GEAZONE Eco-Courier Picks Up Speed
From tricycles to electric trucks, A local company gets smart about the environment.
When it comes to life in the fast lane, Victoria doesn’t rank top of the list. “Slow down! This ain’t the mainland” bumper stickers could be our slogan. But if there’s one thing that revs our engines, it’s the issue of environment — we’re always on the hunt for eco-friendly solutions.
One such environmentally savvy local is Andrew Mitchell, four-time Canadian National Downhill Mountain Bike champion and CEO of Geazone, a zero-emissions delivery service. Using human-powered tricycles, Nissan Leaf electric vehicles and two five-ton Smith electric trucks (the only ones on the Island, Mitchell says), Geazone has been providing small package and freight deliveries to Greater Victoria businesses since 2012.
“Our revenue has doubled every year since inception,” says Mitchell. The company’s deliveries now reach as far up-Island as Nanaimo, and a mainland warehouse is set to open on June 1.
In just three years, Geazone has eliminated 250,000 lbs. of carbon emissions. “That’s the weight of a Boeing 747 removed from the atmosphere,” adds Mitchell. Daily, Geazone’s electric vehicles reduce the equivalent of 100 lbs. of butter in carbon emissions.
Mitchell’s drive to eliminate greenhouse gases continues to pick up speed. Currently, Geazone has a patent for a bicycle-pallet jack or “Urban Delivery Vehicle” that Mitchell hopes will replace freight deliveries on busy downtown streets over the next few years. No doubt, Geazone’s road to success is paved with good — and green — intentions.
