Treehugger design editor Lloyd Alter has called the Tern HSD the “future of urban e-bikes.” The question is, however, what does that future look like in communities where the automobile continues to dominate?
Well, it looks like Tern is working on that piece of the puzzle too. Specifically, they are moving beyond simply designing bikes built for serious transportation, and instead also giving back to organizations that are working to make biking a more integral part of our lives.
It’s part of Tern’s Give Back program, through which the company donates at least 1% of the previous year’s net profits to social or environmental causes that are working towards a better, healthier, and more equitable planet. For 2021, Tern’s donations total more than $45,000 and will be directed to three organizations that are actively promoting bikes, biking, and bike culture as a tool for social equity.
Here’s how Josh Hon, Tern Team Captain, described the context for these grants: “2020 had such a massive impact on everyone, everywhere, and in so many ways—but the one thing that really hit home for me was the appalling levels of inequality that are out there. So we’re focusing our Give Back dollars on organizations that are working to make a difference. That these organizations are bicycle and transportation-focused is icing on the cake.”
Specifically, the grants will be divvied up between three different organizations:
Besides the worthy nature of the projects themselves, there are two aspects of Tern’s grant initiative that stand out to me:
Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, it’s yet one more reminder of how cost-effective investments in cycling can be. $45,000 is, after all, not a lot of money in the grand scheme of corporate donations. Yet when invested in cycling, it will likely change thousands of lives for the better.Secondly, it’s a small example of what might happen if the bike industry became more strategic and vocal about putting bikes at the center of community planning and development. In addition to this Give Back program, Tern has also developed some really interesting resources and case studies for using e-bikes and cargo bikes in business, which we hope to cover in more detail in a future article.
Ultimately, we all know that the fossil fuel and automobile industries have been aggressive in not just meeting demand—but creating and manipulating it to their ends, and in shaping the social and legislative environment in their favor. It’s time the bike industry and other clean tech did the same. From charitable donations to lobbying to strategic alliances, all tools should be on the table.
E-bikes really could eat cars. But we’ll probably need to set the table so they can.
