Many bicyclists are seeking to influence a political agreement at the UN Climate Change Conference that begins next week in Copenhagen.
A global bike commute challenge is underway and cyclists are joining climate-change bike rides in selected cities this coming weekend for Ride Planet Earth. Meanwhile, activists in The Bike Bloc Project who are planning to take to the streets in Copenhagen are designing a method of civil disobedience that will use recycled bikes.
Of course those who use their bikes to commute or run errands regularly make a statement about the bicycle as a sustainable form of transportation every day.
Bike challenges
Calling attention to the bicycle as a no-emission form of transportation and travel is Ride Planet Earth, a bike tour from Australia to Denmark led by Kim Nguyen. There are a couple of spin-offs of this ride that bicyclists can participate in:
Ride Planet Earth Challenge — This urges folks to ensure that 25km (15.5 miles) of their weekly travel is taken in an environmentally concious way, such as bicycling, walking, or taking public transit. You can sign up for the challenge at Ride Planet Earth at Facebook.
Ride Planet Earth Bike Rides — Nearly 50 bike rides are scheduled in cities around the world this coming week. The events are listed at upcoming events for Ride Planet Earth.
They include two bike rides in the US: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Durham, North Carolina and 12 to 2 p.m. Sunday in New York City. There are similar rides across Europe, Asia, South America and Africa.
Bike Bloc Project
Meanwhile, two groups of activists have joined up for The Bike Bloc Project. They're making a device that incorporates recycled bicycles that will be used for street demonstrations in Copenhagen on Dec. 16. They hope to sweep through police lines and into the conference itself.
Climate Camp and The Laboratory of Insurrectionary Imagination have been meeting for several weeks on the project and have come up with three prototypes, according to an audio report at The Guardian.
One is a modular prototype in which anyone can become part of The Bike Bloc. Then there's the Double-Double Trouble, which is essentially a chariot made of high bikes. Designers didn't want to reveal the third prototype, except to call it “The Machine.” All use recycled bike parts.
Copenhagen
We all know that Copenhagen is right up there with Amsterdam in terms of bikiness. The New York Times reports reports that the Danes will showcase cycling culture before the summit takes place. They opening an exhibit entitled Dreams on Wheels, which features, among other things, Danish-style commuter bikes.
You might as well check out this link to the Dreams on Wheels exhibit at Copenhagenize.com.
President Obama is scheduled to make a one-day appearance at the climate summit in Copenhagen, which is seeking create a binding agreement among nations to set a target for emission limitations.
Find more information on the UN Copenhagen Climate Change conference.
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