First off I have to say that I think Mr. Kennedy’s speech should have been the one that cost $200, not Clintons; I think considering the fact that Kennedy received a standing ovation and Clinton didn’t was testament to that. Both are doing amazing things for the environment, but Kennedy spoke with certain passion that I really took to.  Below will be my best regurgitation of his speech which was packed with details and facts and stats. One of the key reasons I can relate and respect Mr. Kennedy so much is his honesty about his connection to the wilderness. He states that Nature is not God, but that God communicates through Nature most clearly and powerfully, which is why all the great prophets went out in to the wilderness to allow the great teachings of the ages to come to them.

Near the beginning he remarked that he though of the US as a 14th province of Canada, a nice compliment to us Canadians; and that we must protect nature because it is the very infrastructure of community. He jumped in to the references to Kyoto, much like Clinton did, but made an interesting comparison to the Slave Trade Act. In Great Britain it made up 25% of the economy; they new it was immoral to continue with slavery but were scared to abolish it overnight as it would ruin the economy. When they did abolish it in 1807, there was an economical explosion, the slave trade was holding Britain back, and what followed was the launch of the industrial revolution. In more recent times, such as the 70’s, Iceland was one of the poorest nations, but they were one of the first to recognize the detriment of importing energy, so they kicked the habit, switch over to sustainable methods, and are now 100% sustainably energy independent. In ’96, Sweden was one of the poorest Nations, but moved to abolish carbon emmisions, which spurred entrepreneurs to come up with new solutions which boosted their economic standing to #6 in the world based on GDP. As Kennedy proclaimed “they reward efficiency and punish inefficiency while in North America we do just the opposite.”

The solutions are here, he claimed that the US has enough sunlight and wind to power the country easily, but it is tough to make prompt changes when the worst environmental government in history is in power. Kennedy went in to detailed account of just how corrupt the Bush government has been, and the key factor in this downfall has been the relationship of corporations with Government decisions. Thin Democracy as described by Frances Moore Lappe. As Jim Hightower stated “The corporations don’t have to lobby the government any more. They are the government.”   Corporations have a corosive impact if entangled with government interests. An example Kennedy used was that of the fishing license he takes out every year, and it now comes with a thick guide listing all the places that are illegal to fish in because of high levels of mercury in the fish, and so he thought to himself  “that son of a bitch George Bush”. Others in that situation, he went on to say, don’t seem to make the connection to Bush. The mercury levels in most of these lakes (go to the Waterkeeper Alliance for info, and here for mercury tests kit) is directly correlated with the over 400 illegally operating coal burning power plants who no longer have any responsibilities for their polluting actions, Bush has made that so. The regulations once in place over 7 years ago are no longer enforced. 

One example he gave (and the following below was copied from his recent article in Vanity Fair) to show just how corrupt things have been was the case of Phillip Cooney, “who was the chief of staff for the White House Council on Environmental Quality. His job was to advise the president on the environmental implications of decisions that he makes. Cooney’s previous job had been as the chief lobbyist for the American Petroleum Institute. His preoccupation during his four-year White House stint, according to news accounts, was combing scientific documents issued by the various federal agencies in order to remove damaging statements about the oil industry and the coal industry. He suppressed or altered several major studies on global warming in order to protect the interests of his former clients. After the Times revealed the alterations, in 2005, Cooney left his job and went to work for ExxonMobil.”

Kennedy also said that true freemarket capitalism would be good, and we should try it sometime; right now it is the polluters who are getting rich by making others poor. He stated that 80% of republicans are actually democrats who don’t know what’s going on. He recently did a speech in Alberta for a bunch of oil execs and received a standing ovation (he said that could only happen in canada) and he had people come to him and ask how come I never heard of this before?? Well that answer opens up a new can of worms, media.

In ’88 Regan abolished the Fairness Doctrine which enforced media to use airways to serve public interest, and always tell both sides of the story so citizens can then go on to make rational decisions on critical issues. Now all major media in the US is controlled by just five major corperations, and they alone decide what is broadcast, and these are the same corperations that buy their way in to government policy making.  “There can be no true democracy with an uninformed public”, Kennedy said, and the media channels today ensure that the public remains ignorant. He also shared the obvious fact that “we as a people know more about Brad and Jennifer than that of issues that matter. We are the best entertained and least informed nation.”

Bill Clintons keynote speech lasted about 40 minutes, in which time he covered many key action items he and his team (Clinton Climate Initiative) have been working on. A quick glance around the audience showed a medium age of I would guess about 45, and many political guests were present such as the Green Party’s leader Elizabeth May, Ontario’s Premier, Minister, and many others. I was fortunate to finagle a last minute ticket which I later learned was worth $200, nice!

