Earth Day, 2011

There have already been posts about two recurring monthly events, both of which have been planned to fall on Earth Day weekend: Daegu Green Living's seventh Eco-Film Night (Saturday at 7:30PM) and Daegu Bike Festival's second ride of the year (Sunday at 11:00AM). But there's more!

In honor of Earth Day - all of it, from 12:00AM to 11:59PM - all cars, buses, taxis, and taxis, and maybe even scooters will be prevented from entering passing through the stretch of road between Jungang Intersection (the corner of Daegu Lotte Young Plaza is) and Banwoldang intersection. The effect on air pollution will hardly be noticeable, but the ambiance of Jungang-no changes significantly. Here are some images from Daegu Car-Free Day last September:

F&*^ Off, cars!

There may or may not be live music.


Who knows who they'll hire for the big stage. Maybe better to bring your own tunes:


Lots of cyclists, tents, and wholesome noise:


Most importantly, the space freed up will be used for stuff like this:

All along Jungang-no, various eco-conscious organizations will be setting up tents, selling products, teaching arts and crafts, explaining this and that, and spreading the word about what they're doing to make Daegu, Korea, and the world a slightly cleaner place. If you want to know what sort of environmental stuff is going on in Daegu, and how and where and when you can get involved, don't miss this chance!

Noksaek Sari will also have a booth! Please stop by, hang out, pass out fliers, and enjoy the spring while it lasts^^

The festivities will likely start at about 10AM, but those who are truly dedicated/slightly crazy are advised to come out at midnight! A few members from the Green Consumers Alliance are planning to pitch a tent or two the moment the car blockade goes into effect, and then spend the whole night there at Jungang-no. Our plans aren't too solid yet, but they will likely include (live) music, card and board games, chatting and snacking, and maybe watching a film or two. Please join us - what's not to like? The YMCA has agreed to stay open and let us use its bathrooms, and, as we all know, kimbap and other snacks are available around the clock. Just bring a a tent, a mat, a blanket, a coat, a water bottle, a snack or two, an instrument, a game, or something to talk about.

Hope to see you there!

2011 Daegu Bike Festival, Round 2 / Earth Day Celebrations

The 2011 Daegu Bike Festival campaign kicked off on March 19, with nearly one thousand riders making a 14-km loop from the West District Office, around West Daegu, and Back. In addition to a massive number of Korean participants, several foreigners joined in the fun, including the first ever foreigner to don the shiny, yellow, slightly obnoxious staff vest then cycle to and fro protecting children and ajumma alike from the vicissitudes of Korean traffic:

More importantly, though, the following picture made it into several local newspapers:

Way to go, Shane and Aaron! How great is it to have some lasting evidence of foreigners participating in and contributing to a meaningful, barely-publicized event like this? Three cheers for integration! (Thanks also to Niall and Matt, who must have been somewhere else in the pack. Maybe if you wear badass sunglasses next time, you'll make the front page.)

So, let's do it again! 2011's second Bike Festival will take place on Sunday, April 24th in honor of Earth Day. We'll kick off from Jungang-no downtown and go for, again, a 14km loop around the southeastern part of the city, with a short break at Suseong lake.

The plan is to start with photos at 10:30, have the opening ceremony at 11:00, hit the road at 11:20, and wind down with prizes at 1:00.

Look here for a map of the course and other details, and click the big orange button to sign up for your raffle ticket.

As with all Daegu Bike Festival events, all are welcome and everything is free.

Hope to see you there!