World Environment Day – #DONOTHINGDAY!

As cyclists, the staff at TDA Global Cycling are naturally interested in the environment and we try to do the best we can to safeguard our planet. One small thing we do is we source green energy from Bullfrog Power here in Toronto. They provide only renewable energy and, sure, it costs us a bit more money every month but we think it is worth it.

They recently sent us an email about the upcoming World Environment Day – this Sunday June 5th, encouraging us to write about how we act to protect the environment. Well, besides buying renewable energy, all of us in the Toronto office cycle to work and back using only human power- rain or shine, hot or bloody cold. The office complex where we rent a space is huge with dozens of companies in the building but in the depth of a Canadian winter you will only find TDA staff bikes in the parking spots.

We not only cycle, we also advocate for sustainable transportation. We donate bikes through our Foundation. Over the last 14 years we have donated over 2000 bikes to healthcare workers and other worthy recipients throughout Africa.

Despite all our best efforts we are still guilty of creating carbon dioxide from our support vehicles and staff flights to and from our tours. In an attempt to mitigate this, we work in partnership with a Canadian NGO called CPAR (Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief) and plant trees in Africa.

However, if you asked me what I think is really important to share today, I would suggest reading and sharing a blog I wrote on Earth Day simply called Do Nothing on Earth Day. It calls for one day a year, whether it is Earth Day or Environment Day (or better yet both days), where the one thing we should all do is literally do nothing for 24 hours. “By nothing I mean we refrain from any activity that needs energy. Only energy created by human power is allowed. Earth Day would be a complete 24 hour break from TV, phones, computers, work of any kind, travel and so on. Nothing would operate except essential services and by this I mean hospitals and fire trucks. We sleep, eat, play music the old fashioned way using traditional instruments. We sing the old fashioned way using our voices, go for walks in parks, in nature, even on highways as there will not be any traffic and visit friends. In short, we give ourselves, but more importantly Mother Earth, a complete 24 hour rest”.

So to our friends at Bullfrog Power, while we support what you have accomplished, I suggest that the best thing you can do is to help spread the word that next year we should all do nothing for 24 hours. As with many great modern movements, this one begins with a humble hashtag. On World Environment Day 2016, tell us how you will celebrate 2017 #DONOTHINGDAY in support of the environment.