“Over 1500 people participated in the inaugural Earth Ride – Adelaide 2010. Proudly brought by Adelaide City Council and Capital City Committee, Earth Ride – Adelaide coincided with Earth Hour to promote and celebrate sustainable city living and a greener future. The community of Adelaide came out in big numbers and got their chance to ride, walk, jog, skate and rollerblade along the car-free streets of Adelaide.

After the ride, everybody returned to the event village, which was set up at Victoria Square. Participants enjoyed festival-like entertainment such as stilt walkers, unicyclists and Brazilian drummers and dancers, while a mini sustainability expo took them on an educational journey about sustainable city living. Several schools also decorated old bikes and displayed them. All schools who participated won a “Coolenation” education pack by Carbon Planet.

Despite the rainy weather, the turn-out was great. A lot of families with small children came out and took the opportunity to introduce their kids to our city streets, without the danger of other traffic. We like to thank the support crew and volunteers who came out in big numbers, the sustainability stallholders such as Solahart and Carbon Planet and Adelaide City Council and Capital City Committee who proudly sponsored the event.”

Alex, Alan Charles and Graham ride in the Tour Down Under for Earth Ride. Between them they rode more that 2000kls WOW! Great work boys and thanks for the support.

The support team

Bangkok was the recipients of the Gearing for the Future award. The award was presented to Dr.Pongsak Semson, the Permanent Secretary for Bangkok Metropolitan Administration Ms.Bronte  Moules, Charge d' Affaires from the Australian Embassy, Bangkok. Previuos winners: City of Sydney and Lead Lease Corporation. 

A/Prof Chris Rissel is Director of the Health Promotion Service in the Sydney South West Area Health Service.  The Area Health Service has an active program of encouraging cycling. This includes cycling skills courses, development of maps highlighting cycling routes, organised community rides, a bike pool, and the development of cycling resources. Cycling is a good strategy to increase the proportion of the population who are sufficiently physically active, which also helps with the prevention and management of overweight and obesity.

Jon Leighton
"Jon joined the Bicycle NSW board last year with a vision of mainstreaming cycling, making cycling accessible, current and trendy. He cycles daily (whenever possible) with Easy Riders - NorthShore Bike Bus and Peleton Sports enjoying all parts of Sydney and particualry the Ku-ring-gai National Park.

Jon firmly believes "life's better on a bike" and the vision of cycling in Australia of "more people cycling more often"

Read more click here

Click here to read the lastest Earth Ride news

Exciting concepts for the UN Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen November 2009

Check out this great video click on photo

Christine Outram - Researcher in Architecture and Urbanism at the Senseable City Lab, MIT and Project Leader for the SmartBiking Project join the growing list of Earth Ride ambassadors click here to read more

Published Aug 19 2008 by One Green Generation Archived Aug 20 2008. Will Americans ever bicycle like the rest of the world? by Melinda Briana Epler. After reading a post at Earth First, I thought I'd seek out and share some bicycle inspiration. The following photos were taken at train stations around the world:

Malmo, Sweden

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Tokyo, Japan

Leuven, Belgium

Niigata, Japan

Too Cold? Scandinavia

So... What are we waiting for?!
A couple of weeks ago I wrote Is Your Neighbourhood Bikeable? To see if we couldn't get ourselves out of this biker's block. There are some resources there to peruse. And there were also some amazing comments. I'm going to reproduce one from LHT Rider here, because I think it's very useful.

