What if everyone spoke softly and carried a big stick? What could happen if the stick was a walking stick? Perhaps carved from a sustainable bamboo forest, or a fallen stick from a backyard tree? What if the world were perfect?

In that perfect world, everyone would have an opportunity to be an ambassador for the environment. On November 17, 2008 a group of eighteen Ambassadors of the Environment will cycle from Northern to Southern California to create a more perfect world. Their mission is to promote public awareness of sustainable living and to inspire youth to be stewards in their school and home communities.

I've written before, albeit briefly, about Jean-Michelle Cousteau, Catalina Island Camps (CIC) and The Ambassadors of the Environment (AOTE). Essentially it boils down to this; you can only protect that which you love. These eighteen cyclists, these Ambassadors of the Environment, will bring a touch of the tenderness found at CIC to schools and farms, festivals and private homes.

Along the way the eighteen ambassadors will teach and model sustainable living. The group is travelling by bicycle with a biodiesel Support and Gear (SAG) vehicle that will run on recycled/reclaimed veggie oil. The food supplies have been preordered through United Natural Foods and many a farm and farmers market can get ready to feed the eighteen cyclists.

Last year the program director purchased a short school bus to serve as the support and gear vehicle (SAG Vehicle). They were able to find about 30 gas stations along the coast that provided biodiesel gas to fuel the bus. Though biodiesel is seen as a good alternative to diesel gasoline, there are some disadvantages such as additional land use for production, nitrogen oxide emissions, and a generally higher cost. Thus, they have decided to convert the bus to run on used vegetable oil. A conversion kit has been installed and the riders are looking for additional sources of used veggie oil.    

Community connections are critical to the bike tour. They have set up a lot of events along the route to help us meet community members who have an interest in their outreach program and in creating a sustainable future. They are open to any organized lunch stops and supporters cheering them on as they ride through an area. The bike ride requires a lot of energy output so you can imagine the food input necessary to meet those requirements. 

I have a basic outline of their itinerary and I'm unsure that it's meant to be public. I think I'll just whisper a few things to you. On November 17^th the riders will huff and puff their way across the Golden Gate Bridge (honking and cheering is welcome), if anyone's in Big Sur on the 21^st they will be celebrating Becky's Birthday (cakes are hard to bake on a bicycle), on the 25^th you'll find the riders at the Santa Barbara Farmer's Market and updates throughout the ride will be available on their website. If you have a school, place of worship, business or home you'd like the riders to visit why not make contact? They do have some free times.

Let's be frank here, a 750 mile journey sounds like great fun if you're 20-something and love the earth. It doesn't sound much like work. But these cyclists will stop along the way to give their message. They will be educating our children on sustainable living, teaching communities how to compost and farm organically. They will be modeling the most fabulous, fun, sustainable vacation adventure that a child or adult could hope to take.

My own kids have had the absolute privilege of being mentored by the folks from Ocean Adventures. Just a few months ago I had to research composters for our (teeny tiny) garden because somehow Travis and the gang at CIC introduced my children to gardening and composting in the most tender and exciting of all manners. The Ambassadors of the Environment made composting alluring. I think they just might have magic wands.

The Ambassadors of the Environment is the brainchild of Jean-Michel Cousteau. This summer when I asked him what it was like to be an activist he shook his head slowly, "I am not an activist. I am an Ambassador."

Eighteen Ambassadors speaking softly and carrying large sticks, large magic wands.