PARK(ING) DAY COMES TO BRITAIN

GRASSROOTS MOVEMENT GREENS AND RECLAIMS OUR STREETS

September 2009

“PARK(ing) Day” - an annual, global event where metered parking
spaces are reclaimed for the public’s enjoyment and transformed
into temporary parks – is coming to the UK for the first time.

Brought to Britain by eco car insurance provider ibuyeco and US
art collective Rebar, PARK(ing) Day UK is the first official,
nationwide event of its kind in the UK and is part of International
PARK(ing) Day - an annual, one-day, global event where artists,
activists and members of the public collaborate to temporarily
convert paid-for parking spots into beautiful green spaces.

Held in celebration of the little things that make a big difference
to the environment, the inaugural official PARK(ing) Day UK will
take place on Friday 18 September in London and will see a small
part of London’s busy, bustling West End transformed into a
miniature urban oasis for all to enjoy. Other installations are
expected to spring up as the grassroots movement takes hold
and members of the public get involved across the country.

Lucy Bailey, head of ibuyeco says, “Being a car insurance
provider, we know how important cars are to us as a nation but
there are things we can all do to change our behaviour and limit
their impact on the environment. We see PARK(ing) Day UK as a
great way to do this – and a great way to get together, have
fun and brighten up our communities.”

“We want to help people make small but significant changes in
their everyday lives so that they can be more eco friendly and
save money while doing it – whether it’s recycling, turning down
the heating, switching off the car engine once in a while or
creating a miniature oasis for PARK(ing) Day.”

The PARK(ing) Day project began in 2005 when Rebar, a
San Francisco-based art and design studio, converted a single
metered parking space into a temporary public park in a part of
San Francisco that lacks public open space. Since 2005, PARK(ing)
Day has blossomed into a global phenomenon: PARK(ing) Day 2008
included more than 500 PARK installations in over 100 cities on
four continents.

John Bela, founding member of Rebar, says “For one day in the
year, PARK(ing) Day is an opportunity to challenge the norm and
create something beautiful and meaningful. If we all did one small
thing to help the environment, we could collectively make a great
difference. We hope that Britons get behind the idea and
get PARK(ing)!”

Some facts…

• There are over 245,000 miles of road in the UK* 
•  There are nearly 34 million cars in the UK*

Lucy Bailey continues “We are really excited about bringing
PARK(ing) Day to the UK and continuing our work with eco-charities
and collectives. Since June this year, when somebody buys a new
policy or renews their car insurance with ibuyeco, we make a £5 donation
to either The Woodland Trust, Borneo Orangutan Survival or
The Converging World. As the charity donation is completely funded
by us, our consumers can make a contribution to an eco charity without
seeing a rise in their premium.”

For more information on ibuyeco, PARK(ing) Day UK, details on how to
participate in this year’s event or to simply make a pledge to make the
world a greener place please visit www.ibuyeco.co.uk/parkingdayuk. 

For more information, contact Izzy Shirley, Rowena Denham or
Laura Johnston in the ibuyeco press office on 020 7492 0977 or
email ibuyeco@77pr.co.uk.