cargobikecoop.org

In February, our community lost a tireless activist and cherished friend—Isobel Kiborn. Since her sudden passing, a group of Isobel’s friends have been looking for a fitting way to pay tribute to her spirit of environmental activism, cooperative living, and community building. And thus the Cargo Bike Co-op was born.

The Plan

Have you ever had to transport something that was too big to carry on your bike? Sure, you could use a car, but maybe you don't want to burn all that gas. Maybe you’ve thought about buying a trailer or a cargo bike, but wondered if it made sense to have one sitting around all those days when you didn’t need it. Well, that’s where the cargo bike co-op comes in. Our plan is to raise some money and buy a small fleet of cargo bikes, cargo trikes, and trailers and make them available for people to borrow whenever they need them. It’s that simple—grassroots, non-profit, self-propelled.

Raising the Money

We’ve only just begun raising money, but we do have a preliminary strategy in mind: In July, every tax-paying British Columbian will be receiving a $100 ‘green rebate’ cheque in the mail, ostensibly to allow them to make individual lifestyle changes to reduce their own carbon footprint. As many have pointed out, the actual impact of all those little $100 cheques being scattered to the winds is pretty trivial compared with the impact the same money could have with collective action. With this in mind, we’ve set up a bank account where people can put their ‘green rebate’ toward just this type of collective action—buying cargo bikes for the community to share. The donations have been coming in and we are well on our way to purchasing the first cargo-bike.

How to donate

Isobel Kiborn Legacy Project, Vancity Account #400390, Branch 9, Plan 24 Savings.

What’s Next

A dedicated group of Isobel’s friends have been meeting for the last two months to get this project up and running. There are still a lot of decisions to be made. What kinds of bikes? Where can they be stationed? We have a lot of ideas to get us started, but we’re counting on your input and feedback! If you’re at all interested in having access to cargo bikes, please take a few minutes to fill out our on-line survey. A list of the organizing committee members can be seen here. There’s also a blog where you can follow our progress, and a mailing list (see the left sidebar) for important updates. Stay tuned!