Hello to all those returning and new students to SUSU from your Environment and Ethics Team:

Environmental and Ethics Officer: Candice Snelling
Email: eande@soton.ac.uk

Environmental Co-ordinator: Dave West
Email: enviro@susu.org

Ethics Co-ordinator: Fran Loxley
Email: ethics@susu.org

We are here to represent you and improve SUSU for a better future. Any questions or comments you have ...we are here to help.

WORLD NAKED BIKE RIDE!!!!!!!!!SOUTHAMPTON RIDE

We will meet at 6pm on Friday June 6th on the eastern side of Southampton Common at the large clearing next to Highfield Road and opposite the junction with Omdurman Road. It's also close to the pedestrian underpass if you are approaching from the western side of the Common. There is plenty of space here for a REALLY BIG RIDE to congregate. Here's a google map showing the spot:
http://tinyurl.com/284nj4

There will be time to decorate bikes and paint slogans on our bodies, then we will set off for a ride of around 6 miles. The route passes through Portswood, takes a tour of the City Centre, finally returning to the start location via The Avenue. We will move at a gentle pace to ensure everyone stays together. Expect the ride to take about an hour.


LEAFLETS
This year we have a plentiful stock of beautiful, full-colour leaflets for the Southampton ride. These are a really good way to publicise the ride, and we need help to distribute them widely throughout the city and surrounds. Good ways to distribute are:
 * display in windows or on notice boards in bike shops, health food shops, cafes
 * leave a few on counters or tables in cafes and bike shops and replenish often
 * hand them to cyclists you meet on the street, at bike parks, etc.
Please come and collect leaflets at one of the events, or send me your address and I will post you a supply.

VOLUNTEERS WANTED
As well as distributing leaflets, we need help with other tasks, such as organising the post-ride bbq, giving interviews with the press, promoting the ride with relevant organisations, organising a film screening, etc. Please let me know if you are able to help in any way.


BACKGROUND FOR NEW RIDERS

What's this World Naked Bike Ride all about?
A peaceful, imaginative and fun protest against oil dependency and car culture. A celebration of the bicycle (and skates! and unicycles!) and also a celebration of the power and individuality of the human body. A symbol of the vulnerability of the cyclist in traffic. The world's biggest naked protest: 50+ cities and thousands of riders participate worldwide, including more than 1500 in the UK in 2007, of which 102 rode in Southampton!

Dress code
It's 'bare as you dare'. That means nudity is not compulsory, and some riders have worn underwear, swimwear, body-paint, thongs, foliage, etc. Many go completely naked. Go as bare as you feel comfortable doing.

Will I get arrested?
Simple nudity is not a crime and no-one has been arrested at any UK ride over four previous years. In Southampton the police have been completely OK with full nudity, and in London and Brighton, bike-mounted police have even helped with traffic control (clothed!). Indecent or lewd behaviour will not be tolerated so keep it clean.

What to bring
Make sure your bike is in good working order, and ideally bring basic tools, pump and puncture repair kit. You should bring something to carry your clothes in while riding, e.g. pannier or saddle-bag. Flowers to decorate your bike and horns to make a lot of noise are more than welcome! Ideally bring body paint for yourself and to share. We hope to have a picnic or bbq after the ride, so bring food for yourself and to share.

Other UK rides for 2008
 * Brighton & Hove - Sat 7 June - meet 11am at The Level
 * Belfast - Date TBA
 * Cardiff - Sat 7 June
 * Edinburgh - Date TBA
 * London - Sat 14 June - meet 3pm at Hyde Park Corner
 * Manchester - Fri 13 June - meet 6pm outside The Basement, 24 Lever Street,
 * Sheffield - Date TBA
 * York - Sat 7 June - meet 4pm in the Memorial Gardens
 * more rides in the planning stage...

More information
You can find lots more information about the rides on the web. Here are some of the most useful links:
http://www.worldnakedbikeride.org/ - the worldwide home page
http://www.worldnakedbikeride.org/uk/ - UK homepage with links the other seven UK rides
http://www.worldnakedbikeride.org/uk/southampton/ - latest details of the Southampton ride
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wnbr-southampton/ - sign up to our mailing list for updates
http://wiki.worldnakedbikeride.org/index.php?title=United_Kingdom_FAQ - really useful answers to lots more questions!