Blog – Page 37 – Ecotopia Biketour

What have I learnt from the tour?

sam September 3, 2012 September 19, 2012

As my month of sunkissed, intense Ecotopia draws to a close, I’ve found myself wondering: have I changed as a person? For better, for worse? The more I wonder, the clearer the answer: yes, Sam, of course you’ve changed for the better, Now you have a deep, hot, glowing tan. A tan over the forearms, and even on the underside of the forearms. A tan on the back, and the deepest bronze cresting your shoulders. A sunkissed head, neck, ears, nose, forehead, chin and cheeks. Even my enormous heart now appears more golden. And also my entire legs, because I…

The biketour in food form

alice September 2, 2012 September 19, 2012

‘It fills my heart when people can just eat what they want to and there is still food left at the end’ – João Taborda 2012 Cycling up a hill towards Valli Unite this evening, just after my first ripe fig which I have been waiting for for months, I realised that it’s been a while since I wrote something and I thought that I would spend a little time collecting my biketour memories so far, using our encounters with a vast variety of foods of all shapes and sizes to help me. Apples – We woke up one morning…

The Squats of Coordinamento Asti Est

Ben September 2, 2012 May 13, 2013

30th August – As the tours cyclists congregated outside a bar by Asti train station, a couple of our hosts for the evening arrived to take us to a large squatted building where we would eat and sleep. The building once belonged to the department of health but, left empty, it now houses twelve previously homeless families of Moroccan immigrants. We ate our evening meal with members of the association which initiated the occupation and were told we’d be eating breakfast at another squat in the morning where we’d also learn more about the project. In the meantime we had…

first days cycling italy..

taborda September 2, 2012 September 19, 2012

And now for another day by day update from the past week. although we have just realised that; 1. today is our two month birthday of starting cycling!!! Time for a celebration I think. 2. we only have one week left!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! nooooooooooooooooooooooo saturday 25 august, after the the NO TAV camp general assembly, a big group of people tried to walk to the TAV construction site and were stopped by a police block which made us have to take a smaller path. We were heading to the Clarea protest site, where many tree houses and other resistance structures where some…

last days in france

taborda August 27, 2012 September 19, 2012

Riding through the Alps we have seen some beautiful (and steep!) mountains and visited some inspiring projects. Shooting stars have been more common than internet along the way, so here is a quick update of what we have been doing: tuesday 14 august, the action working group had a meeting and contacted local activists against nuclear energy along our route. At lunch time, Caroline, the mayor of Éourres village, joined us to eat and talk together about community living and how this alternative village was formed. In the afternoon some people joined in with the willow basket weaving and wool…

Ecotopia Biketour supports NO TAV struggle

taborda August 27, 2012 September 19, 2012

We made some stickers to show our support for the NO TAV struggle and spread them around on the NO TAV camp in Chiomonte. Download them here.

five weeks on the road!

taborda August 14, 2012 September 19, 2012

sunday 5 august, we held an anti-fracking workshop in Avignon square. While preparing dinner, T. held a Rhythms of Resistance workshop with recycled materials, pots and pans. We then joined up with the Serious Beans Project (a band who will join the tour so long as they can carry their violin, trumpet and doube bass amoungst other instruments on their bikes). They later gave us and the locals a free gig at the nearby campsite. monday 6 august, we cycled south for few hours under light rain, then debated Degrowth and Food over lunch before asking local land owners for…

Degrowth makes you grow

@kino August 13, 2012 September 19, 2012

Last Thursday, after five weeks of cycling, I left the biketour on a high, knowing already that I’d be back. I left partly because I was a bit tired. Selforganization is very empowering but takes a lot of energy and effort, especially when you are on the road with 25 to 30 people on average. I felt I couldn’t fully participate anymore unless I had a substantial break. Another reason to leave was that the distance would allow me to reflect on the things I just learnt and experienced. Waiting for my train in Montpellier I wrote down these quick…