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1000 miles 1 month - for Raleigh NZ volunteering

  • Bonus day. The Nelson skyway opens, and the rainforest loss goes on.!

      5 December 2015
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    Thur 3 Dec. THis day news of more rainforest loss, in Borneo, from PACOS Trust, a community group tghat Raleigh International works with.

    Palm Oil in Borneo

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/in-sight/wp/2015/12/01/how-palm-oil-cultivation-in-borneo-is-threatening-the-ecosystem-everywhere/

    And, Borneo rainforest is so essential to Earth health

    http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/borneo_forests/borneo_deforestation/

    I hope you read these & connect with my cycling mission to get Kiwi volunteers working on Raleigh expeditions.

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  • Day 22 Sun 29 Nov - Victory!

      29 November 2015
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    Drive to Manukau, bike out heading to Gt South Rd, follow that along then underneath motorway, to Drury, lunch with rellies & grab some huge lemons from their tree (see pic). Back with detour to Ramarama. Gym warm-up for total 50 miles. the 1,000 challenge is done! Here's the progress updates on givealittle https://givealittle.co.nz/fundraiser/dcarboncycle/updates

    Delighted to be sitting near $1,000 for the Raleigh NZ youth leaders mission and the team - Sally, Sarah, Dickie. me - will be thrilled to bust $1,000!

    This is why I'm doing it:

    LI, Europe Sometimes I am just sitting here and I think of the things I learned and the skills I improved during 15D. One of the biggest things that changed after the expedition is my confidence. Now I can just go to people … and talk to them even if they speak a different language ... very useful for me.

    For the huge challenges these future leaders will face I will do all I can to help develop their skills & confidence. Raleigh NZ will be one tool for that goal.

    If you want to support my victory day for the 1,000 mile DCarbon Cycle challenge, please share this.

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  • Road Warrior - Kumeu for coffee

      28 November 2015
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    Day 21 Fri 27 Nov - 65.5 mile day!! See map for the west ride to Kumeu.

    From the page cover pic, note the business sign - the area is home to Yugoslavs, Dalmatians, Croats who came here for gum-digging 160-180 years ago, and we have many wineries there now -Nobilo, Brajkovic, Soljan, Fistonich, Babich.

    The mission - stop deforestation, start the Raleigh NZ volunteer charity, and develop young leaders to nake positive change. This ne story about Nicaragua's plans to destroy 400,00 hectares of rainforest shows how tragically close we are to losing vital environment resources.

    http://www.wsj.com/articles/china-wants-to-dig-the-nicaragua-canal-1439159390

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  • Cycling progress

      27 November 2015
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    Day 19 Tue 24 Nov - 50 mile day

    Longer gym warm-up - recovering from chest cold. Later ride out to GI (east towards Panmure)

    Day 20 Wed 225Nov - 48.5 mile day

    To Onehunga & Mangere all the way to Ambury Park (pic). Back to Penrose & visit Datagate, chat to CEO, home via Manukau Rd & Parnell. Feeling better.

    Today Fri 27th is a big ride out to Kumeu - will post pic!

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  • Forest devastation video

      24 November 2015

    This recent vid shows the massive scale of Borneo rainforest loss, making way for paper production ....

    https://www.facebook.com/DavidAvocadoWolfe/videos/10152597234206512/

    Having worked as a Raleigh International volunteer in Borneo on re-forestation & wildlife conservation projects it shows how seriously dysfunctional our political & environmental collaboration is. This is huge wasting of precious resource, an exploitation economic ethic that belongs in the 19th century.

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  • Cycle day 17 - 50 miles

      21 November 2015
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    Fri 20 Nov - 50 mile day, windy, hard work

    Out east via Tamaki Drv & St Johns to Glen Innes the Pt England for coastal trail, back home via detour to Greenland & visit friend Susan in Ascot hospital. Windy today again, hard work keeping 20 kph back around the waterfront. With gym warm-up total 50 miles in 3 hrs 10 mins cycling.

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  • Day 14 Bike the Bridge day

      15 November 2015
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    Sun 15 Nov Bike the Bridge plus 90km day!

    Up 4am, park car near the Start line 5am, pick up TeamSkoda kit, scoff some muesli bars, ready to go 6am. A well-marshaled event with 3,000 cyclists. Round trip 22km, plus like a few others I cycled around the Shore, down to Devonport for coffee meet,cycle back to parked car. Once home, straight to gym for another 18km at pace, to get to a 90km total (56 miles). I feel great! Pics - Bike the Bridge route; TeamSkoda shirt & medal from Bike the Bridge crew.