Clinton jumped right in to the current state of the Kyoto protocol, lamenting the USA’s failure to ratify and by saying that it is because of  the current governments insistance on “supporting yesterdays interest groups instead of investing in tomorrows energy future.” He shared the fact that the countries that are leading the Kyoto Accord are subsequently the ones that have shown the most economical growth, such as Denmark who showed a 50% (whew did I hear that correctly?) growth in their economy; or Great Britain who have taken swift action (creating plenty of new jobs) on energy efficiency and are well on their way to meeting Kyoto targets. This while the USA economy has been stagnent over the last 7 years, and any signs of job growth have been primarily linked with post 911 militarization.

He talked about the importance of citizens to take action starting with the ‘low hanging fruit’, and I’ll refer you to David Suzuki’s Nature Challenge for that.

One of his intitiatives is the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, Toronto is one of them. Essentially what they are doing is targetting large infrastructures and upgrading energy efficiency. His example was with an old low income housing community in NY City where they did a full energy audit on the buildings, the energy bill was tallied at 5 million/year. They figured they could garuntee to reduce this bill by 30%, at which point they front the money, install the new technology (whether it be efficient heating or replacing light bulbs, etc) after which the new yearly energy bill was 3.5 million, and the up front money is paid off from the energy savings, viola. He asserts that this process needs to happen on a much larger scale, and it is through the people with the ability to put this approach in to action that need to step up to the challenge, hence the C40.

He acknowledged that no matter how much we do along these lines, that if the developed nations don’t also help the 3rd world countries skip the mistakes we made, that these steps will be made in vain. Both need to happen. China for instance can’t build new coal plants fast enough, this is not good. An example of something he’d like to see in a country such as Liberia, is to have the financial support of the World Bank, and with the technology available build an energy infrastructure that is totally self sufficient, clean, and independent from other nations. If other countries could only see that this is possible, then faster action may spread. 

Another item that he admitted he was no expert on was deforestation, which contributes 18% of the worlds green house gas emissions, whew!! A big part of that is from methane which is actually worse than CO2. He asked the audience that he needed ideas on how to help combat deforestation and claimed to be able to provide the capitol to make some positive changes.

After his speech came a 20 minute Q&A style dialogue with the CEO of Green Living Enterprises, Laurie Simmond’s. Clintons last comment was that action needed to be taken immediately, not just from political leaders, but from all people, and that his generation will never forgive themselves later in life if they delay any longer. I have to agree, I have two beautiful nephews, and 30 years down the road I want to be able to look squarely in their eyes and say that I did everything I could toward creating a clean, happy planet Earth.

The following article is from the current issue of Mountain Biking Magazine…

Balance, this is my favorite word, it is just so all encompassing. For me, I love to test the limits of it on my bike, and I strive to have it in my everyday life. Today’s culture seems to do everything it can to throw you off balance. Many people just sit back and let life throw them around, ignoring or failing to acknowledge the intrinsic messages and lessons those bumps are meant to provide; riders fall off the beam over and over never examining the reasons why. Balance is a skill you develop, you have to practice and be patient. You have to acknowledge failed attempts, figure out honestly what went wrong, and then try an alternative approach.

To succeed in riding a challenging balance line, I first must be balanced internally; my subjective world of mind needs to be calm and clear. Visualization is a very important step (more on that another time); once I am mentally ready, I can then proceed to balance in the objective, external world. It is always a top down approach, mind then matter. The ego can be motivated by external pressure, but the likelihood of a crash goes way up. That is why Kodak courage often ends in injury. Motivation is often temporary (except the resulting injuries from it), while true inspiration is lasting.

This ramble brings me to a somewhat bold quote from Ken Wilber, one of my favorite authors:

“Anything less than an integral or comprehensive approach to environmental issues is doomed to failure.”

Now since this quote was taken out of context, it needs some qualifying as to what an “integral approach” actually means. I highly recommend his introductory book “The Integral Vision”. To keep things simple for now, just think of it as a balanced approach between the external and internal world, much like what I described above. I found another quote that explains the first one very nicely:

“What would happen if all of a sudden everyone stopped trying to save the world and started improving themselves? Well, you already know the answer.” Peter Ragnar.

This quote really struck a chord with me.

It is clear to us that urgent action needs to be taken for human survival (Gaia will be fine); many people are reacting to this now obvious message. When we frantically react, even if the cause is noble, we may judge others and try to put our righteous ideals on them. This is what I have often done with new bits of ‘green’ knowledge. What this approach lacks is a solid internal foundation, the base of wisdom that only your heart can provide. It is a foundation that allows you to spontaneously make positive choices toward a greener lifestyle, even when you’re by yourself and no one is watching. A bit of internal reflection before sudden action is vital.

