New record: Again in 2020, 31 employees from MERA pet food cycled under the motto “MEhr RAdeln” (more cycling): 15,823.28 km – that is over 3,000 kilometres more than last year.
Kevelaer, 21 September 2020: following the successful first edition of “MEhr RAdeln” last year, employees of MERA pet food got on their bikes again this year for a good cause. The kilometres cycled between June and August – a breath-taking 15,823.23 kilometres to be precise – generate a CO2 saving equivalent to 2,294.38 kg CO2, which is directly converted into dog and cat food. The top performer from last year, Head of Department Tim Gasseling, set himself a goal of increasing the number of kilometres, and on 20 June 2020 he also jumped on the saddle under the motto “MEhr RAdeln Extreme” for 24 hours of uninterrupted cycling. The pet food is donated to the animal welfare organisation “Helden für Tiere” (Heroes for Animals), and the handover of more than three tonnes of dry feed (precisely 3,227 kg) to Ralf Seeger took place on 17 September 2020 at MERA.
Sustainability is one of the key priorities at MERA – Corona has not changed this in any way, quite the contrary: “Especially since we were all in lockdown during Spring: What could be better than hopping on your bike and together getting active for a good cause”, says Felix Vos, Managing Director of MERA Tiernahrung GmbH. “It’s not just a matter of making a positive contribution to our CO2 footprint, covering as many kilometres as possible and thus achieving a large donation of food – it also benefits our employees’ health.”
31 employees took part, which also included Tim Gasseling: Besides his work as Head of Department at MERA animal feed production, he is also a member of the racing team at Coffee & Chainrings mountain bike club located in Erkelenz, and hence a passionate mountain biker, racing cyclist and ultra-cyclist. He set himself the goal of covering a distance of just under 600 km over 24 consecutive hours, and his project proved a success: “I was highly motivated by the fact that every additional kilometre covered means more feed for the animal welfare organisation “Helden für Tiere”. Despite the strenuous efforts it felt incredibly good”. For Gasseling’s project, a 5-km long route was measured, on which as many circuits as possible could be completed. “A plethora of races and events usually take place in Spring. However, corona has resulted in all events having been cancelled. MEhr RAdeln was the perfect occasion to channel our energy towards a good cause.”
The great endeavours have paid off: On 17 September, the time had finally come and, just like in 2019, together with his team Ralf Seeger personally collected the pet food donation amounting to over three tonnes of dry feed at MERA. “We are very grateful to MERA and the employees for this excellent donation. By doing so, MERA specifically helps our animals and we know that they are well catered for. That is the most important!”