Ecotality Life

Specialized Bicycles, in conjunction with Google Inc., and Goodby Silverstein & Partners, have launched the Innovate or Die Pedal-Powered Machine Contest, offering prizes to participants who create winning pedal-powered solutions for offsetting climate change.

“We believe in the power of the bicycle,” says Specialized’s Founder and President Mike Sinyard. “We believe that the bicycle can be a self-powered solution for reversing global warming, improving the environment and making the world a better place for future generations.”

The Innovate or Die Pedal-Powered Machine Contest website, www.innovate-or-die.com, has the details. Eligible entrants will be invited to post videos on YouTube documenting and detailing their pedal powered solutions. The winning entries will be selected by a panel of distinguished judges. Prizes include $5000 cash and Specialized Globe bicycles to the top entries. The contest closes on December 15, 2007, with winners announced on January 15, 2008.

Dan Reicher, director of Climate Change and Energy Initiatives for Google.org, says the contest “will encourage young people to think about their impact on the environment and to take a different approach. “We need new ideas and a new generation thinking about the issues surrounding climate change and possible solutions,” he said. “I look forward to seeing how people from around the world put their pedals to work.”

The press release from Specialized says that, “when it comes to efficient energy use, the bicycle leaves all other modes of transport in its dust. The same amount of energy that it would take a person to walk at 3 mph, would allow them to travel at 10–15 mph by bicycle.”

Added bonus: pedaling a bicycle is more exercise than stepping on the gas and brake pedals.

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