One car less for Mother Earth

 BANGALORE: Bangalore city witnessed a unique congregation when enthusiastic cyclists and supporters of a ‘greener earth’ came together in support of the notion ‘One Car Less’. On the occasion of Earth Day celebrations in the city, Greenpeace with the help of Icycle, organised an 8-km-cycle-ride, starting from Cubbon Park, going through Vittal Mallya Road, Richmond Circle, Bangalore Central and ending back in Cubbon Park. In their 45-minute ride,  around 50 cyclists sported green shirts with the message ‘Greener Bangalore, Greener India’. Akshay, a member of Greenpeace,  said, “My cycle is the only mode of transportation for me. Earth Day is more of a celebration rather than a protest. This awareness campaign is not restricted to a one-day event.” Prateesh, who spoke to us regarding his views on environment-friendly modes of transport said, “We need to promote cycling. More people should start using it. I use cycle to work everyday.”  Banu Priya, who is doing her correspondence course in Psychology in Jain University, said, “I normally cycle to college to implement my views on protecting the environment.”After the eight km ride, these cyclists gathered on Cubbon Park premises to share their experiences and also talk about their views regarding Earth Day. Brikesh said that he has been cycling for long. He took up cycling for two reasons: They are readily available at his place of work and the fact that travelling by auto everyday is a bad option.As the celebrations concluded, people from all across Bangalore joined in a musical performance with many of them playing the ‘djembe’ that attracted the others to join in. They even used a variety of cycle bells to add to spirit of the special day.Earth Day: Earth Day marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970. The idea came to Gaylord Nelson, then a US Senator from Wisconsin, after witnessing the ravages of the 1969 massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California. He realised that if he could energise public consciousness about air and water pollution, there will be chance for environment.