Story
<p>Somewhat impulsively, I have agreed to:<br />1. <strong>Cycle from Paris to Barcelona</strong> in August, approximately 950 miles. <br />2. <strong>Run the Kielder Marathon</strong> in October, 26.2 miles.<br /><br />I've already thrown one mini-tantrum, have only ever cycled 45 miles before (yes, training has begun!) and have run a (pathetic) 7 miles. This is going to be hard, but its for a great cause. </p>
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<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">The money goes towards...</span></p>
<p><strong>People and Planet Trust</strong> are currently engaged in a campaign to raise awareness about the destructive Tar Sands projects (see below). The money will be used to bring First Nations indigenous people to the UK so they can share their story, and inform us first-hand about the Tar Sands (good and bad). This is an opportunity for them I do not think they should be denied, considering it is their livelihoods first and foremost at risk here. </p>
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<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">About the Tar Sands...</span> </p>
<p>The Athabasca Oil Sands or 'Tar Sands' in Northern Canada are the biggest and most destructive industrial project on the planet, covering an area about the size of England and Wales combined.</p>
<p>The oil is a cocktail of bitumen, sand, clay and other traces, requiring considerable extraction and refinement processes. <br />- Open-pit mining involves the removal over the 'overburden' from the site i.e. the pristine Boreal Forest (responsible for producing a third of the world's oxygen) and its ecosystems.<br />- Extraction emits three to five times more carbon dioxide per barrel than conventional oil. By 2020 the Tar Sands project is estimated to be producing 108 megatonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.<br />- It takes up to 5 barrels of water to produce a single barrel of usable oil, which has to be diverted from rivers, lakes, farms and cities in Canada. The water levels of the Athabasca River have dropped by several metres.<br />- Much of the water ends up in toxic 'tailings ponds', which leak 11 million litres of toxic waste into local water supplies each day.<br /><br />As a result of these processes<br />- Caribou populations have been in serious decline and are expected to be extinct by 2040.<br />- Unexpectedly high cancer rates are being reported in the indigenous 'First Nations' communities, linked to the toxins being released into their water supplies.<br /><br />Currently, hunting, fishing and trapping rights are being denied to the First Nations communites, despite agreements between them and the Canadian government. They are losing land, water and the ecosystems they rely on.<br /><br />Canada and the EU are currently negotiating CETA, and agreement that proposes that European companies would be granted the ability to sue Canadian governments (and vice versa) if legislation impeded profit opportunities. This would undermine low-carbon initiatives and indigenous rights. </p>
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<p><strong>This is a crisis.<br /></strong>Latest predictions suggest that the Tar Sands project on its own is capable of taking us past our carbon threshold. If this project is allowed to continue, we will be taken over the brink into environmental disaster.</p>
<p><br /><br /><strong>There are alternatives. </strong> </p>
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<p><strong>Dig deep and donate. </strong>This is a great cause, and raising awareness about the Tar Sands is key if we want to protect our future and the future of our planet.<br /><br />To find out more...<br /><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/People-Planets-Beaver-Lake-Tar-Sands-Youth-Solidarity-Exchange/209567545750060">http://www.facebook.com/pages/People-Planets-Beaver-Lake-Tar-Sands-Youth-Solidarity-Exchange/209567545750060<br /><br /></a><a href="http://www.no-tar-sands.org/">http://www.no-tar-sands.org/</a></p>
<p>There will be a documentary covering the complete exchange on the BBC later in the the year. <br /><br />_________________________________________________________ </p>
<p><span style="color: #1c1c1c; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 14px;"> </span></p>
<p style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; line-height: 19px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.</p>
<p style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; line-height: 19px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.</p>
<p style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; line-height: 19px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">So please dig deep and donate now.</p>
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