by Ened Mato
Spring 2015 InGear
It has been a frenzy driven period for us. In between the activities we are organizing many society projects and we are preparing for many more.
I am more than happy to tell you about Kidical Mass, which is a younger version of Critical Mass, and it has been a success for parents and children alike. The weather here is also very harsh on bikers but as soon as it gets a bit warmer and a bit less rainy we will return with this project as it was a wonderful occasion for parents to spend time with their children while doing something fun along the way. There was a significant participation in our last events in the year 2014 and we are constantly told how eagerly people await the return of these events in 2015. Participation was enabled by the many and many children’s bikes you sent us, and we really hope to draw attention to these bikes because not only they are (probably) the most entertaining gifts for a child but also the healthiest.
I must thank you for the sewing machines. We are currently putting them to use in a small project for a small economic empowerment of families in the north of Albania, where conditions are difficult to live and survive. As soon as we get some results and individual perspectives of the project, I’ll let you know and maybe we can include those in the newsletter.
Also I want to tell you of a very important project for us. We are currently totally engaged to make it work. With the sales of the last 2 months from the bikes (and of months ahead) we are working to plant 1000 trees near a landfill site called Sharra, with the hope of a better environment for the adjacent villages and the general area where the fumes from the landfill make living hard. “Plant Your Tree” and Ecovolis have the motivation to make this work. Phase One is three days away with a first step of 1000 trees, and based on the participation we get we are going to plan and go all the way until we hit the target of 1500 trees (and who knows how many more later). Soon enough I’ll have some photographic material to send to you so you can also give impressions and include it in the newsletter.
There have also been smaller scaled projects but with a considerable success upon drawing attention of the public towards a greener living in general and biking in a more specific manner.
Best regards,
Ened