Starting February 2009, I will be biking across the country to raise money for my high school's environmental action club. The experience will be a wonderful opportunity for me to raise money for my club and thus lessen the carbon footprint of my school, and therefore community. Currently, the environmental action club (which has just been founded this school year) is devising a composting program for the school. We have met with "Compost Masters" from around town, and are talking with school administrators about this new possibility. Already this year, we have abolished Styrofoam lunch trays from the cafeteria, which were then replaced with biodegradable ones. After (to our horror) discovering that only a small percentage of our school's recyclable materials were in reality being recycled, the club worked in collaboration with the school newspaper to reveal this scandal. Now, every classroom has a recycling bin by the door that is being put to use. The reason why I so strongly wish to support my small school group is because I am a believer in the "think globally, act locally" philosophy. The only way that we can change the world is if we start in our own backyards. So in one year, I will be taking my love of cycling and of the environment to a whole new level! Instead of seeing the precious earth of my country in a gas-guzzling car, I will experience the beauty our world has to offer on the saddle of my bicycle. However, the trip itself is not free- expenses of riding equipment, etc. are a load of their own. My fundraising goal is to at least triple these expenses.