She'll make a great lawyer someday.

"Never doubt the power of a small group of committed individuals to change the world. It is the only thing that ever has."

-Margaret Mead

        

Who we are:

Shannon McIntyre

Shannon, born from the knot of a tree, fell 9 feet to the ground straight into a full split, and from there proceeded to perform the gymnastics routine that is this lifetime. Some things to know about Shannon are: a)she doesn't sleep. b)the secret to the universe is hidden in her right armpit. c) she is the source of the "internet," and therefore is a naturally repellent force to all things electronic...computers beware. d) the answer to this riddle is her birthplace: "Where are you if you are on an island surrounded by land and bordered by water?" Shannon received eye transplants at a very young age and therefore sees most of life from through the lenses of a 106 year old Irish hobnobbler. She therefore had the wisdom to pursue a degree in Economics and Environmental Science, which has greatly aided us in in navigating the quagmire that is the US economy. Despite all these setbacks she can still bake a darn good loaf of bread.

Alec Ellsworth:

Alec seems to have been concocted from various scraps of scottish roots, swedish fish, and bostonian bark. This leaves him with both a jolly, excitable disposition and a fetish for baked beans. Despite a severe height disorder which leaves him towering over most average sized scotsman, and plagues Alec with dizzying flashes of vertigo, he has preserved a sense of normalcy in his everyday affairs, which include playing as many games as possible to make up for any seconds lost with his young sister, fraternizing with the Lower Gangesians, and keeping things surreal. He has also spent many an hour pondering the links between Environment and Health at McGill University.

Joanna Flatt:

Joanna Flatt is the chosen alias of the Toronto based superhero, the Ceaseless Sheila. We feel that anyone who may spent up to 6 weeks sweating and snoozing with her must be let in on the secret that inside her tie-dyed moo-moos and "groovy" attitude, Joanna (aka, Sheila....shhhhh) is an unstoppable force of sustainable nature, relentlessly battling the forces of toxic modernity. Some of her most recent feats have included helping to research and write a chapter for a book on the CSR (corporate social responsibility) practices in diverse cultures and economies in the world, an agricultural sustainability project in Barbados, and baking the best damn whole-wheat vegan challah this side of North Dakota (we'll see about the other side in a few weeks).

Erica Lemieux: 

Erica in America...on a mission not to scare-ica, but to insperica the nation to care-ica, about the air-ica. She wears many hats here in the crew...our pro-photographer, illustrator, source of constant hilarity, and our very own Voodoo Princess of Death* to name a few. Ms. Lemieux is a bodacious representation of a Canadian, serving her nation well here in Obamaland. She's sure introduced some locals along the trip to the concepts of conservation, which she lives and breathes as a tree planter in the backwoods of BC all summer. Erica's flowing, amazonian hair and solid sense of righteousness seem to be leading her inevitably towards environmental lawschool.

*Erica has been graciously giving all sorts of flora and fauna that she finds along the roadside one last ride on the back of her bicycle. These include monarchs, dead snakes, elk teeth, roadrunner talons, armadillo skulls, and rabbit feet. Lucky girl.

Marco Taucer:

The melodious, mystical, magnetic Marco Taucer, also known as Senor Ciccione, is a caring student of physics. What does he care about? You might ask. He cares intensely about solid state physics on the quantum scale, homemade pasta, and nuclear energy. Marco runs off a different kind of fuel than the rest of us. He is usually powered by boudin (a local Louisiana cuisine where overcooked rice is stuffed into an intestinal wrapping with spreadable pork meat), fried strips of pork belly, and anything italian. Not only has he proved to be adept in the skills of bike repair and ice cream production, but is also the least wasteful person on earth. Marco is, in fact, a garberator.

What we think:

We think that we are looking at the greatest opportunity in human history to improve the way we live with each other on the earth. We think that working for a stable climate at 350 ppm has a discreet time frame, and that it has major implications for our economy, our national security, and our future. We feel the urgency of now, are ready to uproot our assumptions, and change our lives to create better, healthier, more stable communities. We are part of a movement of movements- supported by old and young people, little and large, to think about how we can change- and better yet, go about changing- the conventions that have led to both global warming and economic deterioration, the world over. We think that this change warrants our time and energy, and yours too. We think it’s not only possible to cross the country on a bicycle, but enlightening, and fun! It’s only unconventional because we haven’t finished changing that convention.

Where we're going:

From the Redwoods to the Cyprus, from the cactus to the crepe myrtle. We're traveling the United States of America on bikes, and bringing a workshop with us to help fire up discussion. We’ll bring our own ideas to you, in the form of a 90 minute workshop. This will include a whole slew of questions, solutions, and stories of other Americans we’ve encountered along the way. If you bring yourself, your open mind, your criticisms, and your energy with you, then you are part of that “we”. Come with us, for a day or the whole journey, and we’ll all leave with more energy than we started with.

When we're doing this:

Right now! We will be biking from  January, 2009, to June, 2009, and then subsequently working for a better world for the rest of our lives.

Why now?:

Because our right to a stable climate at 350 ppm is in jeopardy. While economic and social justice struggles are all-important and never-ending, the struggle to stabilize our climate at 350 ppm has a discreet time frame. We think that as young people we have an extraordinary power, and that the struggle for 350 is worth all our time and energy right now, not tomorrow. We have been overtaken by the fierce Urgency of Now.