Though most would not consider cycling through the Alberta tar sands a pleasant
thing to do in August, I plan on doing so.

Members of the Sierra Youth Coalition have organized this trip and participants coming from across the country. The trip, as you may have guessed, is more to raise awarness than to relax (1200km total distance planned).

“The Alberta oil sands are a major environmental issue. The oil that is being extracted from the sands is incredibly energy and resource intensive, using millions of barrels of fresh water and valuable natural gas resources. In addition, the rate at which oil is being extracted is causing a huge boom in the Alberta economy, but at the same time has caused Fort McMurray to be well over their population limit, the oil industries have moved into aboriginal land, and the damage to the environment is almost irreversible. And, as we all know, the use of oil is only worsening climate change.

This summer, in August and September 2007, SYC will lead an educational bike tour across Alberta and up to Fort McMurrary. The group will stop in communities along the way to give presentations on climate change and current state of the Alberta oil sands; discuss SOLUTIONS and alternative scenarios to current situation in Alberta; and work with communities to develop plans to help the situation, through at-home solutions to climate change as well as talking to local governments.

All participants will be trained to be climate educators before the trip begins. We will blog our stories along the way and work to garner media attention, and (of course) have a whole lot of fun!!”

We will be grouping in Waterton-Glacier National Park and 22 days later arriving in Fort Mackay.

Each of the forty participants have been asked to fundraise $500 for a collective meal budget and to subsidize long-distance travelers. Anything would help! If you are interested in making a contribution, please email me at donovan_cavers@yahoo.com

by Donovan Cavers
May 2007