEEF's support, we can now turn our bicycle corrals into mobile community education spaces actively helping people integrate transportation bicycling into their everyday lives. What an incredible opportunity! We are grateful.