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Biking for a better future

Youth spread sustainability one province at a time
Kierra Jones

It is 10 pm, and the Post Carbon Youth Tour is just touching down in Winnipeg after a gruelling eight-hour, 200-kilometre day of cycling across the rolling prairies of Manitoba.

“It was either a choice of sleeping by the road or getting to a nice warm bed in Winnipeg,” explained trip coordinator Tyler Lanigan.

The Post Carbon Youth Tour, a bike tour across Canada that empowers youth to take steps toward sustainability, is Lanigan’s brainchild.

It started, he explained, in September 2012. Lanigan, raised in Powell River and now a mechanical engineering student at the University of Victoria, approached a couple of friends about doing a cycling tour to promote sustainable energy.

Then began the planning. The team carefully considered routes, funds and gear. They contacted schools to speak at, and designed a presentation and a website. Sponsorship coordinator Ryder Bergerund enlisted the support of groups like Grassroutes Biking and the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions. Beryl Rink coordinated logistics such as tour schedules and supplies.

The team also made an agreement with Clean Energy Canada, an NGO (non-government organization) that works with academic and industry leaders to promote sustainable energy as an economically viable option.

In the end, it was decided that three would take the trip: Lanigan, fellow engineering student Maureen Long, and Lanigan’s long-time friend Jan Lefevre, who was also raised in Powell River.

Now, almost half-way across Canada and a third of the way through their 92-day, 8,800-kilometre ride, the team has had successes, stresses and a lot of lessons learned. They have talked to more than 13 groups across five provinces. “We’re getting contacted every day to do more,” Lanigan said.

Their hour-long presentation teaches participants to plan sustainable projects, determine if they are feasible and obtain the funds to complete them. The example the team uses is replacing incandescent with fluorescent light bulbs.

“We show them the decision-making process,” explained Lanigan. “It’s not just about the energy efficiency, it’s about where it comes from and its life span and its cost and all this other stuff.”

In addition to schools, the team also meets with older groups, where they facilitate a sustainability discussion.

Lanigan said speaking with people who live in more resource-based economies such as Manitoba has given him food for thought. It has also strengthened his belief in a slow, economically-feasible transition. “We can’t just say, ‘Hey, you can’t use oil anymore,’” he said. “We have to find a way of making it work.”

Along with meeting its residents, Lanigan, Lefevre and Long have also had an up-close glimpse of the wonders Canada offers, from the scenic mountain roads of BC to the river valleys of Alberta. “You get to see a lot of highway,” said Lanigan, laughing.

The team has also ridden through almost every kind of weather. Highlights include torrential rains, freezing snow and a ruthless hailstorm, from which they were saved by a good samaritan who offered them a ride in his SUV.

“Every day is a challenge,” said Lanigan. He related stories of flat tires, poor planning and horrible headwinds. “But I don’t want to turn you off bike touring. It’s really fun.”

Besides their presentations, Lefevre, who works as a lighting technician in Vancouver after graduating from Brooks Secondary School and Powell River Digital Film School, is filming a documentary of the trip. The film will show youth and adults talking about sustainability and its role in the future of Canada. It will be posted online once finished.

The tour is due to reach its final destination, St. John’s, Newfoundland, on August 13. After a flight home to BC, the group is planning to create a website where people can contact schools across Canada that have done sustainability projects and share ideas.

To learn more about the Post Carbon Youth Tour, or to donate to Clean Energy Canada, interested readers can visit www.postcarbonyouthtour.com.