OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - June 7, 2010) - Ottawa area cyclists will be gathering on Saturday, June 12th to protest oil dependency and promote human-powered vehicles by participating in the 6th annual World Naked Bike Ride. Many cyclists will be naked to protest the indecent exposure to pollution created by cars that people and the planet face everyday. The ride will begin at 3pm from Confederation Park, with body painting and other preparations starting at 2pm. The World Naked Bike Ride is an international event with tens of thousands of people in 70 cities world-wide.

Participants hope to draw attention to the huge social and environmental costs associated with our heavy reliance on oil. "The Gulf of Mexico disaster is just the latest example of how oil dependency ravages our planet " says Jenn Farr, the founder of the ride in Ottawa. "Because of gas flaring and oil spills in the Niger delta, local communities must drink polluted water, eat contaminated fish and live on polluted land. Here in Canada, toxins and sour gas from oil and gas wells in northern Alberta have ruined the health and livelihood of the Lubicon Cree. Their small community has been decimated and poisoned to the point that out of 21 pregnancies there were 19 stillbirths. This must stop." Participants say that these and other examples show that we need to start reducing our use of oil now and invest in alternatives to oil.

The World Naked Bike Ride was created by Vancouver-based activist Conrad Schmidt in 2004. Schmidt calls the World Naked Bike Ride "the most exhilarating cycling experience since taking off your training wheels". The largest naked bike ride in the world is in London, England, with over 1000 cyclists. Ottawa's first ride was in 2005, and cyclists from Ottawa have participated every year since. For additional information on World Naked Bike Ride, contact Jenn Farr or visit www.worldnakedbikeride.org.