David Kroodsma recently finished bicycling from California to the tip of South America to raise awareness about global warming. Today, David’s back on the road with his organization, Ride for Climate USA to promote energy efficiency, renewable energy, and other solutions to global warming. For September, we spoke with David at a pit-stop in Bend, Oregon to chat about rising temperatures, the road less traveled and why the latest Beatles invasion isn’t such a good thing.
Ride For Climate founders Bill Bradlee and David Kroodsma (right) in midtown Manhattan
For David Kroodsma, “bicycling is the best way to cross the country. You’re going ten miles per hour, you stop in every town… It’s a very intimate way to see the world.” David speaks from experience – he’s ridden over 20,000 miles in the past twenty-two months, crossing the United States and even riding South through Latin America with his organization, Ride for Climate. Ride for Climate’s mission is to promote energy efficiency, renewable energy, and other solutions to global warming at events and presentations held at various stops along the way. Using pictures, videos and stories from the road, David educates young and old alike about Global Warming and simple ways to reduce their impact . Currently, David and his partners are riding into the last leg of their latest North American journey. The trip kicked off on April 21st at the Old North Church in Boston, where Paul Revere began his “midnight ride”, and the symbolism isn’t lost on Kroosma. “Paul Revere did what he did 200 years ago so that we could have a better country today. When you think about it, we need to do something now so that people 200 years from now can look back and say, ‘they did something right’.” David is doing something right. In addition to spreading awareness with his pedal to the metal, David and Company also keep a riding blog to update readers and spread their message. With a laptop strapped to his bicycle, David manages to update readers about everything from Boeing’s new Dreamliner jets to the current state of fish in Colorado’s rivers.
David first started thinking seriously about globalization and the environment while studying abroad in Chile, then went on to earn a Masters in Environmental Science at Stanford University. David found the science of global warming fascinating, and the more he learned about climate change, the more he realized we have to act. Throughout his bicycle journey David has seen first-hand some of the effects of Global warming, including the devastating affects of bark beetles, who are ravishing forests in greater numbers due to the increase in temperature. The people David and his Ride for Climate team meet along the way have also noticed the direct affects of global warming — they all tell him that it’s been an unusually warm summer, and it keeps getting warmer. These are the people that keep David inspired. When he receives emails from people who’ve attended a Ride for Climate event or presentation telling him that they’ve switched out their light bulbs or started riding their bike to work, he knows all the long miles on the road have been worth it.
Ride for Climate’s current trip culminates in San Francisco on September 15th, and everyone who’s interested is invited to ride into the city along with David and his group. Not in the Bay Area September 15th? There are plenty of opportunities to get involved. Check out the Ride for Climate USA website for volunteering opportunities or to make a donation.
