Bike Power Weekend
NataliePace.com
March 5th, 2012
http://www.nataliepace.com/np.php?fxn=article&id=20120305
Co-Sponsored by Time’s Up, Occupy North Carolina, Trish Martin, Megan Battistella (Adair Design) and Other Conscious Creatives. April 20-22, 2012.
On Earth Day 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oilrig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, resulting in the death of 11 men. Two days later, as the DWH rig sank, the world became witness to a gusher that spewed at least 4.9 million barrels of crude oil into the open waters of the Gulf. (As you can imagine, no corporate or government official is making it easy to find the exact amount of oil that gushed from the wells.) By comparison, the Exxon Valdez tanker spill of 1989 dumped 32 million gallons (not barrels) into Alaskan waters…
So, the BP disaster added up to at least 206 million gallons of oil wasted, never to be recovered…which was mixed with 1.8 million gallons of Corexit dispersant. The toxic soup contaminated sugar white sand beaches, oyster beds, and shrimping grounds….People are still worried about eating any seafood from that region (though government officials, including the White House, are saying it’s safe to). The wildlife and life lost as a result of the disaster will never be accounted for, and the lingering damage done to the local economy and businesses will never be made whole by payouts and settlements. Clearly, this is a disaster, like the Exxon Valdez disaster before it, to be avoided again like the plague. Which is why so many organizations and individuals are teaming up to promote Bike Power Weekend this Earth Day weekend — from April 20-22, 2012. Join us to promote and discover sustainable solutions for a cleaner, greener, healthier planet.
This year, from April 20th – 22nd, on the 2nd anniversary of the BP Oil Spill Disaster, WE are challenging each other to find innovative ways to live oil-free for a weekend. It’s a daunting challenge, as nearly everything we use on a daily basis is a petroleum-based product. We have to start somewhere, though…and it is our hope that together, we can share ways to eliminate, or at least greatly reduce, our dependence on and addiction to oil.
Please join U.S. for Bike Power Weekend, no matter where you live around the world. Below you’ll find 25 ways you can promote a cleaner, greener, healthier tomorrow. Do one. Do them all! There is a huge difference between all and nothing. Just do something. And get as close as possible to living an entire weekend without oil, with the goal that each day, and certainly each Earth Day, this will get ever more easy.
Celebrate Earth Day all weekend long (April 20-22, 2012)
Live the solutions to a cleaner, greener world
to honor the 11 people who lost their lives
And the countless businesses and wildlife who suffered
as a result of the BP Oil Spill
25 Suggestions for Bike Power Weekend
1. Ride a bike to work and for your chores. Plan now to make this happen all weekend long.
2. If you can’t ride a bike or walk, choose mass transit or carpool, instead of driving
3. Videoconference, instead of flying to a meeting
4. Use canvas bags instead of plastic
5. Eat local, organic and low on the food chain. (This means, no chocolate or coffee for Americans and Canadians. Acck!)
6. Plant a tree
7. Pay bills online
8. Reduce, Re-use and recycle
9. Compost
10. Replace your light bulbs and CFLs with LED lighting
11. Test drive an electric car
12. Send this flyer to your local newspaper and ask them to publicize Bike Power Weekend.
13. Send this flyer to 10 friends and ask them to send this flyer to 10 friends.
14. Join the Facebook event at http://www.facebook.com/events/309002565779494/
15. Have a great time promoting clean, green healthy living. Include kids & teens.
16. Join Time’s Up! Environmental Group and take part in or start Critical Mass monthly bike rides in your city. If you live in NYC, participate in Time’s Up! Polar Bear Ride on April 22, 2012 at 1:30 p.m., starting at Union Square South.
17. Learn how the Netherlands and Germany promoted physical and fiscal health through their bike-centric societies in Natalie Pace’s HuffingtonPost article, “Green. Peace.”
18. Stop investing in oil in your 401K, IRA, annuity and pension. Join NataliePace.com and read You Vs. Wall Street to learn how now.
19. Invest in a clean energy exchange traded fund. Search iShares and PowerShares for options. Here are three possibilities: (ticker symbols) ICLN (iShares), PBW (PowerShares) and PBD (PowerShares).
20. Use wind, solar and geothermal energy to power your home, office and electric car.
21. If you must drive, gas up on Thursday and don’t refuel until Monday.
22. Get creative about avoiding oil for an entire weekend!
23. Share your solutions and experiences on the Facebook Bike Power Weekend event page and with your friends.
24. Organize a Critical Mass Bike Power bike ride in your town or city for Friday, April 20, 2012 (and the first Friday of each month thereafter). Get more info and/or post your event at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_Mass
25. Unplug your cell phone and personal computer chargers immediately after your devices are charged. (Leaving them plugged in is like leaving the lights on all the time — a big energy drain.)
Get more green tips in the Energy Savers Guide at http://www.energysavers.gov/tips/.
Yours in Peace, Green, Health and Prosperity,
Time’s Up, Occupy North Carolina, Natalie Pace, Megan Battistella (Adair Design), Trish Martin, (your name and your organization here) and Conscious Creatives around the world.
