Kickstarter

*** ONE HOUR LEFT! We are doing really well! I will not get funded at all unless I reach my goal of $4,000. Any contribution makes a difference! PLEASE SMILE, DONATE AND SHARE THIS PAGE! Thanks a lot!

My name is Paul Doffing. I am an independent acoustic musician from Minneapolis, Minnesota. To hear my music, please visit www.pauldoffing.com/music.

This June I plan to begin my first US Tour - the Freedom From Fuel Tour. Unlike most music tours I wont be riding in a van or tour bus. Over the course of 100 days, a touring bicycle will carry me over 5,000 miles to shows in 30 major cities with my guitar and camping gear in tow. I need your help to make the tour a reality.

We live in a time when the global economic demand for fossil fuels is producing some of the most destructive and greenhouse gas rich refinement processes the planet has ever seen. Check out what is happening right now in Canada: Garth Lenz: The true cost of oil, more info: National Geographic Canadian Oil Sands. We cannot rely on government mandates alone to safeguard our planet. We need to make an effort as individuals to reduce our consumption of fossil fuels. My work to promote my music involves significant travel. I am going to travel on a bicycle to promote the idea that independence from fossil fuels is attainable.

As I travel across the country, I will work to connect with communities along the way. I will be playing shows at cafes and clubs, performing house shows, and shows in parks. Ride-alongs will happen as I pass through many of the cities on the tour route. I will invite people to ride with me while I am in their town. This will happen via local newspapers, music blogs, bike shops and bike blogs. These rides will transform the tour into a movement by giving people an opportunity to get on their bikes and be the difference.

So what do I need money for? 

My biggest expense by far will be food. Since I will be cycling most of the day I will need to maintain a diet of almost 5,000 calories to stay healthy. That's a lot of food! I want to be able to afford food for a traveling companion as well. My estimates indicate that I will need at least $2,500 for food.

I also need money for lodging, maps, bike maintenance and parts, a trailer, as well as money to pay for help with promotion, video and web work. I also plan to Kick it Forward.

I will maintain a tour blog actively. I want to keep all of you up to date on the challenges and joys of the tour. I am sure there will be many roses and many thorns throughout the journey and I will be looking to you all for support.

I think fuel affords us the opportunity to move very fast; but all the fuel in the world will not secure our happiness or prosperity. We need to become more conscious of the fact that we have very few real needs. If we can realize this we may begin to see the richness in our lives. Happiness is not at some point farther down the road. It is here and now.