An excited group of in motion staffers and participants using active transportation

On Tuesday (Aug 24^th) Saskatchewan in motion (SIM) staffers met up with an eager group of people power enthusiasts for an active transportation flash mob.

Here we go agian..
It was the second flash mob I was involved with organizing for Sask in motion. We took an entirely different approach with this one, different concept, recruitment plan, filming strategy; the only thing that was similar was location.

We were a modest size group, with a mighty message! One local reporter said that we “were definitely heard”.

After the first Only 15% flash mob was over it was time to brainstorm the next brilliant concept. A bunch of the SIM crew, including myself are really into using “active transportation”, which is scientifically speaking, using human kinetic energy to get yourself where you are trying to go. In short, using people power!

Options
My first choice is my bike, but I’ve also got my long board (which I suck at, but love). The options don’t stop there, rollerblading, skate boarding, running, walking, and scooters are all totally legit options.

Gorilla Style
My co-organizer Julie (@CHABTHOR24) and I decided we would try to use Facebook, twitter and good old fashion flyer circulation to recruit mobbers this time. We set up the Saskatchewan in motion Flash Mobs Facebook group to keep everyone in the loop. We tweeted about it to our followers. Finally we worked up a couple of posters and delivered them to bike shops, skate shops, sports stores, running stores, recreation/community centres, and put them up on any public flyer space we could find!

Flashing Lights
While we planned the route through downtown Regina, we really wanted to make sure everyone was going to be safe. Some might say that what we decided to do would negate our flash mob status, but personally I think it just made us more surprising. We got in touch with some great officers from the Regina City Police Service who arranged to escort our mob safely through our 2km route. We had 2 cars and some of the bike cops as well. The fun and periodic sirens from the lead car made us hard to miss or ignore, it was awesome.

Lets Get Loud
We wore our in motion gear so people would know what we were out there for. Plus, we screamed and cheered “Saskatchewan in motion” & “active transportation”! We made a lot of noise and people downtown on their lunch breaks really couldn’t help but take notice us (Mission Accomplished). We let the media know what we were up to and got some great coverage from them.

We didn’t just choose active transportation because we like it, here are some of our other reasons we wanted to highlight physical activity through active transportation.

Health Benefits

• Lower obesity risks, reduced risk of conditions like heart disease and diabetes, improved fitness, better posture & balance, stronger muscles & bones, stress reduction and better self esteem

Economic Benefits

• No need to fill up gas, reduced insurance costs, leads the way to less roadway costs

Safety

• There is strong evidence to suggest that as the number of people using active transpo increases, the more the risk of injury goes down

Environmental Benefits

• Reduce your environmental footprint significantly! (reduce or eliminate your transportation carbon emissions)

Social Capital

• You’ll be more involved and active within your community, increased opportunity for social interactions.

Fun Facts: A stats Canada study found that 19% of cyclists felt that their commutes are the most pleasant activity of the day, whereas only 2% of drivers felt the same way. (huh…who knew!)

See you on the streets!

Kenji

If what our buddie Thomas said is true, it stands to reason that people need a good cause to choose to act.

I found a good one; maybe you’ll think so too. Here’s the scoop.

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Canada has launched Pin it for the Planet.  It’s simple and broken down into 3 simple steps.  

1. Walk it (or bike it, bus it, board it…whatever!)
2. Track it (by telling WWF what you’ve done every day.)
3. Pin it (your car key. On your shirt. Do it) ps. Each time you report what you’ve done you are entered to win a great bike!

So that’s the breakdown, now I promised some good reasons to choose the “hard way”.

Since I work for (and believe in the importance of) a physical activity strategy let’s start there.

When you choose to drive less and employ active transportation to get around you’re incorporating physical activity into your lifestyle (which is awesome).

ParticipACTION has provided WWF with a great list of reasons, in terms of health, to Pin it for the Planet.

• Improved air quality – reduces asthma related issues
• Daily physical activity is preventative against Heart Disease and Stroke
• Stress reduction -no traffic =less stress

(Check out the list)

Need a little more?

This one will be obvious but.. the planet!

WWF is of course hoping to reduce emissions and help the planet. According to their website transportation is responsible for 27% of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions. Eshk.. sounds like we all need to drive a lot less!

