A grassroots effort is underway to organize a mass cross-country bicycle tour next summer to promote a clean energy economy for the United States.
The bike tours — collectively dubbed The Trek to Re-Energize America — will leave from different points around the US and converge on Washington DC in late July or early August.
The cyclists will promote their cause as they head down the road. Once they reach the Capitol, they'll contact their congressmen and lobby for action on legislation that fights climate change. According to the website:
“A massive number of organized passionate people who have biked across the United States for something they believe strongly in will make for a statement that politicians and media will be unable to ignore.”
Ongoing bike tour
Regional organizers in Washington, Oregon, North Carolina, Texas, Maryland, Vermont, California and Colorado are finding and organizing bike riders in their areas who will make the tour next summer.
In fact, two cyclists are bicycling across the country right now to inspire others to make the trip. Lucy Richards started off from Boulder and Keally Cieslik left from Madison.
They met up in Marion, Illinois, and are bicycling through Kentucky on their way east. They recently stopped at the Sustainability and Environmental Studies House at Berea College.
You can read their blog at “Wanted: Cyclists committed to a cooler climate.”
Organizers
The idea for next summer's bicycle tour was hatched in Seattle by JP Kemmick, a recent Pacific Lutheran University graduate and cross-country cyclist. Other organizers include Sarah Judkins, Seattle; Dave Pinsky, Wilmington, North Carolina; Aaron French, St. Mary's City, Maryland; Elise Gabriel, Austin, Texas; Patrick Croasdaile, Portland, Oregon; Michaela Skiles, Middlebury, Vermont; Rachel Barge, Oakland, California; Lucy Richards, and Kyle Duba, Boulder, Colorado.
The Trek to Re-Energize has three goals:
1. Increase awareness of climate change, solutions to climate change, individual steps every citizen can take, and the enormous potential of a green economy.
2. Build the movement's voice to a fever pitch until citizens across the nation are calling on their elected leaders to take real action to move us toward a clean energy economy which revitalizes the United States with millions of green jobs, gets us off dirty fossil fuels, and sets us on the track to being a world leader in moving towards a more sustainable future.
3. Showcase the bicycle as a viable, low-carbon, healthy, and fun method of transportation.
A similar bicycle tour — Climate Ride 2008 — just wrapped up a ride with 120 cyclists from New York City to Washington DC in September. You can check out the blog.
Except maybe for walking, I can't think of a better way to show support for a green planet than riding a bicycle.
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