If You Have Biker's Block by LHT Rider

It is a sad commentary on the culture we live in that so many of us are afraid to exercise our right to use the public roads in a non-polluting manner. Believe me, I know how you feel. I went from not riding my bicycle for many, many years and have since become a 4-season rider in the northern Midwest. Here are some things that have helped me make the transition.
1. Set small, achievable, progressive challenges for yourself. Baby steps are important. See for yourself what you're truly capable of and question your assumptions. If you are willing to test your preconceived notions, you might be surprised at the results.
2. Allow yourself to do what you need to in order to feel more comfortable. For example if the road immediately adjacent to your house is too scary, allow yourself to ride on the sidewalk for a short distance until you can get somewhere safer. This is legal in many communities. Just remember to: be nice - yield to pedestrians, be careful crossing driveways especially if you do not have a clear line of sight, and do not under any circumstances shoot out into intersections from the sidewalk as car drivers do not expect you to be there.
3. Get a mirror & learn how to use it. It's much less scary if you know what's coming up behind you. While some people have no problem just turning around to see what's behind them while still maintaining a razor sharp straight line, a mirror allows you to check things out more quickly and without the risk of weaving (into traffic, the curb, a pothole etc.)
4. Plan your route. On a bicycle you would almost never take the exact same route as you would in a car (because that's where all the cars are!). Your city may have a map of official bicycle routes (maybe even online!). This can be extremely helpful and make for a much more pleasant ride.
5. Educate yourself. Read up on how to ride in traffic or refresh your memory on the rules of the road. Learn how to use your gears. A bicycle should give you a mechanical advantage over walking. It doesn't have to be hard (or racing fast). In addition, as Heather @ SGF says, think about what you're afraid of happening & figure out what you would do if it actually happened. There's lots of good advice out there on everything from gear to how to change a tire. (By the way, riding a bicycle really does not require spandex or Lycra).
6. Be sure your bicycle fits you. (This is getting easier, but can be difficult for many women.) Also make sure it works properly. There may be adjustments or changes in equipment that can make your ride much more comfortable and enjoyable. I have only recently come to appreciate what an amazing difference tires can make in the of your ride. Think about getting a basket or pannier so that your bicycle can haul more than just you!
7. Demand cycling (and pedestrian) improvements and safety in your community. The only way it will get easier/better for cyclists is if we stand up and say that this is something we care about and should be a priority for where we live.

Very Cool!

Maybe Your Neighbourhood Isn't Bikeable Yet.
For many of us, I think it all has to begin with #6 above. Some of our neighbourhoods just aren't bikeable. Some aren't even walkable. So while you are growing your own food and greening your indoors, please think about how we can make our communities more bikeable and walkable.

And when you come up with an idea, act on it. When you see an opportunity to do something about it, act on it. That opportunity could be big or small - a community meeting, someone who might listen via email or phone, a local election, even just a chat with a neighbour to start. And if someone else organizes a great, safe bicycling event, make sure you turn out in droves with friends and family.
Make these free and green transportation options possible in your neighbourhood!

Need More Inspiration?
Ciclovia in Bogotais inspiring - 2 million people ride 70 miles of car-free streets, take exercise and dance classes, walk and join together every week. New Yorkjust shut down Park Avenue for bicycles. Portland closed streets for its "Sunday Parkways", and has a website to help you get around the city car-free. It's happening around the world.

In Seattle, Bicycle Sunday has been going on for as long as I can remember: all day traffic is closed to cars and trucks along the Lake Washington Waterfront. Now it has turned into Saturdays as well, and more are in the works! There's even a Pro Walk Pro Bike Conferencehere in September. It's not all we need, but it's a start - it raises awareness, it allows people to exercise for free, and it gives us hope for more. The Liveable Streets Networkhas more inspiring stories and ideas.

Let's work on it!!

Thanks to the support of the Governor Apirak Kosayodhin Bangkok lead the way on Earth Ride's International Ride to Work day.

A big thank you to  Chalika Noonin,
Sanitary Officer, Department of Environment,
Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, who helped put this fantastic effort together.

Sydney CBD was transformed for the Ride2Work day breakfast. Approx 1800 riders enjoyed a health breakfast. The City of Sydney and Bicycle NSW event included a free breakfast, free newspapers and magazines, fete stalls with information about cycling and the chance to win a $500 bicycle package.

By cycling to work Sydney commuters can join with thousands of others across the Globe in discovering a healthier, happier way to get to work.

The cities of Copenhagen and Bangkok will also held Ride to Work Day events tomorrow, after Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP invited them to participate. Organisers of the Bangkok Ride to Work Day event anticipate more than 3000 riders will be involved in their City.

Ms Moore said the City of Sydney is committed to promoting cycling as a viable, sustainable and cheap form of transport.

"By 2017 we want to increase cycling trips by 500 per cent and to do that we are building at least 55 kilometres of separated cycleways and more than 200 kilometres of cycle paths," Ms Moore said.

"Oxford Street, Ultimo Road and Pyrmont Bridge have all seen large increases in bike numbers and a four-fold increase in cyclists on the Harbour Bridge compared to 10 years ago.

"Ride to Work Day raises the profile of cycling giving it higher recognition and will hopefully help more people consider cycling in Sydney," she said.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore

3000 cyclist will be joining the Govenor of Bangkok Governor Apirak Kosayodhin at 6am est to celebrate International Ride to Work day on the 15th October

Lord Mayor Ritt Bjerregaard of Copenhagen will be celebrating International Ride to Work day - after all Copenhagen is a cycle capital!