going green galician style

international | environment | opinion/analysis Sunday October 15, 2006 23:32 by amanda allaway

Day of the bike (el dia de la bicicleta)

El Dia de la Bicicleta

get on yer bike

Galicia - set on the North West coast of Spain - on the Altlantic - fresh and green and they want to keep it that way.

The Galicians are rightly proud of their cities and the landscapes of the region and are also deeply connected to the sea - fishing remains a hugely important industry. Many people here may only be aware of the region in the aftermath of the Prestige oil tanker that went down of the coast of Galicia a few years ago causing major pollution and the deaths of seabirds and fish stocks - for many Galicians the Spanish Government's response to that disaster was just too slow and inadequate - see thread below.

There is a visible green movement in Galicia which seems particularly focused on the use of oil and petrol (hardly surprising after the Prestige went down). On a trip to A Coruna last week I saw at first hand what appeared to be the whole town leaving their cars behind and taking to their bikes for the official "El Dia de la bicicleta" - Day of the Bicycle" - A fantastic sight to see Maria Pita Square packed full of cyclists - children and adults alike. It was of course no surpirse that Critical Mass were much in evidence and many people used the opportunity of the day to push the message that petrol and oil consumption needs to be reduced for the sake of the environment - the Galicians have seen the devastation first hand and they clearly know how important that message is.