Here’s for the..

Skeptics, “Global Leaders” deciding OUR future at Copenhagen, Law that bans cycling*, Superstitious of no 13
We are the change – because we believe in it and act on it..and this is not another “Yes we can” – but “we HAVE and we WILL..”

Kolkata Cycling Club** with Schools and colleges from Kolkata organized a cycle ride on 13th December, Sunday – some numbers below, while developed countries are not being able to put any on the table– we have..

80 Cycles, 10 schools/colleges, 12 Km’s, 62 Kg weight loss – for CHANGE*** and to have FUN.

Notes -
*Cycling is banned in most of Kolkata from 9 AM onwards, by a law that the british’ers imposed on the “slaves” – did India really become free, maybe only calcutta, oops kolkata, has not woken up yet.
** Kolkata Cycling club is an initiative by Switch ON, that promotes cyling as a Smart, Sustainable, efficient and FUN way to commute.
*** Change – for and towards a Just, Equitable, Ambitious climate deal and for local cycle infrastructure in Kolkata.

Press Release – Bikathon and Butti Bandh

Press release : For immediate release

Cycle Chalao – Batti Bujhao  Cycling and saving electricity, to save our-selves from climate change.

Kolkata, 13th – 15th December – While the world leaders debate in Copenhagen on the safe limit of carbon-dioxide in the atmosphere, and plan strategies to reduce their emissions, a group of  young people have taken is upon themselves to show the world the way forward – “Cycle Chalao – Batti Bachao” and also urging global leaders to come with a urgent , just and equitable deal.

The event starts on the 13 December, Sunday with “Bikathon, a cycle rally” organized by Kolkata Cycling Club (KCC). About 80 young cyclists will take on the streets of Kolkata on their bicycles at 7 am opposite Bellevue Vue and La Martinere School main gate in the morning, to promote Cycling as the smarter, healthier, efficient more sustainable and fun way to commute.

Bikathon will be followed by Batti Bandh on 15 December from 7:30 to 8:30 pm. Batti Bandh is a India wide campaign and targets the use of electricity as an anti mascot to denote the over-consumption of energy and wastage of limited ecological resources. This national action is initiated in Kolkata by the school students network of La Martinere boys and girls, Modern High, Loreto House, St. James, Calcutta universit  and other schools and colleges in collaboration with Switch ON – a grass-root project committed to sustainability and equity. 
  There will be poster drives and awareness on energy saving, prior to the event to spread awareness and create consciousness on the importance of energy and its conservation, which will be followed by movie screenings on energy and energy audits in schools, colleges and homes.

“Energy is the core to life around us. All problems we currently face of climate, food, water, health even wars are inter-related with energy.” says Ekta Kothari, Co-Founder Switch ON. “With fossil fuels like petroleum and coal – running out and a climate catastrophe mounting on our heads, the only immediate solution we have is to conserve electricity, use it efficiently. And change the way we travel on roads”.

Bikathon start – 7 AM opp Belle Vue and LMB Gates, at the Minto Park crossing.

Bikathon finish – 8:30 AM Victoria memorial main gates, facing maidan .

For any queries or photographs please contact  Vinay Jaju , Co-founder Switch ON

M : 9331178105 / 9339481004 E : vinay.jaju@gmail.com <mailto:vinay.jaju@gmail.com> | www.SwitchON.org.in

KCC Team – Erik – 9830151318, Vinay – 9903575929, Saibal – 9830126967, Jeet / Sunil – 9903466557

Co-ordinators -   Vibhu (NUJS) – 9007179119 , Priyanka / Ronika (Calcutta University) – 9831831560, Aman (LMB)- 9830049222 Sonakshi / Chitra (LMG) – 9007399524 / 9007213945 Pragya (MHS) – 9830699422 Divya Kankaria (Loretto House)– 9903301056, Siddhant Gupta (St. James School) 09432499887

Cycle Chalao – Butti Bacchao

That which is unsustainable cannot go on. Unsustainable things are destined to collapse suddenly. Our way of life is unsustainable. “Change” beckons us and “Change” we must. Be the movement as we kick off “Cycle Chalao – Batti Bachao” in the middle of December with two events – KCC Bikathon and Batti Bandh. While global “leaders” decide our future at Copenhagen, we will take action on our future – ourselves.