    Bike the Bridge day marks the start of the last 2 weeks of D-Carbon Cycle challenge. I’ll push up the mileage with 4 more Ride of the Week days, and invite others who can, to join me.

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  • Cycle day 9 - explore western cycleway

      8 November 2015
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    Day 9 Sat 07 Nov

    Explored the western cycleway as prep for a longer ride Monday. From CBD Start to Westmere-Pt Chev, out to Carrington Rd, then find cycle trail up to turn at Rosebank Rd. The map arrows show the route back

    Round trip 1 hr 42 mins. Plus a gym cycle warm-up, all up 2.6 hrs for 44 miles!

    Tomorrow the cycle Tour de Shore for climate action, I will see what is posted on Facebook.

    And, most important for this fundraise cycle challenge, Indonesia's forests are burning OUT OF CONTROL. This Guardian story -

    http://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2015/nov/07/setting-a-country-alight-indonesias-devastating-forest-fires-are-manmade

    "We are witnessing the worst manmade environmental disaster since the BP gulf oil spill. Huge, out-of-control fires rage through the forests of Indonesia – and the source of many is the practice of deliberately burning the land to clear it for palm oil and paper products."

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  • Deforestation on a massive scale in Borneo & Indonesia

      6 November 2015

    Why I'm doing this cycling challenge - Raleigh International is a sustainable development charity working with conservation partners in Sabah (Malaysian Borneo). In NZ we're setting up Raleigh NZ to recruit Kiwi volunteers to make a difference in those communities. And have the life-growth experience being on Raleigh shared projects gives.

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  • One-third in - a key goal reached!

      6 November 2015
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    I've done 8 days road cycling and clocked up 332 miles. a third of the 1,000 goal. And today (Thur 5th) I hit just over 50 miles! My cycle route took me out to Panmure, down Pakuranga Rd, and back via Pt England where I found the walkway around the Pt. a nice loop around the reserve there.

    The DCarbon Cycle is in full swing - time to get the fundraising notched up and promote the donation page. My huge thanks to everyone who's donated so far, the Raleigh NZ team are really thrilled!

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  • This is why I'm determined

      3 November 2015
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    Fresh news today via the Guardian "Indonesia's burning" http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/oct/30/indonesia-fires-disaster-21st-century-world-media

    A tragedy & both an environmental & human crime, what's happening in Indonesia is so against the values of what we just worked for as Raleigh volunteers in Borneo. People are getting sick, some dying. Orangutans, clouded leopards, sun bears, gibbons, these are among the threatened species being driven by the flames.

    Indonesia's fires are causing the same problems in parts of Borneo and yet Indonesia still thinks it has the right to destroy rainforest. The Borneo rainforest is millions of years old and cannot be replaced. We won't know what we've lost till it's gone.

    So today another 50 miles cycling in support of DCarbon Cycle and the Raleigh NZ vounteer cause.

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  • First week cycling for Raleigh volunteers

      2 November 2015
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    My DCarbon Cycle diary notes:

    Day 5 Sat 31 Oct

    Out Mt Eden to Onehunga Mall back via Cornwall Park & Parnell. Legs grizzling. Early start with gym cycle good, all up 2+ hrs for 32.2 miles

    My first week total reached 193.5 miles

    Day 6 Mon 02 Nov - see pic for route around the shoreline from CBD (top left) to the red marker Pakuranga. Out St Johns to G Innes to Pakuranga via Kings Rd, turn at Tamaki Bay Drv, back through Panmure & Pt England cycleway, to St Johns & home. Legs good,

    All up 2.73 hrs for 44.9 miles.

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  • 4th day cycling for Raleigh NZ volunteers

      30 October 2015

    Into day 4 of the 1,000 mile challenge, I've done 162 miles! Clocked up on my new odometer. Starting to get the word out about the Raleigh Borneo work, and protecting rainforest. This news “70% of the world’s cosmetics contain palm derivatives, over 1,000 ingredients are palm derived".

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  • NZ uses 30% of the world's palm kernel extract

      27 October 2015
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    This video talks about the devastation to rainforest by palm oil plantations, many of them illegal. Please help us with Raleigh NZ to get Kiwi volunteers working on environment restoration projects. While some of the palm oil NZ uses is from sustainable sources, the impact of palm oil as a largely invisible widely-used ingredient is severe & far-reaching.

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  • Starting the 1,000 in 1 challenge

      25 October 2015
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    Been training hard for 4 weeks, now ready to start cycling. My goal is 1,000 miles in 1 month. I'll be promoting Raleigh New Zealand, and supported by Sustainable Business Network and the Bike 2050 campaign.

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