About

Ride for Climate started in the fall of 2005, when David Kroodsma left his climate research job at Stanford and bicycled solo to Tierra del Fuego. As he traveled, he gave presentations on climate change, appeared in media in 16 countries, and wrote about what climate change means for the places he biked through. This trip is the subject of a book, The Bicycle Diaries, due out in March of 2014. The ride to Argentina was followed by a similar journey across the U.S., Ride for Climate USA, in which David was joined by Bill Bradlee and a team of volunteers (see below).

The idea of Ride for Climate has evolved over these and subsequent journeys. Such rides can be effective ways to raise awareness and promote action, but they are also ways to learn about the world. On a bike, traveling at 10 miles per hour, one inevitably sees every town, talks to or even stays with countless individuals who live along the route, and gains a unique understanding of a region.

Ride for Climate, and this website, is dedicated to sharing these journeys - sharing what we learn, the perspective that we gain, and promoting action when appropriate. Anyone can go on a Ride for Climate - this isn't an organization, but an idea.


Rides


 

Riders

  • David Kroodsma (Rides: Latin America, United States, Eastern Europe, Asia), the founder of Ride for Climate, has logged more than 30,000 miles of loaded bicycle touring. He has worked as a climate journalist, as a consultant for philanthropy, and as a climate researcher. In 2009, he won an international competition to represent Hopenhagen at the climate conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, and write for the Huffington Post. David holds a B.S. in physics and an M.S. in interdisciplinary environmental science from Stanford University. Email: david AT rideforclimate DOT com

  • Bill Bradlee (Rides: United States) bicycled from Massachusetts to California with David for Ride for Climate USA. He works in the nonprofit community teaching people how to have a voice in making environmental policy. Bill's passion is helping people understand environmental issues so that they can make changes that will create a healthy environment for current and future generations. Bill is a managing director at The Regeneration Project, which helps people of faith address global warming by conserving energy, becoming more energy efficient, and using renewable energy. Bill has also worked for The Union of Concerned Scientists. He received his Master’s degree in Environmental Studies from The Evergreen State College. Email: bill AT rideforclimate DOT com

  • Lindsey Fransen (Rides: Eastern Europe, Asia), who holds a M.S. from the Energy and Resources Group at U.C. Berkeley, currently works with the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission, a California state agency with jurisdiction over San Francisco Bay. For the past two years, she has worked with the Adapting to Rising Tides project, an effort to help the Bay Area prepare for sea level rise. Before joining this agency, she worked with the California Public Utilities Commission, helping design water conservation programs and pricing structures for utilities across the state, and developing rationing measures during the 2006-2009 drought.


Volunteers

The following individuals volunteered to make Ride for Climate USA, the journey across the United States, a success:

Melissa Borsting is a forest ecologist working on restoration of Pacific Northwest forests. She currently lives in North Bend, Washington.

Michelle Lee is a user interface designer who is the founder and CEO of Textizen.

Alan Duke is a graphic designer and photographer currently living in Santa Monica, California.

Angella Holmes is a social worker in the central coast region of California.

Jennifer Molfetta received her Master's degree in Environmental Studies from The Evergreen State College. She currently works in the computer field in Reading, PA and volunteers for many environmental and social non-profits.

Nicky Phear is a member of the faculty at the University of Montana. She leads a summer course in which students bicycle across Montana to learn about energy production and climate change.

Martha Roberts is an environmental lawyer currently working for the EPA. She has her B.S. and M.S. in Earth Systems from Stanford University, and a J.D. from NYU.