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The Superhero Haul of Justice |
"Do good! Everywhere, every moment, in everything, do good!" from the Superhero Start Up Kit.
By Elizabeth Field Bauchner
On June 5th, a group of real-life Superheroes left Washington State for British Columbia, where they will embark upon a bicycle journey across Canada with the sole purpose of helping others.
Just how far they will go, no one knows. Who they will help and what they will do depends on "what the Universe sends their way." Superhero coordinator Ethan Hughes, aka the Blazing Echidna, says, "A few members want to cross Canada - which will take four months - but most riders commit to riding with us for one month."
Hughes developed the Superhero concept more than a decade ago while working as a lifeguard in Oregon. He would tie a beach towel around his neck to pick up trash, and the local kids followed his example. After a time, the idea just gelled, and Hughes set out on a cross-country trip with a group of others, all dressed as Superheroes, and all committing themselves to serving others. They called this first trip, in the summer of 2001, the "Haul of Justice."
Every summer since, the Superheroes have gone on bike hauls to help others. They’ve travelled in Maine and Arizona, and last fall they rode across England. They pull half-ton bike trailers with organic whole foods, and find whatever other sustenance they need along the way. It may be fresh food from an organic farmer, or leftover veggies in grocery store dumpsters. "We try to not waste anything," explains Hughes.
Every day, they decide what town they will go to, and upon arrival, they look for people who need help. They may help paint a community center, clean a watershed, or help an elderly lady with her garden.
Their local Hero Alliance currently has about seventy Superheroes on-call, ready to get to work. All the work they do continues to be on bicycle. The few times they have had to use a vehicle, they use one that takes biodiesel fuel (used vegetable oil). Their biggest job to date was helping to move computers and televisions for recycling, which they did with their bicycles.
This summer is the first Haul of Justice in Canada. The Superheroes are growing in number; now there are Superheroes in the Dominican Republic, South Africa, England, Mexico and Canada. "People hear about us, and just know they have to do it," says Hughes. Many people catch up with them on the road, some stay for a day while others stay for the whole trip.
The message they wish to get across to people is that everyone can help others. "And don’t forget love," Hughes reminds us.
To learn more about Superheros or their Start Up Kit -
Contact: Ethan Hughes, the Blazing Echidna,
Superhero International Headquarters,
Cottage Grove, OR.
Tel: 541-942-3118
By Elizabeth Field Bauchner
On June 5th, a group of real-life Superheroes left Washington State for British Columbia, where they will embark upon a bicycle journey across Canada with the sole purpose of helping others.
Just how far they will go, no one knows. Who they will help and what they will do depends on "what the Universe sends their way." Superhero coordinator Ethan Hughes, aka the Blazing Echidna, says, "A few members want to cross Canada - which will take four months - but most riders commit to riding with us for one month."
Hughes developed the Superhero concept more than a decade ago while working as a lifeguard in Oregon. He would tie a beach towel around his neck to pick up trash, and the local kids followed his example. After a time, the idea just gelled, and Hughes set out on a cross-country trip with a group of others, all dressed as Superheroes, and all committing themselves to serving others. They called this first trip, in the summer of 2001, the "Haul of Justice."
Every summer since, the Superheroes have gone on bike hauls to help others. They’ve travelled in Maine and Arizona, and last fall they rode across England. They pull half-ton bike trailers with organic whole foods, and find whatever other sustenance they need along the way. It may be fresh food from an organic farmer, or leftover veggies in grocery store dumpsters. "We try to not waste anything," explains Hughes.
Every day, they decide what town they will go to, and upon arrival, they look for people who need help. They may help paint a community center, clean a watershed, or help an elderly lady with her garden.
Their local Hero Alliance currently has about seventy Superheroes on-call, ready to get to work. All the work they do continues to be on bicycle. The few times they have had to use a vehicle, they use one that takes biodiesel fuel (used vegetable oil). Their biggest job to date was helping to move computers and televisions for recycling, which they did with their bicycles.
This summer is the first Haul of Justice in Canada. The Superheroes are growing in number; now there are Superheroes in the Dominican Republic, South Africa, England, Mexico and Canada. "People hear about us, and just know they have to do it," says Hughes. Many people catch up with them on the road, some stay for a day while others stay for the whole trip.
The message they wish to get across to people is that everyone can help others. "And don’t forget love," Hughes reminds us.
To learn more about Superheros or their Start Up Kit -
Contact: Ethan Hughes, the Blazing Echidna,
Superhero International Headquarters,
Cottage Grove, OR.
Tel: 541-942-3118
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