Green Leaders to be Featured Speakers on Brita Climate Ride

April 19, 2011 - PRLog -- Green Leaders to be Featured Speakers on Brita Climate Ride
Bill McKibben, Bracken Hendricks, Eugene Linden, and others to speak during
nation’s largest environmental charity bicycle ride – May 13-17, 2011

New York City – April 19, 2011: Brita Climate Ride NYC-DC 2011, to be held May 13-17, will once again feature some of the best and brightest minds working in the areas of sustainability, renewable energy and bicycle advocacy. Climate Ride is known as the ‘green conference on wheels’ because participants pedal 60-70 miles during each of the five days of the event, and then attend speaking events each evening along the route.

“Climate Ride is a truly unique charitable cycling event because of our nightly speaker series, which is focused on environmental and bicycle advocacy solutions,” said Caeli Quinn, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Climate Ride. “Not only do our participants get to enjoy a scenic bicycle ride through four states from New York City to Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, but they also get to hear important perspectives from respected thought leaders. All of this contributes to an extraordinary event - action, learning and life-changing experiences - all on a gorgeous bike trip.”

Michael Lemonick will kick of the series at Princeton University. Lemonick is a renowned journalist from Climate Central who has covered science and the environment for TIME magazine for nearly 21 years. He has written more than 50 cover stories and has also written for Discover, Scientific American, Wired, New Scientist and The Washington Post. He is the author of four books and a cover story for TIME Magazine was featured in the anthology “Best American Science and Nature Writing 2007.”

Also scheduled to speak on Climate Ride is accomplished journalist, Eugene Linden, whose extraordinary travels inform his latest book, THE RAGGED EDGE OF THE WORLD: Encounters at the Frontier Where Modernity, Wildlands, and Indigenous Peoples Meet. The award-winning author and environmental journalist puts a human face on globalism by examining how various cultures around the world are succumbing to—or resisting—modernity. Linden has written extensively on climate, energy issues, and environmental degradation and the effect on cultures living on the edge.

As Climate Ride continues, the focus turns to bicycle infrastructure and advocacy. Leaders in bike issues from nationally recognized organizations like Transportation Alternatives (NYC), Washington Area Bicycle Association (DC), and Rails-to-Trails Conservancy will discuss the crucial role bicycles play in helping the U.S. decrease its energy independence.

Before the cyclists begin their triumphant en masse ride up Constitution Ave. to the US Capitol on May 17, they will explore the future of sustainability – specifically energy independence and clean energy investment – with Bracken Hendricks, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress. Hendricks works at the interface of global warming solutions and economic development. He is a longtime leader in promoting policies that create green jobs, sustainable infrastructure, and investment in cities. Hendricks’ credentials put him in a position to offer an insider’s perspective – he served as an advisor to the campaign and transition team of President Barack Obama, and was an architect of clean-energy portions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. He also served in the Clinton administration
as special assistant to the Office of Vice President Al Gore.

Also, speaking at the ride’s conclusion on Capitol Hill, is Bill McKibben, environmentalist and founder of 350.org. McKibben frequently writes about global warming and alternative energy and advocates for more localized economies. In 2010 The Boston Globe called him "probably the nation's leading environmentalist" and Time magazine described him as "the world's best green journalist.” In 2009 he founded the organization 350.org, which coordinated what Foreign Policy magazine called "the largest globally-coordinated rally of any kind," with 5,200 simultaneous demonstrations in 181 countries. The magazine named him to its inaugural list of the 100 most important global thinkers, and MSN named him
one of the dozen most influential men of 2009.

Full carbon offsets for the participants, hybrid support vehicles, and low-waste catering are a few of the innovative measures that Climate Ride has successfully implemented. Thanks to Brita, once again the title sponsor, the riders are supplied with Brita filtered water and FilterForGood Nalgene bottles ensuring there are no disposable bottled water containers along the route.

Registration for Brita Climate Ride 2011 NYC-DC and Climate Ride California 2011 (Eureka to San Francisco – Oct 2-6, 2011) is now open at www.climateride.org. Registration includes a personal fundraising web page, training support and access to a nationwide network of Climate Riders and eco-heroes.

The ride includes a cycling jersey, accommodations, luggage transfer, road support, meals, bike mechanics, expert guides and the nightly expert speaker series. Each participant pays a registration fee of $75 and then raises at least $2,400 to participate in either ride.
About Climate Ride Climate Ride was founded to inspire and empower citizens to work toward a new energy future. Climate Ride events raise money for a collection of eight innovative organizations including Green America, 350.org, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, Climate Counts, 1% For the Planet, San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, Washington Area Bicyclist Association, and Transportation Alternatives.

For more information,
please visit www.climateride.org or call 406.871.5477. Videos, photos and blogs can be viewed at www.climateride.org/rides/experience-the-ride/.

About Brita FilterForGood
Each year, Americans purchase billions of plastic water bottles. Aside from the environmental impact of all that waste, Americans are spending a great deal on bottled water. In 2007, Brita launched the FilterForGood campaign, which encourages people to reduce their bottled water waste by switching to reusable bottles filled with filtered water. Since 2007, more than 212,000 people have taken the pledge to reduce their bottled water waste, keeping an estimated 220 million disposable bottles out of landfills. Visit filterforgood.com to learn how you can make a difference.

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