Meet Ryan Stotland, Long Distance Cyclist Fighting Climate Change

A set of two-wheels, a South American landscape and nothing but you and nature--for us adventure junkies, it sounds like a dream. For 23-year-old Ryan Stotland it's a reality. The Montreal-born biker just arrived in Quito, Ecuador after 4.5 months of cycling through seven South American countries, starting in Brazil--a total of 12000km.

His expedition wasn't any ordinary one. It was a mission to raise awareness and money for climate change—with proceeds supporting the David Suzuki Foundation—a fellow Canadian organization close to Ryan's heart.

After years of participating in long-distance cycling tours, Ryan wanted to pedal for good and boy did he. What started as a personal passion for biking ended in his singlehanded fundraising of over $110,000!

Planet Green: How did you get into this line of work?

Ryan Stotland: The idea to ride my bike to raise money for climate change was a long process. The first part came about seven years ago when I went on my first bike adventure from Paris to Nice and fell in love with traveling on a bike. Years later, I realized that I could combine my other passion of helping people and the environment and create a project that was truly mine. Now I am completing the longest bike adventure in the world (12000km) around South America and raising over 100,000 dollars for charity. It's a dream come true.

PG: What was your "a-ha" moment?

RS: It's probably very typical--it was watching the film, An Inconvenient Truth. I always had a love for the outdoors and a feeling that as a society we were disconnected from nature. Al Gore outlined the facts in such a way that I could see how this disconnect that I had observed had ultimately created a catastrophe. That was the moment I was spurred into action.

PG: Who is your green hero?

RS: David Suzuki--the man whose charity I am raising money for. Not only is he among the most intellectually gifted Canadians ever but he also practices what he preaches.

PG: What is your ultimate green goal?

RS: My ultimate green goal is to get more people outside riding bikes instead of driving cars and to continue raising money for charity. I believe that riding a bike is one of the best green changes someone can make. It is good for the environment and for your body and soul. I have no illusion that I will change the world but I can make a difference with my life.

PG: What is your motivation?

RS: Love of traveling, biking and helping raise climate change awareness. And loving all the elements of what I am doing.

PG: What is most important to you, ecologically speaking?

RS: The connection you build with nature. The more you interact and like something, the more you will do to protect it.

PG: What is the most challenging part of your job?

RS: Most people on the Vuelta Sudamericana, the longest bike expedition in the world, are only focusing on completing the trip. On top of that, there are a ton of things you need to do to keep yourself and your bike going for four and a half months. Adding hours and hours of fundraising to that has been more than challenging to balance.

PG: What is the most rewarding?

RS: When someone sends me a message that clearly comes from their heart and they say how the trip has inspired them to make certain changes in their life. In those moments I know I have made a difference.

PG: Of the people you have worked with, who impresses you most?

RS: David Suzuki and his relentless dedication, unimaginable intelligence and his ability to practice what he preaches.

PG: What green thing do you do everyday?

RS: Ride a bicycle.

PG: What do you wish you could do?

RS: I always had this goal in my mind that I could raise a million dollars for charity, inspire young Canadians to ride their bikes and make help take initiative on these issues.

PG: What is your biggest eco-sin?

RS: I like using new tubes instead of patching when I get a flat tire which is kind of wasteful.

PG: If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?

RS: Like Leo Tolstoy said, "Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself." I would change people's willingness to think for themselves and try to make a difference with their own lives instead of complaining about the state of the world.

PG: What is your best green advice?

RS: To be a good environmentalist I believe you need to understand the issues intellectually but then also feel them with your hands and body. If you want to really care about nature you need to immerse yourself in it.

Change Makers is series of interviews with people famous and obscure who are creating a more sustainable world through their work. Meet more Change Makers here.

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