13 Aug 2007
Getting Naked to Save the Planet.
At the Big Green Gathering one can learn a great deal. All kinds of workshops and talks are available, but one of the things I had no idea about before the Gathering was the World Naked Bike Ride. Once a year, in cities all over the world, people strip naked and ride their bikes, to raise awareness about oil dependency, body freedom and need need to curb car culture. This year’s happened in London in June. You can watch an excellent film about the Bike Ride here. The London Naked Bike Ride is the biggest in the world. At the BGG, a spontaneous naked bike ride took place, which was very entertaining.
You might wonder if it is illegal to strip off naked and ride a bike around, but apparently it isn’t illegal, no-one has ever been arrested on any of the UK rides. The BGG bike ride was accompanied by some wonderful body painting, in particular, the phrase “Less Gas, More Ass” on the above gentleman’s back… . While clearly this is unlikely to become the everyday way we always raise awareness about things, it is a wonderful way of making people think about these issues. While the small protest at the BGG didn’t raise the kind of reaction it might in the middle of a city, it generated lots of smiling faces and laughter, and it was interesting to see how actually it was all the children who were going “yuk, gross!”, rather than the adults! I don’t think we’ll start advocating that the Awareness Raising stage of the 12 Steps of Transition has to be done in the nude, but if you feel it would help, do let us know how it went!
Mike Grenville
13 Aug 3:36pm
going bare can be very a effective way of drawing attention to a message simply because nearly everyone is clothed all of the time. Here is another message seen at the 2007 World Naked Bike Ride in London.
Mike Grenville
13 Aug 3:38pm
going bare can be very a effective way of drawing attention to a message simply because nearly everyone is clothed all of the time. Here is another message seen at the 2007 World Naked Bike Ride in London.
xlcr
15 Jan 12:24am
Have just recently seen a film report of the London ride and was surprised at how many people took part and how few objections there were – not to the naked cyclists but to the traffic hold-ups. But U.K. drivers won’t be prised out of their cars until we have a cheap and reliable public transport system like most Continentals.
Mike Grenville
16 Jan 9:13am
I guess the fact that the cyclist were naked helped make the delay more interesting. There was a programme on BBC TV last week about the battle for the roads between car drivers and cyclists as well as pedestrians called Road Rage. Well worth watching and can be seen online here:
http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=2338091070755237169&hl=en-GB
ershad
5 Mar 4:17am
i think its discusting how can u save the word by gone NACKED, its foolish
ELLIE ;N CHARLOTTE
19 Jun 2:33pm
thats reight sick y is that gonna help any1 by goin naked its discustin nt every1 wants 2 see old people wid no clothes on!!!!!!!!!!!!!
S..I..C..K..O! ! !
Lake Gillin
28 Jun 8:23pm
Look this is the stupidest idea i have EVER heard we dont need to see these parts..and there is a child in there he is what like 9 or 10 he doesnt need to be exposed to these things!
CAKES
12 Aug 12:16pm
urgh this is disguisting who wants to look at old people naked riding bikes they need to think because this isnt helping anything. How about save the planet by visting fired 4 u and paint some pottery they have a summer competition!
Save the planet [with your clothes on]
This should be illegal!