McSpotlight supporters - this one is for you.Critical Mass is a movement aiming to promote awareness of alternatives to "Carmageddon". We've had enough of polluted streets. We are part of the mass rides which happen globally at the end of each month and your RECLAIM THE STREETS parties on London freeways inspired a huge party in Sydney last weekend (1/11/97) attracting thousands of colourful revellers.
Here's the latest on a global campaign against GLOBAL WARMING. We hope that Kyoto Summit will also be the climax of mass rides worldwide.
Contact the Critical Mass sites listed below if you need to know more.
IT'S CRITICAL, A GLOBAL MASS
Dear critical massers,
In December this year, nations from around the world are meeting at Kyoto
in Japan to decide whether or not to set uniform binding targets for
reducing greenhouse gases.
This is the perfect opportunity to promote cycling as part of the solution!
Here in Sydney, Australia, we came up with the idea of having a global
greenhouse critical mass on the 28th of November. Being only days before
the Kyoto meeting, we could have a huge international impact.
We recognise that there are millions of different reasons why people
participate in critical mass worldwide and not everyone who participates in
critical mass is concerned about the greenhouse effect. However, the
connection between cycling and a cleaner environment - whether that's less
local air pollution or fewer carbon dioxide emissions, is obvious and we
feel ought to be promoted.
Cycling produces no greenhouse gases. If governments around the world are
serious about reducing greenhouse gas emissions, then they should be
promoting cycling - that means more cycle paths, more bike stands, bike
access on public transport, more traffic calming, less road building ...
I'm sure you all know what needs to be done!
We propose that critical mass everywhere focuses attention on greenhouse
on the 28th of November by -
* issuing media releases which stress cycling as a solution to the
greenhouse effect
* distributing flyers (SEE BELOW)
* flying banners about greenhouse
* flying blue flags from bikes to symbolise clean air (this looks very
dramatic - imagine if it was a symbol at critical masses all around the
world - it would make beautiful television footage!)
* pulling stunts - such as the reverse pollution vehicle which we ran here
a few months ago (it was a car painted with clouds to symbolise clean air,
filled with plants which converted the pollution into oxygen for people to
breathe, and pulled by two tandems - we made the TV news on two channels
with this)
* doing any other wild and crazy, zany things we can think of!
If you would like critical mass in your city to be involved in some way,
please email Gabrielle Kuiper in Sydney at Gabrielle.Kuiper@uts.edu.au or
Saul Griffith on saul@mech.eng.usyd.edu.au. Perhaps we can get a discussion
list going and share ideas and resources and develop networks? What do you
think?
cheers,
some Sydney critical massers
PS For those critical masses in Australia -
On the 30th of November, there will be major rallies protesting against the
Australian governments stand on greenhouse in Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne
and Brisbane. A national greenhouse critical mass could launch a whole
weekend of greenhouse activism. It would also allow us to cement critical
mass as a national and international event in the media. Wanna be part of
the fun?
PPS Here are the addresses for the flyers:
The newest, generalist version:
http://www.ozemail.com.au/~saul/Bikes/cm/CMG2A.PDF
http://www.ozemail.com.au/~saul/Bikes/cm/CMG2A.PDF
The other version:
http://www.ozemail.com.au/~saul/Bikes/cm/CMGLOBE1.PDF
http://www.ozemail.com.au/~saul/Bikes/cm/CMGLOBE2.PDF
Cheers,
Jane Salmon
None.
