What is Ride Planet Earth?
Ride Planet Earth is a grass-roots cycling-climate action campaign promoting action to stop dangerous climate change. The campaign is made up of cycling based events and adventures, as cycling is both sustainable transport and a practical and visible action ordinary people can take to reduce their carbon footprint. The campaign is completely volunteer run and does not receive any funding other than personal donations. The campaigns success comes from the passion and commitment ordinary people have to protecting the planet for future generations. These ordinary people cycle vast distances and organise cycling-climate actions and rallies, raising awareness about the current impacts of climate change on the developing world and encouraging action to reduce that impact.
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Mission
The purpose of the campaign is to raise awareness and promote action that will help create a sustainable future for the planet and life on it. The campaign hopes to use the journeys of sustainable adventurers, and other sustainable transport and travel events, to raise awareness about the impacts of climate change on vulnerable communities around the world.
The campaign focuses especially on climate refugees, people forced onto the road against their will, forced to leave their homes and homelands due to the climate crisis created by the consumption of power and products in the developed world, the industrialised world, the Global North. The long distance sustainable journeys that people are undertaking show solidarity with those refugees walking the roads of the earth in search of a new, safe home. They highlight the difficulties faced by those people, difficulties infinitely greater than any traveler who can return home. They also inspire others all around the world to do their part to reduce the impact on the planet and help protect it.
The campaign demands greater spending on and development of sustainable transport infrastructure, such as mass transit powered by renewable energy, and cycling infrastructure.
Ride North America 2010
Jeff Katrencik is taking over where Kim, Tristan, Richard, Andreas, Raluca, Rico, Lena and many others left off. He is cycling from New York City to Cancun, leaving on 24th July to arrive on 28th November, the day before the UN COP16 Summit begins.
Jeff will be cycling approximately 6000 kilometres through Canada, the U.S and Mexico in his quest to discover the truth about the impact of humans on the environment and climate of North America. He will also be reporting on the many solutions now available to solve the climate crisis and ensure that humans can continue to live on the planet in a sustainable way. You can read all about his journey on the Ride Planet Earth Blog.
Events and Actions in 2010
The Ride Planet Earth campaign is planning an international event on 28th November 2010, the day before the COP16 begins in Mexico. This event will include bicycle and sustainable transport events and rallies all around the world promoting increased action on climate change. You can see all about the event this year on the Participation Page of this website. If you would like to organise your own event as part of this international action, please do so and email the Campaign Manager, Kim Nguyen, on kim @ rideplanetearth.org so we can promote your event.
You can always participate
You can also participate by joining The Ride Planet Earth Challenge.
You just need to use environmentally sustainable transport. You can cycle, walk, skate, roller-blade or take public transport to work, to school, to your friends homes, to wherever you can. You will significantly reduce your carbon footprint and help reduce the speed of climate change. You will also reduce congestion problems, parking costs, safety issues and air pollution, creating a better living environment for everybody.
You also help us gather evidence that demonstrates the commitment to behaviour change by citizens across the globe. We use this evidence to lobby governments and business to support sustainable transport infrastructure, renewable energy technologies and other policies and practices necessary to ensure a sustainable future.