Common goals
Whether you’re planning a bike trip or plotting a sustainability project, everything starts with a common goal, preferably with a shared ‘why’. The clearer and more aligned it is, the easier it is to actually work towards it. For our bike trip, cycling from Copenhagen to Amsterdam was our goal. The ‘why’ had several parts: spending lots of time outside during our vacation, having a limited footprint, and meeting my goddaughter’s son.
Planning and flexibility
Once you have a goal, you can develop a strategy and a timeline. What are key steps along the way? Who needs to be engaged? What kind of resources are needed and available? Be sure to include some slack and flexibility for detours and other unforeseen circumstances. This gives you more opportunity to tackle challenges and enjoy milestones along the way. We booked the train in March, and the accommodations in Copenhagen and Hamburg quite early as well. We left the rest of the trip open to deal with changes in the weather and our energy levels. This worked out well most days – except once, when we ended up cycling over 130 kilometers in a day. We also needed some extra time for detours when some bike trails were more like horse trails due to the drought.
Use what is already there
So often, sustainability projects start from scratch. Building on what’s already there or underway can fuel progress and support. We used our second-hand bikes, adding a few bike bags and a raincoat found on Vinted, and stayed in repurposed buildings (like the Reverb Hotel in Hamburg). We were also very grateful for the many trees and lakes/seas along the way to cool us down on hot days. And very sad to see many trees and shrubs like heather suffer from the drought.
Engage with people early and along the way
No one can drive sustainable change alone. There are always people to engage with relevant knowledge, interests, ideas. My goddaughter had great tips to offer on what to see in Copenhagen. The Happy Cow community helped us find vegetarian and vegan food almost everywhere. And led us to an Eritrean restaurant in Coevorden, where the owner kept us inspired with his story, way past closing time. He arrived in the Netherlands as a 17-year-old refugee and now runs his own restaurant. We also met up with friends and family, making for a great mix of known and unknown people along the way.
A bit of luck and momentum
Many sustainable change success stories have a bit of luck or unexpected momentum in addition to a good plan and great people. Innovations in the supply chain, regulations driving wider change, geopolitics driving a circular economy. We felt lucky to escape most of the heatwaves and some torrential rain, and, unlike on previous long bike trips, had no flat tires this year! Although some of that may be due to learning from those previous trips and better preparation – also key for sustainable change.
You cannot do everything at once
A big sustainable transition often consists of many smaller changes. If you try to drive change on all those topics at once, you’ll probably get stuck or overwhelmed. Better to establish priorities, start with one topic, and then carry on once that one is on its way. Interestingly, we got similar advice from the guide at the Louisiana Museum (north of Copenhagen, highly recommended) who said: “don’t try to see everything in one visit.”
So there you have it – many parallels between driving sustainable change and riding a bike across three countries this summer. We reached our goal within the planned three weeks. It took a lot of energy (happily consumed as local delicacies) and also provided lots of new energy.
1,100 kilometers later, I am charged up to continue driving sustainable change. I do have space for another project or part-time/fractional interim role this fall, so let me know if your organization could benefit from some of the energy generated on this trip. I’m also looking forward to teaching the Changing the Game course on sustainable transitions again.
Thank you for all 1,100 kilometers and counting, Koos Boering. And nice to see you along the way: Kajsa Rosenblad, Sabine Trommar Rosenblad, Eva van Bergen Henegouw, Hellen Boering, Paul van den Berg, Paul Smorenburg, Suzanne Klinge, Ilse De Smet!
