Social Entrepreneurship
“Happiness cannot be bought or sold” Santevelo sees bike maintenance as a sustainable solution to social and environmental challenges not adequately addressed by governments, the traditional non-governmental sector, or the market mechanism. Sustainable development is broken down into three core elements: Social, Economical and Ecological. Our growth depends on others looking to get into the happiness business. It’s not rocket science it’s community, a place to learn, grow and take ownership. We are made to last.
Socio Impact
Bikers are the new smokers? Well not exactly but bikes bring people from all shapes and sizes together like a lit match did for smokers. 42% of household globally have a bicycle. The bicycle was once hailed as the emancipator of women so it’s prevalence and profound impacts on society are triumphs of the human mechanical spirit. Riding a bicycle has countless health and wellness effects. Riders tend to frequent lesser known regions within their own communities and are a highly effective crime deterrent. A car trip converted to a bike ride is an experience and has a positive impact on long term neuroplasticity. The sedentary lifestyle, the cubicle workplace are negative factors with devastating impacts on the quality of life. Cycling is a highly recommended medium impact activity and an excellent choice when doing short to medium trips.
Economical
In the 1980 Quebec had 1000 full time skilled trade jobs generating 200 million in revenues and were an exporter of bicycles in north america. 2019 300 million in imports with duties being paid the employment and mark up on converting the raw materials go to foreign economies as do much of the profits. It is definitely good business for someone but not Canadians. Prolonging the usable lifespan of a bicycle is an absolute silver bullet in regards to sustainable transport. Bicycles can and should be handed down from generation to generation as a practical heirloom. Instead they are shiny anew and mostly meant to be in the garbage in a few years. Changing this simple relationship will create local circular economies and redistribute the wealth locally instead of it leaving our shores. We intend to provide living wages to all employees with equitable advancement opportunities to anyone with the skills and abilities regardless of age, gender orientation, race or whatever makes you special. Women looking to be viewed as an equals will be at home within our movement.
Environmental
People really do not get the waste associated with cars as a whole. They are noisy , smelly and loud, require concrete and pavement which are devastating to the environment and don’t get me started on what goes into making them and the gas they consume. They have been marketed to us for years as a lifestyle upgrade and instead of 50mpg we have hellcats at 700hp. Really are we all so blind. We can have both but not one without the other. If everyone hit the dream car manufacturers aspire to be bentley’s everywhere. Our end would be over soon, it’s not sustainable. If you ride a bike all year then you can afford to drive the Bentley for an hour a year. This is how the environment works. Not a giant limitless garbage bag but a communaly one where people need to be called out for misuse. We can’t win the media battle. Electric cars do not solve energy deficits, pedal power and the potential of scalable renewable energy can and will. We can’t win the media battle, just one of common sense. But we can support advocates one bike at a time.