Pictured are my two beautiful children and my “why” for fighting climate change.
The Global Climate Strike week has begun. Tomorrow, September 20th, is the big day in the US. I’ve been reading about so many businesses closing and striking which has left me feeling very torn about keeping my bike shop open on such an important day.
Last year I set out to do the one thing I knew I could do well to help make this world a better place, and in some way have my own daily climate strike – I decided to open a bike shop. A bike shop with the goal of getting more people out of their cars and on to their bikes. Sure, I could have kept on the path of working as a marketing exec but this bike shop is the ONE unique thing I know I offer this world in hopes to make it a better place for my children to grow up in. When we talk about climate change it is really my children I fear for the most and why I can’t sleep some nights thinking about the world they may grow old in.
In less than 10 months our bike shop has helped so many customers avoid car trips, and a few have gone car light, including my family! We have sold dozens of cargo bikes, hundreds of kids bikes, and fixed up countless old bikes to be new daily commuters.
Tomorrow is a Friday which is a very busy day at the bike shop. A day that I can’t afford to be closed for but honestly I find that my voice and my actions are best suited in my bike shop tomorrow.
Tomorrow I’ll set up two different moms on cargo bikes for them to try school pick up and drop off. Two families will drive a little bit less due to my actions tomorrow. I’ll also finish building a new customer’s commuter bike which means he will probably have fewer reasons to drive after tomorrow.
As much as I would like to be on the streets with the #climatestrike, I’ll be in my bike shop fighting my own personal fight of helping people replace as many car trips as possible.