Midweek Post for March 29, 2023 – Celebrate Earth Day in April by Riding Your Bike

Now that spring has officially sprung, a lot of us are outside doing our first big rides of the new season. But maybe you’re lacking focus, direction, or, even worse, that inner motivation? If that is the case, Strava is offering up a way to get in some low-key miles and help promote Earth Day on April 22, 2023.

Strava’s Challenge

Between April 1 – April 30, 2023, Strava is sponsoring a challenge it calls “Around the World in 30 Days” to celebrate the month in which Earth Day occurs. The goal of the challenge is to complete 24,901 miles of activity. You might think, “That’s impossible.” Yes, it would be if you had to ride all those miles yourself. To ride that number of miles, it would probably take several years to complete.

But all that Strava is asking is that you, as an individual (and every member of Strava that accepts this challenge), complete 24.9 miles next month. For many road cyclists, that’s a distance a lot of us can knock out during a regular, everyday ride.

If you complete the challenge (and you are a member of Strava), you’ll receive a digital finisher’s badge that will be displayed on your Strava profile. You also can feel good that you are helping to reduce pollution and the effects of climate change.

Strava points out that you don’t necessarily need to be a bicyclist to participate. You can bike, run, walk, etc. The overall goal is to reduce our carbon footprint for a month.

What is Strava?

Strava is an online community for bicyclists, runners, walkers, etc. to share and track their workouts with friends and other athletes. It is a social media outlet of sorts but primarily for people who value exercise and fitness.

It’s very easy to track your workouts. You can either physically input your workout stats by going to the Strava website, creating an account, and then uploading your data. But the easiest way is to download the app to your phone and sync it with your cycling computer or another kind of fitness tracker. At the end of your workout, the ride or workout will automatically upload to Strava.

In addition to the Earth Day challenge, Strava also sponsors other challenges you can choose to participate in. If you complete a challenge, Strava will usually reward a digital badge. However, there are other brands on Strava that sponsor challenges and will reward discounts on gear or other perks.

History of Earth Day

April 22, 1970, is considered the beginning of the modern environmental movement. It was inspired by Rachel Carson’s groundbreaking book Silent Spring, which was published in 1962. It sold more than 500,000 copies in 24 countries.

Carson’s book “raised public awareness and concern for living organisms, the environment, and the inextricable links between pollution and public health.”

In 1990, Earth Day became a global phenomenon. 200 million people in 141 countries participated to raise public awareness about pollution and the environment. It was Earth Day, in fact, that gave rise to focus worldwide efforts on recycling. Today, Earth Day is even more important as our world changes in front of us as a result of climate change.

Last Thoughts

If you’re struggling to find some motivation for the beginning of the cycling season, then joining Strava’s challenge is a good choice. You can, along with other fitness enthusiasts, make a statement with the miles you ride (or run, walk, etc.) about how you feel about the environment and the earth we all have to share. At the same time, you can be part of a community that feels the same as you about fitness.