Cycle Chalao – at KCC Bikathon on 13th December 7 AM
Butti Bujhao – at Batti Bandh on 15th December 7:30 – 8:30 PM

Cycle Chalao-

Cycle Chalao – at KCC Bikathon 2009 to experience the smart, efficient, sustainable and fun way of transport.

Date -  13th December, Sunday
Time – 7 AM
Venue – LMB (11 UM Bhramachrya street, Kolkata-17, next to the minto park crossing)

Butti Bujhao-

Butti Bujhao – at Batti Bandh, a symbolic gesture which targets the use of electricity as an anti mascot to denote the over-consumption of energy and wastage of limited ecological resources .
Join Kolkata and india as it turns off their Lights and electrical appliances for an hour to conserve energy – An initiative of LMB/ LMG and MHS

Date – December 15th, Tuesday
Time – 7:30 and 8:30 p.m.
Venue – Do it at your homes, office community and schools/colleges.

Plz support and spread the word
Join us on facebook – http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=186660713519&ref=mf
Watch this space for more details.

Flood Relief collection at 24th Oct Cycle Rally

Indian farmers had been praying for rain after the weakest monsoon season in 40 years had left their crops stricken by drought. But when the rains finally came, forceful and incessant at six times their normal levels, they left behind the worst floods southern India had seen in more than a century.

Extract from Time.com – read full article – http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1929590,00.html

Again Its time for action and to stand up for our fellow-countrymen,

These floods are nothing but a effect of our un-sustainable habits and the least we can all do is dig into our houses and give away our old clothes and utensils -

All the relief items will be collected by Ekta kothari (9339481004)

Date – 24th October
Collection Place – Shaheed Minnar
Time – 1:30 PM onwards before the start of the padyatra and cycle rally

Andhra pradesh contact NGO – Seva Bharati http://www.sevabharathi.org/

Switch ON will organize for the relief items to be dispatched to Bani at Hyderabad – who is cycling from pune to hyderabad to raise awareness – send him your wishes at bhabanism@gmail.com
Please read the report from Mamata NGO on their visit to Rajoli village in Mehbubnagar below –

P.s. – Giving away our old clothes and utensils does not mean we buy new to replace them)

24th October, Saturday – Cycle for climate action and a sustainable future

On Saturday October 24th, people all around the world will be speaking with one voice. From the Great Barrier Reef to the Great Wall of China, at over 1500 events in 125 countries, the world will say: 350 – for a sustainable and equitable world.

3003 events taking place in 158 countries around the world – join and become part of something HUGE and say it with your cycles, with your padded bums on the saddle, with peddling the greatest and one of the most primitive mode of transport

NGO’s from across kolkata are organizing a Padyatra – Cycle rally and what better way to show the world how to move than be on those cycles. Event details below

Date – 24th October, Saturday
Assembling Point – Shahhed Minar
Route – Shaheed Minar – Citizens Park
Why Join
- Join to call for action for a sustainable future
- To show off those cycles

Please distribute/fwd this email widely and invite friends and family to join on their cycles.
Find the event on facebook and promote it -  http://www.facebook.com/event.php?invites&eid=166315007848

For more details contact – Ekta 09339481004

Welcome to KCC

Welcome to the Kolkata cycling club – an initiative by www.SwitchON.org.in – a grassroot sustainability project. Inspired by the success of the Climate ride 2009, which kicked off from kolkata with 2 riders rididng across India – questioning our dangerous over relaince on fossil fuel – www.WhyNewCoal.com – We want to encourage cycling as a healthy/ cheaper/ smarter/ sustainable way of transport, and work with policymakers towards making cycling a safer and more pleasurable way of transport and recreation.

After starting to cycle yourself, Please encourage others to start cycling – for a healthier lifestyle and a sustainable, stable climate.
Join the mailing group on google by going to the following address –

http://groups.google.co.in/group/kolkata-cycling-club?hl=en