Ride the Talk: MT to MN -- Indiegogo

*BE SURE TO CATCH MY UPDATES FROM THE ROAD AT: http://www.mcadsustainabledesign.com and http://www.core77.com**

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What is this campaign about?

My goal is to raise $5000.

Enough money for five, $1000 need-based student scholarships for sustainable designers.

Of course, more $ is always better. The more $, the more scholarships!
Thank you for your support!

Why?

Nearly EVERY product or service we consume and/or purchase was designed.

Nearly NEVER does a designer learn how to design "sustainably": where the PLANET, PEOPLE + PROSPERITY are considered first.

The SUSTAINABLE DESIGN ONLINE program I direct teaches designers of all stripes to think about the impact of their designs BEFORE and WHILE they are designed, built, manufactured, distributed, and disposed of...you know, how they impact the entire system including you + me + the rest of the planet's species + ecosystems. Enough said.

Not every designer can AFFORD to enroll in MCAD's Sustainable Design Online program.

ALL OF THE $ RAISED IN THIS CAMPAIGN WILL GO TO NEED-BASED SCHOLARSHIPS FOR STUDENTS OF THE SUSTAINABLE DESIGN PROGRAM.

With your help, our students will CHANGE THEIR LIVES.
With your help, our students will CHANGE THEIR CAREERS.
With your help, our students will CHANGE THE FIELD OF DESIGN.
With your help, our students will CHANGE THE WORLD.

Let me introduce myself.

Hello. I am Cindy Gilbert. I direct a Sustainable Design Online program at the Minneapolis College of Art + Design (MCAD) that is 100% online. This means that I can live and telecommute from wherever I want. I make my home and strive to live a sustainable life in Missoula, Montana (I grow and preserve most of my own food, bicycle year-round, telecommute, etc.). Our students and faculty also live and work from wherever they want; they hail from China to Canada, from across the United States to Uruguay, from India to Belgium. This cultural diversity makes for amazing classroom discourse around the subjects of how to create truly sustainable designs, innovate globally, design for the majority, and become social entrepreneurs.

Each semester I travel to Minneapolis for in-person meetings with my colleagues and faculty members at MCAD. Each time I make the journey I am disheartened by the ecological impact this trip makes.

Then it dawned on me

I could really walk the talk or, in this case, ride the talk by getting on my bicycle and pedaling my way to work - from Montana to Minnesota- this fall semester. The "commute" will be a very long one (1000 miles long) but I am confident I can make the fully self-contained, solo, and unsupported journey.

I see this journey as a stellar opportunity to raise awareness about current issues in sustainability, to create a platform to discuss the power of making personal commitments that lead to a sustainable life, and to do something to raise money for need-based scholarships for students that are devoted to creating innovative product and service designs that focus on solving sustainability challenges that face humanity today.

I am inspired by the cause and I hope that you will be too!

Why contribute?

Because I am 100% committed to the 1000+ mile solo ride as well as to writing daily blog posts about my journey and current sustainability issues. These posts will be made to MCADs Sustainable Design Online program blog as well as the LivingPrinciples.org blog (thanks, Caitlin!) and Core77.com (thanks, YinLee!), the world's #1 industrial design website that enjoys ~450,000 unique visitors a month!

By raising money for need-based student scholarships, I will be able to help offset the tuition costs of attending the Sustainable Design Online program for several students who are committed to sustainability in both their personal and professional lives.

Many talented designers from around the world and from a range of design disciplines (architecture, packaging design, industrial design, fashion design, urban planning, etc.) contact me about attending MCAD's Sustainable Design Online program that want to learn how to make positive change in the world through environmentally- and socially-conscious designs but they simply cannot afford the tuition, despite low costs compared with many US schools.

With your generous support, we can help these creative and passionate individuals join the sustainable design movement, because they've earned it and they deserve it.

(Note: MCAD is an institution of higher learning and non-profit; all donations are tax deductible.)

What your donation will do.

All of your donations will support need-based student scholarships for MCAD's Sustainable Design Online program - nothing else!

I will be making the trip no matter what. I have found generous gear sponsors (listed below) to support my ride.

They only thing I am asking for is financial donations for our students. They are keen, committed, and passionate individuals who want to and will lead change in the growing field of sustainable design. Any monetary gift that you can provide will go directly to students who have been selected based on their demonstrated need as well as their educational and experiential merit, and their statement of passion.

Donate whatever feels right for you. I've broken it down by mile for easier digestion. Whatever you can do to help raise money for our students is greatly appreciated!

Other ways that you can help.

If you don't have the means to help the project financially, please help me raise scholarship money by spreading the word on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc. Follow us; become a fan; join the conversation; check out our blog; learn more about our program.

Team on This Campaign:

Cindy Gilbert
Pedaler + Peddler of Ride the Talk
Lara Roy
Cindy's Amazingly Supportive Boss
Courtney Algeo
Administrative Assistant Extraordinaire

0.8214 Complete

$4,107

Raised of $5,000 Goal

0 time left

Flexible Funding campaign

This campaign received all of the funds contributed on Mon Oct 10.

Perks

for your contribution

$10 The bugs o' my teeth perk

Donate a penny a mile. For 10 bucks, I'll bike across 3 states at a rate of a penny a mile. That's $0.01 x 1000 miles = $10. You'll make me smile on the ride and I'll get bugs stuck in my teeth! You'll get a thank you email that includes a picture of me smiling with bugs in my teeth AND you'll be listed as a supporter of Ride the Talk on our MCAD Sustainable Design blog. Thank you!
$50 The nickel-a-mile perk

Donate a nickel a mile. You'll get a postcard from the road! I guarantee it will be sent from some fascinating stop along the way. Have you ever seen Minot, North Dakota? Me neither. You'll also get a thank you email that includes a pic of me smiling with bugs o' my teeth and you'll be listed as a supporter of Ride the Talk on our MCAD Sustainable Design blog. Thank you!!
$250 The quarter-a-mile perk

Donate a quarter a mile. You'll get a limited edition Ride the Talk T-Shirt and you'll be listed as a supporter of Ride the Talk on our MCAD Sustainable Design blog. (You'll also get that wacky pic!) Thank you!!!
$500 The fifty-cent-a-mile perk

Donate a fifty-cents a mile. You'll get a limited edition Ride the Talk T-Shirt AND you'll be listed as a major sponsor of MCAD's Sustainable Design program in our program brochure as well as listed as a supporter on our blog. And, of course, you'll get a thank you email that includes a picture of me smiling with bugs in my teeth. Thank you!!!!
$1,000 Your own scholarship perk!

Donate a dollar a mile. You'll get a scholarship named after you! Imagine: "The Generous Person [insert name here] Sustainable Design Scholarship". You'll also be introduced (via email) to the recipient of your generous scholarship. We'll list you as a major sponsor of MCAD's Sustainable Design program in our brochure and blog. You'll get a limited edition Ride the Talk T-Shirt. (And, of course, you'll get that wacky email with the bugs o' the teeth pic.) THANK YOU!!!!!