If you see a man riding his bike on Highway 99 wearing what looks to be a superhero costume — it is likely Squamish's Renewable Man.
Local business owner, Dan Tetzlaff, is travelling across the country on his electric motorcycle to raise awareness about the current climate crisis.“I’m going to all the provincial legislatures to demand climate action, leaving a letter and a flag,” said Tetzlaff.
Tetzlaff said part of the reason he chose to travel by electric cycle is to show that there are renewable ways to travel long distances.“This bike ride is just to prove that the technology is there to get across the country. It's not solely for cities.”
Tetzlaff said his inspiration for the trek stemmed from the deadly heat waves during the summer months as well as the number of forest fires that burned across B.C. Additionally, Tetzlaff said he wants to ensure that he leaves a planet for his two young children and that when they ask him about the climate crisis, then he’ll be able to say that he did his best to make a difference.
As for the superhero get-up, Tetzlaff said he sees a lot of “doom and gloom” when it comes to conversations about the climate crisis. The outfit, he said, is hopefully a way of getting people to be more open to conversations about the climate by having them laugh and let their guard down.
“I'm wearing a big puffy jumper coverall with like muscle features on it,” he said.
“It's all green. I have a large ‘R’ on the back of it, a very large ‘R’ on the front. I have superhero underwear on the outside. I have yellow boots, yellow belt.”
Tetzlaff said he plans to begin his journey shortly and will start by heading north on Highway 99. He said his journey will take him across the country and back between a month or a month and a half.Ultimately, Tetzlaff said he hopes to inspire others through his journey.
“I'm just hoping to inspire others to respect the science, believe in it, trust it and take action.”“I really strongly feel erring on the side of caution — with the only planet man knows that is habitable — is a very wise decision.”
Find out more on the Climate Action Coast-to-Coast Facebook event page.
