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August 24th
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SPOKE cycles organically to the Atlantic in 66 days. We arrived to Cape SPOKE...I mean...Cape Spear, Newfoundland, 2:00 PM on Thursday, August 24th. With only four hours of ferry sleep, sore knees, and thin tires we cycled along pebbled shoulders to the most easterly point in North America. The 15 km ride along Cape Spear drive had our adrenaline pumping, with hard uphill grinds and sweet, colourful glides. We realized we reached the end of the road as the green van and lighthouse parking lot appeared over the hill. That glorious sensation of completion splashed upon us in a refreshing wave as we dipped our tires into the Atlantic and cheered. "We did it!" SPLASH SPOKE visited with hundreds of organic growers, retailers, and consumers along the way to learn more about why we should eat organic food. "It makes sense!" During our ride we ingested massive amounts of incredible,
healthy tasty, food. As we received our food donations, we also received
support from an industry, communities, farmers, people who are truly concerned
for the planet's future. These people are not only educated about growing food, they are educated about the human systems and behaviours which threaten environmental health. "We can not solve human health problems without solving ecological health problems." Those individuals showing lack of support for organic farmers seem to be heavily influenced by media, biotechnology corporations, or ignorant about personal health connections to the environment. Many people knew little about organic food but were concerned about genetically engineering food and agreed about food labeling. Those people were receptive to the benefits of organic food production. Some consumers still acknowledge that higher food prices will deter them from buying organics. For those people, more organic sources need to be available. The organic farmers we visited all had a primary common principal. They cared about the health of their family, their local community and ecosystem. Fortunately for many organic farmers they receive enough money to keep them farming. "We can't keep up with the demand," is a common statement by many growers, like here at the Lien Family Farm in Portugal Cove, NF. Consumers who buy organically grown food also care about the health of their family, their local community and ecosystem. They are generally more environmentally conscious too. It remains SPOKE's goal to connect Producers and Consumers, to promote the benefits of organic food production, to encourage support and development of bioregional food self reliance, and to keep eating organic food. Also the next time we cross Canada by bike, we're taking more time! May the choices we make be adventurous, spontaneous, and thoughful. For the rest of our lives starts with the next decision. Pick organic! |
