Image by Kapicka and HicksImage by 20080826bikers.jpg At the Charleston Battery before heading out on the first leg of their trip.

Charlestonians Jessica Kapicka and Aaron Hicks are using their planned bike trip around the world to promote a green lifestyle and raise money for sustainable housing.

On August 15 they started their 40,000 mile trip will by heading to Columbia, then Atlanta, the west to Los Angles, New Zealand, Asia, Russia, the Middle East, Europe, and the even hope to touch a bit of Antarctica over the next two-and-a-half years.

We'll keep you posted on their trip, or you can follow along on their MySpace page.

Here's a bit about the trek in their own words:
The first question everyone asks is, "Why are you biking around the world?" I wish the answer was as short as the question, but it is not. First lets start on how the trip came to be. The original plan was actually to bike across the USA as a challenge and to spread the word on environmentalism. Then one day while talking to a friend of mine who is much older then me I brought up the trip. He laughed at me as he explained how his elderly mother had just finished doing just that with her retirement home. Lol So, needless to say I went back to the drawing board.

You won't be the first to pick up on the hint of youth, but I wish them the best and will follow along.

You can see their planned stops on this Google Map.