Cyclers pedal 350 people-powered-miles for the planet

Two Vermonters and two New Hampshirites are cycling 350 miles from Norwich, Vermont to Canton, New York to speak about climate-safe lifestyles in towns along the way. On Thursday, April 9th from 5-6:30 pm, the Upper Valley Food Coop is hosting Jim Merkel, author of Radical Simplicity: Small Footprints on a Finite Earth and his fellow cyclers for their presentation at the Coop at 193 North Main St. in White River Junction. They depart on April 9th from Norwich, Vermont and will speak at 11 towns en route to the North Country Sustainable Energy Fair. They bike 350 miles to broadcast the message of leading climate scientist, Dr. James Hansen: “If humanity wishes to preserve a planet similar to that on which civilization developed and to which life on Earth is adapted… CO2 will need to be reduced from its current 385 parts per million to at most 350 ppm.”

At the interactive Cycling for a Sustainable Future Kick-off event, participants become ‘visionaries’ of alternative futures and presenters offer footprint reducing examples. This event celebrates the regions innovative organizations and businesses that are leading the way. You’re encouraged to cycle to the Co-op, enjoy free local food and hear from local leaders. Jim Merkel states, “This event offers a radical stimulus package where practical, artful, scientifically sound lifestyle steps accumulate. From vision to action, witness the birth of a new culture where low-impact becomes ‘default.’”

Team members will also document exciting “Transition Town” initiatives on campuses, farms, and towns and relay them on the Cycling for a Sustainable Future blog.
Since 1996 the Cycling for a Sustainable Future Tours have covered over 17,000 miles. This year’s tour members are: Jim Merkel, Susan Cutting, S. Tyler Durham and Ross Scatchard. They thank the wind at their backs generated by their sponsors: the Vermont Chapter of the Sierra Club, Ibex, D Acres, The Global Living Project and the Upper Valley Food Coop.

For more information about the event, contact Kye Cochran at (802) 295-5804 or Jim Merkel at glp@vtusa.com or (802) 649-2508
http://cyclingforasustainablefuture.blogspot.com/.

Also, join the tour members and UVLT on Saturday, April 11th, 10 - 11:30am at the Mountain School dining hall in Vershire, VT for "Real World Sustainability". A lunchtime conversation will follow. Bring a bag lunch or a donation for food. Pump up those bike tires, cycle to the event and join the team on their way out of town toward Montpelier after lunch, (802) 439-5324.