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The FLICK OFF Express rides the Ontario rails to
get university students on track with climate change
Environmental experts from David Suzuki Foundation,
opinion leaders, advocates and cool Canadian bands along for
the ride
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TORONTO, September 22, 2008 — FLICK OFF, the
irreverent yet high-profile environmental advocacy movement
launched last year to heighten awareness of climate change,
today announced the next stop (in fact, four stops in October)
on its journey to inspire Canadians to take action against
climate change.
The FLICK OFF Express, presented by RBC, will
travel by train carrying students, activists, advocates, environmental
experts and cool Canadian musical artists Constantines and
Spiral Beach, on a four-day tour that will stop at four Ontario
universities for a rally and live concert.
"We're encouraging Ontario university and college students
to stand up for the environment, take individual action, and
ask our business and community leaders to make plans to produce
100 per cent of our electricity from renewable energy sources,"
said Gill Deacon, FLICK OFF supporter, author,
broadcaster and environmentalist. "Attend the rallies,
sign our petitions and join the FLICK OFF movement. The time
to act is now!"
The FLICK OFF Express stops include:
- Wednesday, October 15, 2:00pm-3:30pm
University of Western Ontario outside University Community
Centre
- Thursday, October 16, 12:30pm-2:00pm
York University, Vanier Field
- Friday, October 17, 3:30pm-5:00pm
Queen's University, Agnes Benedickson Field
- Saturday, October 18, 2:30pm-4:00pm
University of Ottawa, Confederation Park
At each stop, campus rallies will mobilize thousands of Ontario
students who, along with the FLICK OFF Express
passengers, will deliberate and demonstrate their commitment
to changing habits that contribute to climate change. Students
across Southern Ontario will pledge to FLICK OFF bottled water,
the car, fossil fuels and more.
Additionally, through a unique RBC/FLICK OFF Campus Challenge,
students can register online at flickoff.org, to commit
to an energy saving activity and have the chance to win prizes.
The RBC | FLICK OFF Campus Challenge, which runs until October
5, will award four grand prize winners plus two friends each
with the opportunity to travel aboard the FLICK OFF
Express from Kingston to Ottawa, and meet personally
with Dr. David Suzuki.
Students increase their chances of winning by committing
to additional actions like using public transit, eating locally-grown
foods, choosing not to buy bottled water, switching to electronic
bank statements and spreading the word to their friends. As
part of its campaign to foster a culture of water stewardship
in Canada and abroad, RBC will also run a complementary water
bottle exchange at each rally.
The university tour is the next stage of the FLICK OFF initiative,
and signifies a grassroots effort to incite action on the
part of students to demand better from business and community
leaders. "The torch is being passed to a new generation
who will be bearing the brunt of the environmental damage
being caused by reliance on fossil fuels," adds Gill
Deacon. "It's the responsibility of individuals, governments
and corporations together to FLICK OFF."
"MuchMusic is proud to return as the official broadcast
sponsor of FLICK OFF," said David Kines, Senior Vice-President,
Much MTV Group, CTV Inc. "With the extraordinary reaction
to last year's campaign, Much audiences proved they care deeply
about our energy crisis and depleting natural resources. Our
goal is to remind youth, on every platform we have, to FLICK
OFF and make simple, everyday changes that affect our planet
in a positive way."
Also lending their support to the FLICK OFF Express
and attending the rallies will be José Etcheverry and
Dr. Faisal Moola of the David Suzuki Foundation, the FLICK
OFF Express Scientific Partner. Each rally will feature a
video message from Dr. Suzuki plus environmental expert guest
speakers from the Foundation. Dr. Suzuki himself will be in
Ottawa to welcome the FLICK OFF Express to its final destination,
joining in the rally for climate change in the nation's capital
and presenting the petitions in support of the program.
"The FLICK OFF Express is an exciting initiative that
highlights the need for renewable sources to be the focal
point of government energy policy, research and legislation
immediately," said Dr. Suzuki. "We all have a role
to play and action is required both individually and collectively
right now if we are to have any impact on future climate change."
Hosting the rallies will be high-profile MuchMusic VJ Hannah
Simone. In between destinations, those on board the train
will participate in seminars and discussions on environmental
issues moderated by the FLICK OFF Express experts and members
of the David Suzuki Foundation. A documentary crew will film
the proceedings for future broadcast.
Additional partners include exclusive broadcast sponsor
MuchMusic, Virgin Mobile, Roots and MySpace Canada. For complete
details on the FLICK OFF Express, visit www.flickoff.org
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Media Contacts:
David Holmes, (416).628-5605
dholmes@hccink.com
Chris McDowall, (416) 628-5648
cmcdowall@hccink.com
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