This past Friday, I took the opportunity to participate in an event known as “Glowride”, put on by Hamilton Bike Share, a partner of SoBi Hamilton. My previous experiential learning activity motivated me to refocus and deviate from my initial learning goals, which has led to me being  significantly more interested in understanding how positive change can be created effectively on a small scale. Though this trip was somewhat aligned with learning goal #3, I instead chose to investigate how individuals in the local community are utilizing zero-emission infrastructure, namely the rentable bikes made available by SoBi. In the week leading up to the Glowride, I questioned several of my peers as to their impressions of SoBi’s public bicycles. To my surprise, a large majority of the fifteen individuals I talked to believed that this service was a step in the right direction, and six of them were planning on purchasing an annual membership in the fall.  Additionally, I am an account holder with SoBi, and frequently use their bicycles to travel to and from class, and run various errands around the city. I find them to be durable, efficient, and quite convenient. Therefore, I came to the event with the impression that I would meet individuals with a similar mindset.

After a briefing, and once dusk had fallen, we attached lights to our bikes and set off around the city. The ride was more of a cruise, so I had the chance to chat with several event attendees. I asked one gentleman (name redacted) about his thoughts about local bike transport. He commented that the system was “fast, affordable, and enjoyable during the summer months” and that “SoBi works really well on a small scale”. When I asked him to clarify what he meant, he replied; “Well, it works when you just have a few bicycles, but there’s no point in expanding it, because the amount of people that use the service is tiny compared to the total population”. I was surprised at this cynical response, but in reflection, I understand why. It is my belief that human beings now have a desire to be “lone wolves”, and to express themselves in as unique a way as possible. I believe this has led to a startling  increase in the amount of goods and services consumed per person. For example, gone are the days when cars were oriented mainly towards families, with the aim of moving 4-6 people around. Now, all I see on the road are cars with just 1-2 occupants. Advertisements everywhere claim that buying their products will help you “stand out amongst the norm”, and clothing now tends to be measured by the amount of eyes it will catch, rather than its functional, durable value. With this change in mentality, I think people have become much more reluctant to participate in using communal resources. Now, back to the event.

After the ride finished, we were greeted by a plethora of tents, containing small fires, treats, and hot chocolate. Not exactly the experiential portion of the trip, but I took the time to ask more questions. The chief business development associate of SoBi Canada, Joanna Jacobs, was kind enough to talk to me about why SoBi would be a good addition to any city. “It is becoming very apparent that we need to do more with less, and part of that means sharing” said Joanna, and I agree with what she said. When I shared with her my theory about individuality and its impact on the environment, she commented that “as a society we need to find better ways to express this individuality, and become more willing to… ‘herd’ ourselves more when it comes to transport, housing, and food as well”. I agree wholeheartedly with this statement, and parts of it have been reinforced in class. This concept of individuality is a good example of The Tragedy of The Commons, wherein people are too busy buying their own homes and vehicles without recognizing that they are rapidly filling up land and polluting the air at an alarming rate.. This is a bold statement, but I believe it to be true.

Altogether, the bike ride turned into more of an interview, but it gave me great insight into the way individuals act and think when it comes to the preservation of the environment. As we discussed in class, we are at the point at which we have the technology and financial resources to put into place all manner of sustainable systems, from power generation, to farming, to waste management. However, no matter how advanced our environmental technology becomes, its implementation and success comes only at the hands of the public. No matter how many policies are introduced or put into legislation, it becomes the job of the everyday person to participate and promote growth. No matter how many Kyoto Summits occur from now until the end of time, responsibility falls to the populace to bend an ear and listen, and work locally to promote positive change across the land. Therefore, it is my belief that the world needs to shift its focus towards convincing individuals that making significant changes to their lifestyle for the sake of preserving the health of our planet is worthwhile.