Developing velo-rution

>>

by Siobhàn O'Connor

After a year of fundraising, grease-stained hands, fiddling with chains and pumping tires, the folks at Cyclo Nord-Sud finally have reason to celebrate. The local grass-roots group--which has David Suzuki as its honourary president--collects, soups up and sends bikes to developing nations in an effort they call "velo-rution."

Cyclo's most recent success was a shipment of almost 500 bicycles to Cuba, a place that Cyclo's Gisèle Renaud says is a "particularly fertile land for bicycles." She cites a popular Castro quote: "Revolution is like a bicycle: if it stops, it falls," and explains that recycling bikes is something Cubans are familiar with.

Cyclo Nord-Sud's main goal is to provide bikes for workers who travel several kilometres daily for work, says Renaud. Also on their agenda is providing bikes for women in Southern countries "where women often head their families and have to make several trips a day to the market or to bring their kids to the clinic."

By month's end they hope to have another 500 bikes to send to Mexico. For more info or to make a donation call 843-0077.

more news...