Our 1% for the Planet commitment
Part two: Supporting Outride
Who are 1% for the Planet?
Established in 2002 by Yvon Chouinard, Patagonia founder, and Craig Mathews, Blue Ribbon Flies founder, 1% for the Planet is an alliance of businesses that understand the necessity of protecting the natural environment.
As a brand, we believe actions speak louder than words and that we can do more together than we can alone. Being a member of the 1% for the Planet business alliance means that we have pledged to donate 1% of our annual sales to nonprofits that ensure that our planet and future generations thrive.
As keen cyclists ourselves, we want to show dedication and respect for the environment we ride in and help the global community to share in the benefits, opportunities and freedoms that riding a bicycle can bring. Standing strongly by these values, our first year of membership has seen us support and continuing to support two charities, namely Action For Conservation and Outride.
Outride
In the second of this two-part feature, we highlight the work of US-based charity Outride. The charity was founded back in 2015 by Specialized CEO and now Outride Co-Founder, Mike Sinyard, after he noticed that symptoms of ADHD in kids seemed to dissipate after returning from a bike ride.
In partnership with RTSG Neuroscience Consultants at Stanford University, Outride (then “Specialized Foundation”) sought to figure out the connection between riding a bicycle and the cognitive and physical changes experienced by kids and young adults. The results were indisputable—after kids started riding, they experienced positively altered brain activity, increased attention spans, boosted moods, and improved fitness and BMI. These results were being seen after just one ride.
Outride’s activities focus on three areas: primary scientific research, school-based cycling programs and the creation and support of cycling communities. Through these programs and their research, Outride is advancing the understanding of how riding bikes can help improve the social, emotional and physical well-being of children.
Outride has three main programs - Research, Outride Fund and Riding For Focus.
-
Institutional and applied research empowers Outride and its supporters to better understand how riding a bike can affect our brains. Through the continuation of this work, Outride plans to learn how riding a bike impacts how we think, feel and behave.
-
Through community matching grants, the Outride Fund cultivates inclusive and thriving cycling communities that increase access to and help sustain involvement in youth cycling across the US. Past grants include bike cooperatives, rider education and skill development programs, earn-a-bike programs, bike trails and parks, skills and pump track projects.
-
Riding For Focus (R4F) is Outride’s middle school-based PE program. Developed as a result of their initial research findings, R4F promotes cycling as an outlet for students to improve their cognitive, physical and socio-emotional well-being. Schools are provided with everything they need to get their 6th-8th grade students riding, including bikes, helmets, curriculum, and intensive teacher training.
Each of Outride’s programs are available across the United States of America. Their vision is a world where cycling is as widespread and accessible as going to the library. These programs create pathways for all riders of all backgrounds to access and benefit from a strong, healthy and vibrant local cycling ecosystem.
Since their launch, Outride has significantly grown their network and community across the USA. With some 120 Community Partners, 5 University Partners and 225 Schools across 44 States as well as grants now topping over $1M to over 100 cycling programs, more than 50,000 kids and young adults have been positively impacted. Outride’s goal is to be implementing more than 75 new programs by the end of 2022.
We look forward to continuing our support for this amazing charity this year and beyond.
You can find out more about Outride’s initiatives on their website and by following them on social media via the link below.
-
Outride
@outride
Follow us on socials
