Citizen-based organisation, Cycles 4 Social Justice (C4SJ)
in association with KwaZulu-Natal Blind Tandem Cycling Association
and The Community Resource Centre
PROJECT PROPOSAL
This is a programme that is intended to take place in stages. It incorporates elements of working on cycling-related projects with youth, orphans, and blind and other challenged eco-cyclists as well as sport, health, fitness and sustainable living.
A self-sufficient holistic enterprise linking low-tech, high-tech and nature in bringing people who are normally excluded in the workplace into a production process. The project encourages the innovative use of bamboo linked to ‘Art Technology in Action’ to create adventure around nature themes.
The project affords skills transfer and job creation for local KZN communities in an eco-production environment.
We can achieve some level of take off for approximately R350 000. The funding would cover:
STAGE 1
• Initial equipment and accessories, cycling kit, training workshops, manuals
• Purchase of additional tandem bikes
• A draft achievement calendar and an event showcasing work in progress with blind and other challenged eco-cyclists. Cyclesphere, Cycle Lab or other cycle operators to help train blind and other challenged people (e.g. deaf, autistic, wheelchair-bound, orphans) in bicycle riding and maintenance.
The above costings would provide about 6 jobs covering 4 months. Depending on funding the programme can be scaled up or down. The project offers much long term sustainability.
We plan to expand the project to integrate the holistic cycling programme into COP17. The activities will focus on various events around blind and other challenged eco-cyclists, an Ecology & Cycling magazine, and a S’dumo Heritage Bike Festival.
STAGE 2
• Green Felt Hearts Poetry Arts Experience in association with C4SJ to bring out a quarterly magazine (every 3 months) titled Ecology & Cycling with educational aspects for the youth and a complete section dealing with blind and other challenged eco-cyclists. Workshop and launch of magazine to be held. Ecology & Cycling launch issue to feature COP17 retrospective. Green Felt Hearts Poetry Arts Experience is a citizen-based organisation that encourages arts and poetry experiences around themes of ecology, sustainable living and cycling. One of the organisation’s aims is to have everyone wearing a green felt heart during COP17. ‘Green Felt Heart’ poetry and art sessions will feature as part of the Green Hub festivities for COP17. The organisation is registered with the World Poetry Movement.
• Create a showpiece Ubuntu S’dumo cultural heritage tandem bike to celebrate the COP17 climate change conference in Durban Nov/Dec 2011.
• S’dumo Heritage Bike Festival – a monthly bike festival showcasing bicycles such as a Springbok Rugby S’dumo Bike and the ARROWSA-Bechet Ubuntu Soccer S’dumo Bike.
• Upgrade and maintenance of C4SJ website: www.cycles4socialjustice.org
STAGE 3
• Setting up of a Bamboo Bike manufacturing plant in KZN. Project to be piloted in Greytown. Full quota of challenged people to work on plantations, in offices and factories. KZN to export bamboo bikes and accessories. The design for the factory to incorporate eco-friendly structuring and accessible layout for blind, deaf and other disabled workers. Facility to incorporate:
1) Plantation
2) Eco-factory
3) Entertainment & Resource Centre
* To include facilities for wheelchair basketball and table tennis, dancing with disabilities, and family outings
* Bamboo Hospitality Lodge: To host tourists, researchers, merchandisers and family members. Includes innovations, such as menus available in Braille and audio-visual technology. Disabled people to serve as receptionists and as waitrons in dining area. Lodge to be designed in Afro-Bali architecture style.
* Skills Development Centre: Guests staying at the lodge who have interaction with disabled people (either a family member, work colleague, student etc) will have an opportunity to learn sign language, a bit about Braille, and how to interact with disabled people.
* Co-operative fruit and vegetable garden: Vegetables grown to be used in preparing meals for guests staying at the lodge. This will ensure job creation for the local community.
4) Showroom
* Facility to be manned 60% by people living with disabilities
* Bamboo bikes, medical crutches, furniture, toothpicks, scaffolding, building materials, chipboard and handmade paper on display
* The bamboo products will be sold locally as well as eventually exported.
* Linked to places like Cyclesphere in Durban and Cycle Lab in Pietermaritzburg
* Attract tourists via website
Note: KZN Department of Agriculture, Environmental Affairs & Rural Development and Department of Water Affairs & Forestry to suggest suitable sites in KZN for growing bamboo (e.g. Umbumbulu).
• An integrated whole building design identifying eight design objectives that should be considered and optimized for a high-performance building: accessibility, aesthetics, cost-effectiveness, functionality, historic preservation, productivity/health, security/safety and sustainability.
• Building to incorporate optimal indoor environmental quality taking into consideration noise, air quality, and thermal and visual comfort.
• As part of self-sufficiency, the plant will generate its own electricity from renewable sources that include wind turbines, solar power, hydroelectric power and biomethanisation sources. Bamboo to be used as a fuel source.
• Excess energy capacity will be offered to any local or national grid.
• To inspire people to ride bicycles and to reduce carbon loading in the atmosphere. Most bicycles are made from steel, coal and iron. In the future, people will not be allowed to drive their cars into the city centre. With the bamboo eco-factory, the use of natural products including rainwater harvesting, solar panels and wind turbines will mean that big factories pumping coal and steel need not be relied upon.
• The Bamboo Bike manufacturing plant needs to be situated near a river for irrigation and hydroelectric power. We are establishing links with city centres to initiate Art Bike Café’s with facilities for lock-ups for bicycles, showering, and enjoying a nutritious breakfast before heading out to work. The programme will contribute significantly to the reduction of problematic greenhouse gases.
• Links to be created with bamboo bike operations in Nigeria, India, China, Columbia University in New York, Durban University of Technology (DUT) and University of Zululand (Unizul).
STAGE 4
• Arrange for a group of blind and other challenged eco-cyclists to attend the 2014 Brazil Soccer World Cup – Participants to take a set of Ubuntu cultural heritage bamboo bikes for display at the World Cup (dependent on sponsorship and funding).
C4SJ coordinating participants
Mikhail Peppas – 073 923 1446
Sana Ebrahim – 082 545 6792
Jabu Nkomo – 083 956 5240
Ravi Moodley – 084 756 9053
Gabriella-Sofia Peppas – 078 583 5517
Akhona Nkalitshane – 073 797 1174
Veronica Mahlaba – 072 817 0318
