I pulled into camp after 70 miles of riding my bike today, and the first thing I did was to call people who I knew were at the big march in New York City. It was so great to hear how big — how really big — a success this was.
It felt a little strange to be peddling my bike literally away from New York City this morning, going west into Pennsylvania from New Jersey. But that is the route of this year’s Climate Ride from New York to DC, and I am on it for the third year in a row.
I decided to honor my commitment to do this ride, and to raise the money to do it, even after I heard of the conflict between the People’s Climate March and this climate ride, and I don’t regret it. There are over 100 serious people doing this bike ride or helping to make it happen, and there is no question some of these people are in, and others will be in, the leadership of the climate movement for many years to come. It is good to be here making connections with them and telling them about the work of CCAN, along with my three other CCAN team members pictured with me above.
The climate ride also has a message to those marching today, a message just in the nature of what the ride is: 5 days riding 300 miles to support groups acting on climate and as a show of commitment to this critical civilizational struggle.
We have 185 miles to go over the next three days, arriving in a city — Washington, DC — that’s essentially in denial about the seriousness of this crisis and the need for consistent, across-the-board action to get off of fossil fuels as quickly as possible. It’s time for the people to make this happen using whatever means that we have in our nonviolent arsenal.
You can chip in to support my ride and all of the work CCAN does by clicking here.