PPTC Community Service as Outreach
By Greg Drury and Ebony Payne
Cycling has never been more popular in the
Young people today are generally more socially, culturally, and environmentally conscious than ever before. In order to reach out to this younger demographic, the PPTC Community Services Committee is taking a more active role in a number of ways. They will be awarding a community service grant to send a youth delegate, Ebony Payne, to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen (COP15) this upcoming December. Ebony will also be attending our Annual Meeting on January 31st to tell us about her experience and answer questions.
We are joining up with other organizations and events to promote bicycle culture in DC. Ebony co-created a Climate EcoTour that drew 50-60 young socially conscious cyclists and included the participation of two youth-oriented bike co-ops. These cyclists led a group of 500 350.org marchers to the White House to raise awareness about climate change. In addition, during that day’s rally two major on-stage announcements were made citing PPTC’s $750 matching grant contribution. This led marchers to spontaneously donate over $200! We gave a PPTC Blinky to every person who contributed! I’m hoping this will be the just the beginning of fulfilling my personal “10 for 10” slogan; 10,000 members in 2010.
What follows is a press release that chronicles the day’s events and PPTC’s involvement which will act as another media outreach for our club. Look for this article in a future issue of the League of American Bicyclists magazine “American Bicyclist Magazine”.
Immediate Release, October 31, 2009
DC Rallies for October 24th International Day of Action
Washington, DC - a Saturday rally, the 350.org October 24th International Day of Climate Action brought out over 500 DC residents to rally at Meridian Hill, known to DC locals as Malcolm X park. Marchers held posters with the number 350 representing the maximum level of carbon dioxide that has been deemed safe for the environment to avoid catastrophic climate change by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. A free concert was held at the park by a number of bands including Backyard Band and Godisheus, as well as numerous speakers including Ambassador Friis Arne Petersen from the Danish Embassy. The event was held just over a month before the COP15 climate summit that is taking place this December in
After the rally, a green solar bus led marchers and Cyclists down 16th street to the White House as they braved the torrential down pour chanting “Rain or shine, now’s the time, we got 350 on our minds!” and “Obama! Help protect our Mama!” As the marchers rallied at
The
SustainUS is an environmental non-profit organization that is sending a youth delegation to the climate summit this year to work with world leaders on a bold, just, and binding climate treaty. Ebony worked in conjunction with a local non-profit, Wholeness for Humanity, to organize the ride.
The ride was intended to bring much needed attention to the importance of clean transportation. Bicycles, being one of the cleanest and economically dependable means of transportation, have been appearing in larger numbers over the past few years as people find ways to adapt to a tight economy. However, despite the growing population of cyclists, the city has been slow on providing adequate and efficient bicycle infrastructure including parking racks and lanes to the city’s cyclists. Proceeds that are raised from the ride are supporting sending Ebony and other youth to COP15. Proceeds of up to $750 will be matched by a local biking group, Potomac Pedalers Touring Club
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