While waiting in line at White Market on East William Street, Justin Leath could barely contain his excitement. In two days' time, the third-year School of Dentistry student would begin a grueling seven-day, 458-mile bike ride from Windsor, Ontario to Toronto and back.
But Leath wasn't getting worked up about the trip.
He pointed to a front-page story in The Ann Arbor News about the growing popularity of public transportation because of consistently rising gas prices. "This is what I'm talking about," Leath said, placing the newspaper back on the shelf.
Finding a way to reduce gas prices and lower atmospheric pollution produced by car emissions concerns Leath, so much so that he dedicated his bike trip - one that started out as something for him to do during a short break he had between Dentistry classes and patient appointments - to raising awareness and money for the cause.
Leath had not been on a bike in over a year before he started training for this trip. But he hopes that his enthusiasm will inspire others to investigate alternatives to burning fossil fuels.
"I just want people to get out there, walk, cycle, ride, whatever you want to do, man," Leath said. "Think about getting a car that cuts down on fuel consumption. That's something I'm really passionate about."
Two days after Leath planned the trip, he decided to link it with an organization. He settled with Alliance to Save Energy, a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. With donations pouring in from family, friends, fellow School of Dentistry students and ASE members, the Star to Sun Ride, named after the respective newspapers in Windsor and Toronto, was born.