What is the Borneo Bicycle Challenge?

It's an opportunity to lighten your impact and help save a rainforest, in solidarity with the communities around Gunung Palung National Park in Borneo, Indonesia - by riding your bicycle.

Gunung Palung's perimeter is 85 miles. We are asking all Bike Challenge participants to ride 85 miles in 85 days. The Bicycle Challenge begins October 1 and runs through December 24th. That's 85 miles, 85 days... 85 people. Will you be one of them?

Where did the idea come from?

It came from volunteer Julia Riseman and staff member Rosevan Vickery, who are both passionate about cycling and the work that Health In Harmony does. They found a way to connect their everyday actions to live more lightly on the planet with the work of community members halfway across the globe.

What do I do?

You ride your bike. To work, to school, to the gym, to dinner, for a nice evening loop on residential streets or in the local park. You can even go for longer rides - go solo or join a group for some social time. If you live 2 miles from work, the grocery store, or the soccer field or gym, that's about 22 round-trips. Or, if you opt for longer-distance, that's just two 42.5-mile rides. The amazing thing? 85 miles may seem daunting, but you can ride that many miles between October 1 and December 24 in under 10 minutes a day. Really!

Why should I do it?

Participating in Health In Harmony's Bicycle Challenge is a great way to easily, measurably lighten your own environmental impact - and help save a rainforest. Meanwhile you are showing your support of the communities around Gunung Palung National Park, and taking steps (or pedalling forward!) to better your own health and the health of the planet.

Rain forests not only absorb carbon dioxide - about half of the 8.8 billion tonnes absorbed by all forests worldwide, renewing the air we all breathe [1, 2] but also purify water - at least 94 inches of rain fall each year on lowland Bornean rainforests and then re-enter global circulation [3]. On a local level, forests' roots keep the soil in place, allowing sustainable agriculture to occur.

It's also a way to reduce your carbon footprint. Carbon dioxide is directly linked to global warming; and driving a motor vehicle accounts for nearly 20% of the average U.S. household's carbon emissions [4]. Riding your bike can have a major impact on your carbon footprint!

By participating in the Borneo Bicycle Challenge, you are magnifying the benefits of your actions by both financially supporting Health In Harmony's reforestation and forest stewardship programs, and reducing your own output of carbon dioxide. Join us, register now by clicking "fundraise" on the right!

Sources:

[1] Gray, Louise. "World's forests absorb almost 40 per cent of man made CO2." The Telegraph 18 August 2011. <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/8708979/Worlds-forests-absorb-almost-40-per-cent-of-man-made-CO2.html&gt; Accessed 28 August 2012.

[2] "Rainforests absorb 20% of emissions." MongaBay.com 19 February 2009. <http://news.mongabay.com/2009/0218-forest_carbon.html#&gt; Accessed 28 August 2012.

[3] MacKinnon, Kathy. The Ecology of Kalimantan, Oxford University Press (1996): 31.

[4] Jones, Christopher M. and Daniel M. Kammen. "Quantifying Carbon Footprint Reduction Opportunities for U.S. Households and Communities." Environmental Science & Technology 45 (2011): 4088–4095.