For Dannie Brown, Tour de Whidbey is a great way to encourage others make environmentally friendly decisions.

Born and raised in Coupeville, Brown has worked for electric car company Tesla Motors for more than a year.

Tour de Whidbey, a bicycle ride held annually by Whidbey General Hospital, is allowing him to facilitate a partnership between his work and hometown.

Brown, who graduated from Coupeville High School, was born at Whidbey General. Before leaving the island for college, he was aware of the biking fundraiser for Whidbey General Hospital Foundation.

Proceeds for Tour de Whidbey go toward equipment and services for the hospital, but also community projects.

Helen Rideau, executive director for the hospital foundation, said those projects include things like helping people pay their medical bills.

The foundation, Rideau explained, “is really the charitable branch of the hospital.”

After joining Tesla, Brown was pondering local marketing ideas for the company when he remembered a common part of bicycle rides — the support vehicle that moves along with the bicyclists.

“I then thought about how nice it would be to eliminate vehicle exhaust inhalation from the equation … providing riders the right to clean air during their struggle.”

Tour de Whidbey supports concepts such as making sustainable decisions and leading an active lifestyle.

“A bicycle event represents both environmental and human health by being physically engaging with zero emissions,” Brown said, “and that’s important to me. I wanted to be involved with it in order to start this relationship between bicycles and zero-emissions automobiles.”

Tour de Whidbey, which is Saturday, Sept. 20, is known for being a beautiful bike ride.

Matt Plus, president of the Whidbey Island Bicycle Club, said he has participated in the event five times, and plans to take part again on Saturday.

“It’s for a good cause, and … it’s a challenging course, but good views,” Plush said.

“It’s a scenic ride.

“I think the scenery, the views and the challenge of the course is better than other rides that are pretty flat.”

The day starts with a pancake breakfast at 6:30 a.m. at the Greenbank farm, which is also the starting point for the 30-, 40-, 50- and 100-mile biking routes designated for Tour de Whidbey.

The event also includes an easier 10-mile route that starts at the Coupeville Middle/High School. The short course is a mostly flat, easy route through the beautiful sights of Coupeville.

“The nice thing about our event is that it’s not a race,” Rideau said. “It’s not a competition. It’s just, it’s a ride.”

However, riding the full 100-mile course is no easy feat.

“According to the Whidbey Island Bicycle Club … our Century Ride, which is our 100-mile ride, is one of the most rigorous in the state,” said Whidbey General’s event coordinator Michelle Suggs. “Ours is not only beautiful and scenic, but it’s considered one of the hardest.”

“It’s really going to be a lot of fun,” Rideau said.

For information or to register, visit the website.