World Carfree Day - Sample Press Release
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Press Release - Sept. [enter date], 2006
Carfree Day to be celebrated locally and around the world
Carbusters Magazine first called for a World Carfree Day on September 22, 2000. Today, World Carfree Day is celebrated in September in 1,500 cities in 40 countries with carfree festivals, bicycle demonstrations, street closures and permanent changes to make cities more environmentally and socially sustainable. Each year, streets are closed to cars and opened to children's games, neighborhood parties, street theater and outdoor cafes, allowing people to see their cities the way they could be with fewer cars.
Local Carfree Day events are planned for […INSERT LOCATION, DATE AND TIME… FOLLOW WITH 2 TO 3 SENTENCES DESCRIBING THE EVENT…] Local events are organized by World Carfree Network member group, [INSERT NAME OF GROUP].
World Carfree Network's activities this September will specifically focus on street conversions. WCN member groups all over the world will be working with municipalities to convert streets, intersections and parking areas into spaces for people to use for recreation, commerce, social life and education. Dreams of healthier, cleaner and more sociable communities will be made tangible for a day, and plans for permanent changes to strengthen walking, cycling and public transport will be unveiled in numerous of cities.
Planned events around the world range from educational carfree day events in Seoul, South Korea to a street fair in Portland, Oregon, which will convert a small central street into an area for art, music and games. As many as 500 cities around the world will hold Critical Mass bicycle rides, which are cycling celebrations directed by participants. Budapest, Hungary has previously seen upwards of 20,000 cyclists participating in the ride and this year the city is set to break records yet again. World Carfree Day also coincides with the European Commission's Mobility Week, which this year has the goal of combating climate change.
World Carfree Network serves as a clearinghouse of information for urban design and transportation professionals and nonprofit groups, as well as a centre for cross-border coordination and planning for World Carfree Day and related events. The network is assisting grassroots groups around the world with activities ranging from direct actions (painting bike lanes; guerilla gardening; and free bicycle taxi services) to family-oriented fun (community bike rides, street theater and potluck breakfasts in the middle of the road). For further information from World Carfree Network and to set up interviews with transport and urban-development experts contact Arie Farnam at the International Coordination Center at ++420 608 819276 or afarnam@worldcarfree.net. Also, see the network's Carfree Day activities at www.worldcarfree.net/wcfd/.
[…ADD A PARAGRAPH HERE DESCRIBING YOUR LOCAL ORGANISATION… DON'T FORGET CONTACT DETAILS, IF YOU WANT TO TALK TO JOURNALISTS.]
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Local Contact: [Your name and telephone number]
Web: (if you have a website)
World Carfree Network: www.worldcarfree.net/wcfd (in English)
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