Malkolm is cycling on! He is now cycling from Alaska to Washington DC, and then continuing on to the UN Climate Change conference in Cancun in December.
It all started with Bird Year, Malkolm and his parents' year-long, fossil-fuel-free journey in search of birds. Cycling a total of 13,133 miles (21,144 km), they identified 548 different bird species and raised more than $25,000 for bird conservation. Bird Year turned them into confirmed cyclists and taught them that climate change was more serious than they had thought.
In 2009, Malkolm biked from Whitehorse to Ottawa as a part of Pedal for the Planet: the project called for the Canadian Government to become a leader in the struggle to come to grips with climate change. The Harper Government did not even meet with the young cyclists.
Malkolm is now 18 and just finished high school. On August 24, he dipped his foot in the Pacific Ocean in Skagway, Alaska. Then headed up and over the White Pass to the Alaska Highway on his journey to Washington and on to Cancun.



Friday, April 27, 2007

March 18, 2007 — Wendy's bird-free blog . . .


Every time I look out the window, more snow is falling. I groan. More shoveling. Then I correct my attitude: “More skiing!”
Southerners may wonder why our “bird year” does not take place during a calendar year. Cycling in the winter is challenging. Pedaling is stiffer in sub-zero weather, and my cable lock does not want to bend. Cold is not the main difficulty. Snow is. Yesterday, I rode to a morning meeting. Two inches of fresh snow covered the irregular surface. I slithered all over the road. Luckily, no cars were out. My winter bike is a sturdy old Kuwahara. It weighs about 100 pounds. I lower the seat so my feet can touch ground. To avoid wiping out, I don’t brake suddenly or lean into turns. When we set off on our big year in June, the biking conditions will be much easier. Maybe I won’t even notice my heavy load.
In other news, Whitehorse recently hosted the Canada Winter Games. Thousands of athletes and visitors arrived, and our population increased by 10%. Malkolm competed in table tennis. Perhaps he should have tried out for badminton instead: then, at least, he would have been playing with a birdie.

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