Start with the facts: Benefits of messengers Are messengers reckless? When is a license just another label? What is the disguised name for employee? Messenger Appreciation Messenger Memorial The IFBMA
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| Messengers with message Co-op couriers keep it green Winnipeg Sun, May 16, 2005 By David Schmeichel Looking for a way to keep your messenger costs down while cutting Mother Nature a break at the same time? Try cutting your number of wheels in half. That's the approach taken by folks at Natural Cycle, the only courier outfit in Winnipeg using bicycles to deliver across the entire city year-round. "Environmentally, there's a huge benefit," said Susanne Klueppel, one of the members who founded the co-operative six years ago. "Courier cars drive eight hours a day, and generally they don't shut their cars off, they just idle. Plus they have to wait until they have a certain volume before they can even leave just to cover their costs. "With bikes you can do quicker runs, so you don't have that wait." Formed as a co-op in 1999, Natural Cycle now employs 11 full- and part-time cyclists, working from the basement of Mondragon Bookstore and Coffee House on Albert Street. They employ a novel strategy to position themselves in the market since most courier companies use either a combination of cars and bikes or only employ bikes downtown. The co-op's environmental focus goes beyond savings on fuel and greenhouse gases. Where most couriers keep records in triplicate, Natural Cycle saves on paper by using one sheet, with six spaces for signatures. They also custom-build and repair bikes, handle Canadian distribution of Iro-frames -- a single-speed cycle made in New York -- and recently opened a community repair shop where clients can rent tools and space to fix their own bikes themselves. And, in case you're wondering, the Natural Cycle gang doesn't just talk the talk. They walk the walk -- or, in this case, ride the bike -- even when they're off the clock. "Of the 11 of us, only one has a car," Klueppel said. "And that's because he's in a band." For more info: Go to www.naturalcycle.ca
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