It’s Getting Hot In Here

I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t constantly on the move — around the world, across India, through Delhi, or pacing across my bedroom. It’s probably true for most of the youth movement. But, maybe that’s what works – messages that move. That move us, and that move themselves.

It’s been six months today since we launched the Climate Solutions Road Tour and began our journey across India, 3500 kilometers in solar electric Indian-made cars, which took us farther than we’d ever imagined — from the NY Times to skype calls with groups of young people in the Philippines, Israel, Sweden, Brazil, Mexico, US, and the UK who are hitting the ground on their bicycles, their electric cars, their trains and their own feet to see what solutions they find — to create, communicate and celebrate change, as we had tried to here.

There have been so many journeys that inspired us – the Road to Detroit and the BioBus, the Australian youth Overland journey to Poznan, Rolling Sunlight and even Guster’s eco band tour – to set off across India in solar supported electric cars, with a solar band and a vision to showcase the solutions we knew were around us. We wanted to build trust and confidence between nations, and never realized the most important was building this in ourselves.

I’m getting restless, again, so its time for another move. But now, where I go, the message moves, too — Yes we can! So we will.

We’re glad to see that the Indian government got the message — people like messages that move!

Here are two more mobile environmental campaigns around India – the one on the right is the Tamil Nadu Energy Development Authority’s big truck. It helped us launch our road tour, but it has now set off on its own, to travel Tamil Nadu and teach students about solar and plastic! “A novel aspect of the campaign would be distribution of postcards carrying messages on source segregation and avoiding plastics to students, who could send them to their relatives and friends, Mr. Amuthasekaran said.” Neat! Now how about social media — Twitters?

On World Environment Day, Shiela Dixit (Chief Minister of Delhi) and the Arch Diocese of Delhi launched a joint campaign against plastic, in a converted Maruti van to spread the message about alternatives to plastic bags. ”The Chief Minister’s voice to be broadcast through a loudspeaker attached to the vehicles will urge customers to give up the use of plastics and buy jute bags.” How about broadcasting music, folks? They are hoping that by the end of 2009, they’ll have 15 vehicles in their jute fleet, selling these bags for 15 to 30 Rupees each.

This project is being supported by the Archdiosese in Delhi, who said at the launch that this campaign would keep our streets safe… from plastic. Next step, from Maruti vans themselves…

We’re off to tell Shiela Dixit about some more bags we’ve got up our sleeves, and to see if her Maruti’s would do a face-off with our Revas.