At certain points I have thought that technology is evil, all this progress and rapid development is draining our resources and killing our planet, but I think the problem is more in the mindset of the people using the technology. It has the capacity to divide the world cultures in an frightening way, or the potential to bring all humans together as one harmonious family working together on the pressing issues of our time. The quote above from Peter Ragnar starts to make good sense in this context; and the hope is that the blind romance with the flatland material world will lose its grip to the depth that a balanced, integral approach to life can bring.

Now this series of articles may a bit philosophical for some, but it can all relate back to riding, so lets end this ramble on a riding note.

I recently worked on a special edit of my segment from Kranked 6 titled ‘Trial and Error’, and it’s touring with the Banff Mountain Film Festival right now.  Here is what I say in the piece: “The location of this trail is some of the last remaining mid elevation old growth forest on the west coast…spending so much time there made me realize and really feel deeply that it just seems so wrong to take it all down. There is an analogy between my riding and what they’re doing. To me, it seems that a clear-cut is exactly like a crash. They’ve done it time and time again and perhaps haven’t learned from their mistakes. It’s my hope that some of these practices can be reworked to preserve some of these magical zones …so we all can go out and enjoy them whether it is for riding, hiking, or just hanging out in the middle of nowhere enjoying nature.”

Whether you’re on the trail or not, try to compliment your external life with a bit of introspection; it’s not just about hitting that gnarly jump, it’s also about being outside and appreciating natures gifts. As my friend Robin Coope often says, “it’s a question of balance.”

I stayed up late last night watching a documentary from the UK called “The Human Footprint”. National Geographic have a similar one going right now, but the I like the British sense of humor mixed in with the attached version. I took notes of all the stats when I watched the 75 minute long show, so here are the highlights (definately watch the show if you get a chance, seeing visually our consumption is really quite shocking and extraordinary.)

-8 years sitting in from the of the TV

-74,801 cups of tea (I’ll definitely beat this one)

-4239 rolls of toilet paper, yikes!

-13,354 eggs

-5277 apples

I’ll let you watch the rest…(keep an eye out for the two young kids on wooden run bikes, sweet!)

One of the quotes I use in my Trials of Life presentation is from Dr. Suess. I actually wasn’t sure which book it was from until one of the teachers today pointed it out; the part I use is in italics, but I think entire poem is worth taking to heart…I love Dr. Suess!!!

Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You’re on your own.
And you know what you know.
And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go. 
You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed.
You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you’ll be the best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

I’m sorry to say so
But, sadly it’s true
That bang-ups and hang-ups
Can happen to you.
On and on we will hike, And I know we’ll hike far
and face up to our problems whatever they are.
We’ll get mixed up of course, as we already know.
We’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as we go.

Let’s be sure when we step.
Step with care and great tact
And remember that Life’s a great balancing act.

Let’s never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up our right foot with our left.

Will you succeed?
Yes you will indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)”

In 2000, Carey Hart put it out there when he attempted the holey grail of FMX, the back flip; now it’s in every pro’s trickbook. Just a few short years ago Darren Berrecloth put it out there with some huge 360 drops; now it’s standard practice in any slopestyle comp. Audacious individuals are often the ones responsible for progression in alternative sport. Another example of this same concept would be Al Gore and his environmental activism; all the scientific data was there, but he put it out there that action must to be taken; David Suzuki in Canada is doing the same thing.

People like this start a trickle of action, then maybe a small stream depending on the importance or demand; and if the idea or trend is worthy, a raging river. Now of course we could get by with just a small trickle of people doing 360 drops, the hospitals couldn’t handle much more, but we do need a raging river of people being environmentally responsible. I guess my motive for this new series of articles on bicycle ecology is to help divert a few more of those random trickles of water in to a desperately needed raging river.

To get a little more scientific, Everett Rogers from Stanford did some extensive research on the diffusion of innovation (trends). First are the innovators, as mentioned above, then come the early adopters, which make up 15% of the population, they seek the new and have a higher tolerance for experimentation; this might be where you find the competitors of Hart and Barrecloth, or those following the recommendations of Gore or Suzuki. Then all of a sudden a bright idea will metastasize and spread rapidly through the next group called the early majority (35%). All those young groms sessioning the dirt jumps after school in hopes of being the next big name may be in this group. The next batch according to Rogers research, which spanned some 50 years and targeted over 500 major trends, is called the late adopters (35%). The remaining 15% are the laggards, they are off the back and tend to be on their own program. So just as good tricks spread rapidly through the population of capable riders, so will environmental responsibility for everyone, but I don’t think it has quite hit home for most people.

When I’m learning a new trick or technique, I have to practice it over and over and over. When I need to update or modify a technique, it takes even more effort and dedication. Is the reward worth it? The satisfaction of nailing a new move clean is amazing, totally worth all those failed attempts and practice. A large part of the solution to global warming will be like modifying an old trick, in other words we have to change our habits! Will the reward be worth the effort?

