Ride Planet Earth

Hello world.

I am sorry I haven’t written anything for so long. I have been in Copenhagen for over a week. Its not really fair on all those who have followed this journey to wait so long to write. But I’ve been busy. This is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. I feel like one of the thousands of bloggers here those role it is to keep the masses informed about what is going on. People are here representing what seems like every university, environmental group, business group and political party. They sit in the giant room I am sitting in right now in the Bella Centre typing away and keeping everyone hooked up.

So now its my turn. There is so much to say. Since Berlin, which now seems something like light years away. I have to make it brief because there is still so much to do here.

I left a man alone on a bike with a desire to do something to help the planet. In 2 days I have a brief meeting with the Prime Minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd, where I plan to hand him a DVD with messages from around the world, from the participants in Ride Planet Earth, demanding action now.

After Berlin the group, the Cycle Change Convoy, grew fast. Rico and Lena joined Rich and I, with Rick along to video and document. In Hamburg we went with 5 Spanish cyclists and 2 more from England. By the time we crossed into Denmark we were 10, by the time we reached Copenhagen 60. Including those cycling in solidarity around the world, some thousands.

As the group grew and we neared our destination we started to do more of the things I wish I had done throughout the journey. We created a giant banner, representing the creation of a sustainable world. The banner started as a blank circle, and people were invited to draw or write on it what they believed would contribute to a sustainable world. People drew windwills, solar power panels and bicycles, and wrote messages demanding action and describing hope.

We campaigned, speaking to people on the street, recording more video messages, chanting and singing and making speeches, we made ourselves more visible so people who saw us knew why we were cycling and where. As we crossed into Denmark my excitement grew, but it was dampened by a persistent cough and weeks with minimal sleep, as I tried to do everything I could to make sure the Ride Planet Earth events would take place successfully.

Then finally the 6th Dec came. Its funny how certain dates gain notoriety, some amongst us all, some just our families and friends, dates when great battles were won or lost, birthdays and anniversaries. 6th Dec is going to stand out for me.

We finally set off from Roskilde on the morning of the 6th. It was cold, overcast, damp. I was happily surprised to find a considerable group of local Danes waiting for us in front of the Roskilde train station. As we cycled throughout the day more and more people joined us. We cycled slowly, I was carrying our banner with a guy named Doug who is from Boston. He probably had the loudest voice and chanted for all the city to hear. The baner got caught in our wheels a few times and got pretty dirty. Laurent from France beat the drum I had bought in a hamburg subway, singing improvised bicycle environmental songs and making us all laugh. Many of the people who had helped us throughout Denmark, providing accommodation, food, support and wonderful company, joined us too. Anna, Morten, Ane, Nynne, Maja, Mette and others. Leon from China and Oxford, who had been emailing me since Sichuan meet us on the outskirts of the city and brought his irrepressible vitality. Richard wore his bird mask and used the taped together megaphone to continue chanting, even though Leon had knocked it so it had fallen and broke into several pieces.

There weren’t as many people as I had hoped. I had hoped, eventually, for over 100, but I knew that by the time we hit the streets in Copenhagen, already hundreds had hit the streets in so many other places around the world. I knew we were doing something important, something special, and I was happy.

When we finally arrived at the COme2gether cafe, set up in a Folk High School in the middle of Copenhagen to run workshops on climate change I made a speech. It wasn’t necessarily good, although I hope it was, but everyone there responded and cheered. Later I thought again about how it had been when I left Brisbane, how I had been then. Alone, with no-one but my friend Dave there, taking any notice. It had been a hell of a journey.

Later, after the euphoria had settled a bit, and most of the cyclists were leaving to find their couchsurfing couches or find long lost friends they had discovered lived in Copenhagen, I started checking my emails and facebook. I had the immense pleasure of seeing the wonderful things others had done around the world on the 5th and 6th Dec. Rides had taken place in many locations around the world. I watched videos from Yogjakarta, Paris, Yerevan, Brisbane, Bucharest, Paris and more. All these people cycling to stop climate change. I listened to their messages and was reminded why I had done this. Why I had come here. And it made me resolve to do whatever I could here to further their cause. Our cause. To save our planet.

I can’t say I have any idea what I am doing here. Soon after arriving I was passing through metal detectors and showing my passport to get into the Bella Centre. I was overwhelmed and awe-struck. The place is a giant chaotic circus of laptop olympics. People rush from one end to the other, all grasping laptops and emailing furiously and continuously. For a long time I didn’t know what to do, I just wandered around disorientated. I cycled for 16 months to come here?

But I have something to do. And I am still trying to do it. I arranged meetings and press conferences to show the messages people have given me or uploaded, to try to advocate on their behalf to the delegates, particularly the Australian delegation, to take the action needed to stop climate change. Like so many have reminded me for so long, its hard. Really hard. I have certainly had the feeling that no-one cares. But I stop myself, of course they care. Of course our actions are important. We might not have the strongest, loudest or most numerous voices, but our actions speak, and they join the growing chorus of voices saying take action now. That chorus needs every voice within it, and it needs more voices to join in. So I have to use this opportunity to get our message across. We are taking action, we will take more action. All our leaders know the reality, even if they don’t like to admit it, despite the influences of the richest and most powerful industries in our society, they must take action now.

I am learning a lot here. More about the science, the political negotiations and process, the groups that are trying to move this world in the right direction. I am getting inspired, and thinking about ways to best consolidate the action that has led to the COP15 and must continue afterwards.

For 18 months I was focused purely on 6th Dec 09. But this fight will continue. Now I am thinking about 6th Dec 2010, 2011, 2012… So here is what I am proposing.

Whatever happens here at the COP15, here in the Bella Centre, a huge change is still necessary in our society to change the way we interact with our environment. We need to stop abusing it, exploiting it, and destroying the balance that keeps us alive on this planet in the process. Ride Planet Earth can contribute to that positive and necessary change.

So we will keep Ride Planet Earth going. Each 6th Dec 09 until this planet is safe. We will encourage more people to join in, and keep building the movement to include more places and countries.

We will encourage more people to join the Ride Planet Earth Challenge. Not just to use sustainable transport before the COP and while I have been cycling, but to use it always. We can use this group, all the participants, to demonstrate to politicians, business and the world that ordinary people are taking the lead on this issue and everyone else better catch up.

We will use this website and network to link cyclists and environmental activists. We will help to show society that not only is change necessary but it is also possible. Even by doing something as simple as riding your bike.

So please, if you want to help, to become a greater part of this project, please email me at kim@rideplanetearth.org. Thank you for your interest and participation in our project. I look forward to seeing you on the street, on your bike, somewhere in the world.

(We will be publishing information about new Ride Planet Earth projects on this website in the coming weeks.)

Cheers,

Kim