Photo by Shannon Power

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"I think high gas prices are terrific," Janie says. And this is why: she was among a group that started Cambridge’s Green Streets Initiative as one day a month to bike or walk to work or school. What started as a way to make streets safer has benefited from other factors, including high gas prices.

Since the first walk/ride day two years ago, the movement has gained momentum. Her family has relinquished its car and the Go Green Streets movement has been adopted by local businesses, retail sponsors, and even cities in other states. After putting her architect’s training to work on the "problem" of traffic flow, she’s now working on making the program easily adopted by other groups.

"Having kids makes adults consider what kind of world we want to leave them," she says. "But I hope things change faster than a whole generation away."