On the 22nd March, Plymouth’s Rockets & Rascals cycling café played host to a brand-new documentary from Shift Cycling Culture. The short documentary captures the lives of cyclists across several regions of the world, living in areas where climate change is no longer a future threat, but a daily reality. From mountain biking in the Swiss Alps to World Tour Road racing in Australia, the documentary hits home how intrinsically linked cycling and the environment are.
NML was thrilled to have guest speakers, Stu Higgs (Ocean Conservation Trust) & Gareth Thomas (Zedify Plymouth) attend the event.
As Britain’s Ocean City, Plymouth is in the pioneering position of becoming the UK’s first National Marine Park. Stu’s talk revolved around what this meant in practical terms, from improving access to the sea for the city’s residents, to the seagrass meadows which are currently being planted and rejuvenated in the Plymouth Sound. There are several synergies between the work being done by the Ocean Conservation Trust and the potential for cycling to contribute towards these goals.
One of Zedify Plymouth’s impressive cargo bikes took centre stage whilst Gareth helped the audience visualise how Zedify are breaking down barriers in cities across the UK & decarbonising last mile delivery. In Plymouth, for example, Zedify have introduced the world’s first carbon-free collection scheme, collecting more than 1500kg of batteries for recycling by cargo bike as of February 2023.
NML’s Travis Bramley organised the event with the help of Shift Cycling Culture and had this to say following the evening: “It was fantastic to see stakeholders from across Plymouth’s cycling community come together for an evening of engaging and thought-provoking conversation. I’m confident that these conversations will help inspire real-world activism & Shift’s call to action is clear – We love where we ride, let’s act accordingly”. Bramley, an NML Sales Account Manager, closed out the evening by asking the audience to call upon their favourite cycling brands to ask what they are doing to improve the sustainability of their operations & whether they are engaged with Shift yet.
Shift Cycling Culture is a foundation that aims to accelerate collective climate action in the global cycling industry and community. Following this screening, the documentary is being shown in locations across the globe. As it stands, the next UK screening will be in London on the 13th April.
For more information: Cracked Earth Screenings
