Delivering a Local Green Economy on Three Wheels
An interesting company called New Amsterdam Project is getting attention this week from TreeHugger and Green Daily. New Amsterdam Project (NAP) started offering delivery services in the Boston area last November using cargo tricycles that one might describe as human-electric hybrids. An electric power source assists the cyclist, making it possible to carry a load weighing hundreds of pounds.
As you might suspect, the company’s founder has a vision that involves more than simply making a profit. Still, setting out to prove that one can make a healthy profit while fostering a healthy environment is among the founder’s motivations. With record high gas prices, the company is now receiving attention from the media in stories that highlight the search for ways to reduce dependence on driving.
Andrew Brown, the founder of New Amsterdam Project, recently explained to the Christian Science Monitor how he decided to start the company. Three years ago during a visit to Amsterdam, Brown fell into a conversation about the popularity of bicycling in that city. A local resident noted that people in the U.S. have become caught up in a “bad habit” of driving their cars everywhere instead of enjoying the pleasures of bicycling. That conversation stuck with Brown, who trained as a psychiatrist, and sparked a search for a way to help break that bad habit. Demonstrating the financial viability of an endeavor that promotes fitness, reduces reliance on oil, and benefits the environment struck him as the right approach.
Fortunately, Brown’s work was made easier when he learned that a British company called Cycles Maximus had developed cargo tricycles that were used for mail delivery in the U.K. and for a variety of purposes in places around the world. One photo on the manufacturer’s website shows a cyclist hauling a washing machine up a steep hill using a cargo trike with electric assist.
Currently, New Amsterdam Project makes deliveries for CSA farms, food co-ops, and a variety of artisanal food and other businesses in the greater Boston area. Its website suggests that it is interested not only in expanding the types of deliveries it offers, but also the areas in which such service is offered. There is an invitation for people in other parts of the U.S. to contact NAP about the expansion possibilities or other collaborations.
It may be too early to tell how much success New Amsterdam Project will find. There are several similar companies that operate under the name PedEx or similar names in other cities or towns, including Berkeley’s Pedal Express, which was founded in 1994. However, for much of the period since 1994, oil prices were low and there was less awareness of or concern about the climate crisis and oil depletion, so people may now be more open to this development.
You can catch a glimpse of New Amsterdam Project and one of its riders in action in this video from New England Cable News:
Radio Netherlands also created a video news report about the company with narration in Dutch, which features Andrew Brown’s comments about his company in English.
Evan