Still, even if all we can do for a start is a little that adds up to big reductions. Plus, just to be repetitive, you’ll be providing yourself the opportunity to get active.

The pinning your key to your shirt element is edgy too. It’s just like wearing a ribbon or a live strong bracelet. You’re telling the rest of the world what’s important to you, and raising awareness. (Very cool, and easy!)

Still not convinced? (even if you’re on board, keeping reading it’s good stuff )

I’ve told you about the physical activity and the environmental impact you can have, but there is one other thing that we all understand very well. Money. Consider how much you would save on gas by using “people power”  (to borrow ParticipACTION’s term).  

So a valid case?

I hope you’ll give Pinning it for the Planet a try on May 31^st – June 6^th.  The WWF website has a bunch more info, including toolkits with ideas for school, home and workplaces.

The website says “we all need to rethink our relationships with cars”.

It’s true. What is more important our health and the health our of planet and climate or driving cars?

Ps. don’t say you don’t have time!

DYK: In distances up to 5km, cycling is recognized as the fastest door to door more of transportation. —Gotcha there don’t I!

Hit the streets and let me know how it goes in the comments below!

Kenji!

Bikes Parked Outside the SK in motion Office

The top 8 reason I bike to work: 

 I hope they encourage you to try it for yourself or motivate you to continue. After all it is National Bike Month ( I love the biker “groups” in this blog “a hipster on a fixie”), and in Regina May 10-15 is the 2^nd annual Bike 2 Work Week Regina!

1. The Physical Activity Opportunity - 5 days a week I get up and go to work, but recently I made a change. Instead of driving to work I bike. It does take longer to get here, but only by about 15 minutes, which isn’t much out of the day. It works out to about a half hour each way. That’s 60 out of my 60-90 minutes a day. Since it’s just part of my routine I don’t even think about it as “getting my physical activity”, now it’s just part of my day; one of my favorite parts.        
2. The Eco Friendly and Sustainable Choice- Around the “basecamp” office, sometimes I’m referred to as the Green Goblin (ok, it was a self imposed nickname haha). It had to be intimidating because I’m (also a self imposed position) the green police around here. Sustainability and environmental conservation are 2 of my other passions so finding an alternative means of transportation that fit with my work and my personal passions was like icing on the cake!
3. Enjoying the Outdoors- I’m sure you’ve heard the old saying “stop and smell the roses”. There is something truly awesome about starting and wrapping the day spending a good chunk of time outside. Breathing some fresh air, enjoying the visuals, and the other people you meet along the way (if you want to be social).
4. The Money I Save on Gas- Self explanatory; I used to drive a truck, which I loved. We had some great times..but buying my bike cost me what would have been about 7 tanks of gas. Now it’s all me, no gas required.
5. A Sense of Accomplishment- You have to experience it to know the feeling, or maybe you already have. You wake up knowing you have to get somewhere and then you physically move yourself there. Even on the days it isn’t fun during the ride, once you make it you feel confident and empowered. It’s a guaranteed accomplishment every day you do it!
6. Avoiding Traffic- Patience is not one of my best virtues (I’ll admit it). So waiting in a line of cars to get to virtually the same place as everyone else is irritating! Bike paths, trails and bike lanes are an amazing solution to this problem. It’s especially fun when traffic is at a standstill and I ride by everyone, I win! (haha, have I mentioned I’m competitive.)
7. Belonging-As sappy as it sounds even if you don’t directly communicate with the other people you see biking, you know you’re all part of a little club. Take a look at the trailer for the documentary ”VEER” to see what I mean.
8. The Great Parking Spaces- I work downtown and parking a vehicle is one of the most evil things ever. Fortunately most places provide space for us active commuters, and if not a sturdy post usually isn’t too far away (I wouldn’t personally recommend using trees to lock your bike up, it can damage them, not cool).

Check out these great links from David’s Cycling Blog for tips and how to celebrate Bike 2 Work week:

http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/bikemonth/pdf/50_things_for_bike_month.pdf

http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/bikemonth/pdf/BTWW_Booklet.pdf

What motivates you to use active transportation? Does your community arrange a Bike 2 Work week?

Kenji