The mountain bike world seems full of coffee drinkers, am I right? Now I’m more of a tea guy although I do love a good java here and there, but anyway, I personally drink two cups of tea a day. One of my recent road trips lasted 75 days, so that’s about 150 cups that didn’t end up in a landfill because I managed to create a habit of bringing my re-usable mug with me. To help solidify this habit, I would often punish myself from caffeine if I forgot my to-go mug. A bit crazy yes, but it worked, caffeine is a strong motivator!

There seems to be disconnect between understanding a problem like global warming and actually acting on that knowledge, in future articles, I’ll explore this further. But for now,  consider this, it is said that if insects disappeared from our planet life would cease in five years, but if humans disappeared from this planet life would flourish in five years. Yes, we have some work to do. So can we put in the effort toward this critical goal of a sustainable world? Can we change our habits and inspire others to do the same? Can we put it out there? Well I have to agree with the charismatic words of Barack Obama, “Yes We Can!”

Stay tuned for future BikEcology articles on all sorts of green topics. Check out my blog at ryanleech.com for more.

If you haven’t read Yvon Chouinard’s “Let My People go Surfing”, perhaps after watching the speech below (about 60 minutes long), it might leave you wanting more. It is one of my favorites reads, click through on the link from my book list if you’re interested, and enjoy the words from this wise man.

A few days ago I stopped in Williams Lake, BC while on tour and got chatting with a mountain biker who works for the Boys and Girls Club. Through the last decade or so he has been taking kids on mountain bike rides and getting them hooked on the sport. He invests his time with these kids, he hangs out with them, teaches them, and is real with them. He gets them in to the mountains on camping/bike trips so they can experience Nature. He has fun with them.

He was telling me that he has now been doing this for long enough to see kids that have gone from stealing cars as young lads to being hooked on riding, then on to making decent lives for themselves in the ‘real world’. How cool is that.

Another story the local bike shop owner in Smithers told me was of the ski coach in town; he had run an ski club for years and coached so many young athletes through the years. His title was perhaps ski coach, but in reality, his most important contribution was as a role model. Tragically he passed away from health issues, and at his funeral, they opened the floor up, and 30+ of his former club members came up and gave accounts on how much of a positive difference this man made in their lives.

These two examples are of people who invested their time with youth, and built relationships with them; they are incredible role models even if they don’t think themselves to be.

I endeavor to be a positive role model for the younger generation too, but my method is quite different from above. I tent to interact with large numbers of youth for a very short time. The interaction is often one way (me talking to them) whether it be at a 15 minutes long show, or an hour long school presentation; sometimes I get to know a student or two that help me set up, and again, that is very short lived. Or maybe I go on a mountain bike ride with a school group, and hang out with them for a bit, again, very brief. I am hopeful these brief interactions are inspirational in some way , otherwise I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing; but I’m curious as to whether speaking to large groups of students for shorter periods is as beneficial compared to spending a longer time with just a few individual students. I know the circumstances and values of each approach are unique and both offer positives, but nonetheless I’m curious. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

 

I am sitting here in the McBike Shop in Smithers, BC, catching up on some e-mail after presenting at two schools today, one high school and one elementary.

So depending on the age of the students, I change some of my speech and the tone in which I present. But for the younger grades, I imagine much of what I say goes right over their heads. That doesn’t worry me too much though, I think it’s my actions, and the way I present myself that does translate through for them. It is much like parenting I guess, no matter how often and firmly you tell your children something that you don’t do yourself; they won’t adopt the lesson.  The ‘ol ‘do as I say, not as I do’ adage.

On a totally different note, Caryn and I just finished renovating our bathroom, so we were without a shower in the house for about a month, so it wasn’t so convenient to have a quick shower whenever we wanted. During this time I think I averaged about 3 showers a week! As far as I know I’m not offending anybody with terrible body odor, nor do I all of a sudden appear scruffy to those I interact with during the day (except when I don’t shave), so I started thinking about the necessity of showering…..can’t believe I’m blogging about showers…

Most people I know shower once a day, and I know plenty of people that actually have to shower to wake up in the morning, then again later on to wash the days grime away. Whew! Back 50 years ago or more, the story was different, the odd bath here and there was all that was needed. For active people like you and myself, we have to be careful; a hard day of working out or a messy mountain bike ride, and a quick shower is a good thing. But it seems we have become a shower-crazed society, so I thought I’d come up with just a few reasons to perhaps skip a shower or two:

-an average shower uses 160 Liters of water

-it takes a lot of energy to heat all that water

- it takes a lot of commercial product to wash skin and hair that probably doesn’t need washing day in and day out

-your body has to work overtime to produce oils for the skin only to be washed off over and over again, skin can get rather dry this way….but of course you can buy product to solve that problem…

-all that product goes down the drain

-that extra half hour you save can be used to work on your wheelies outside the front door

That concludes my shower blurb….more from my BC road trip soon.