Mission Statement
Ever since Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" the world has been abuzz with talk about the current state of our Earth's environment. Food sustainability, responsible consumerism, conservation and preservation of fragile eco-systems: the sub-movements of the larger push to sustainability have been inspirational in their scope and number. Yet every day, we are continually reminded of the volatile state of our Earth's climate due to the cumulative negative impact of our current lifestyle choices. It is the importance of these every day choices that has lead us on this journey.
Grab a Wheel is a term used by cyclists when one cyclist offers to help another by cycling in front thus cutting down on the wind resistance the rear cyclist faces. What's so wonderful about the idea of 'grab a wheel" is that one cyclist is able to 'pull' another without expending any more energy than if they were traveling by themselves.
Likewise, when people are in need of inspiration, motivation, desire to take steps towards sustainable lifestyles, we feel that they simply need to 'grab a wheel'- to get pulled along by the wonderful and creative approaches to sustainability that others call their everyday life.
Some of the ways that we hope to embody this movement include:
1) Living as sustainably as possibly while on our ride by
a) making choices about where and what we eat (eating locally when possible, eating in season,
supporting organic farmers)
b) using sustainable methods of transportation (aka cycling, public transportation when necessary, ferries
to cross over water)
c) reducing our waste production by choosing less packaged goods, reusing materials whenever
possible, and reducing our consumption
2) Learning from different communities and people we encounter
3) Show others what we’ve learned and what to do by networking and being a link between like-minded people/projects we encounter along the way.