Last year the urgency of addressing global warming and climate change came home to David Hearne. He jump-started his activism by taking part in 2008 Climate Ride, a five day, 300 mile bicycle ride from New York City to Washington, DC. Four of the 100 riders, pictured below and facing the camera, were age 59 or over. David is on the far right. On the far left is Jim Rucquoi who was the oldest rider at age 72. They are on a ferry taking them from Manhattan to Atlantic Heights.
David has been kind enough to provide Green Seniors with a detailed commentary on his experience.
"The two women who initiated and organized the ride did an outstanding job. We were very well supported and fed, and each night we had guests who spoke to various aspects of climate change or specific actions of theirs to mitigate climate change...."
"As well organized as the ride was, it was the fellow riders that left the biggest impression on me. Take Alan Tinker of Focus the Nation as an example, who arranged for over 50 congressional meetings with climate riders right after the ride. Or David Kroodsma who rode solo for 17 months from Palo Alto, CA to the tip of South America to call attention to climate change. One of the older riders was also one of the lowest carbon footprint riders. He rode the entire trip carrying all of his gear and a guitar with which he serenaded us at night."
"Some of the riders were well conditioned and some had not ridden very much at all. But everyone who started, finished with determination. And I left feeling very good about the next generation of leadership arising. As typical for an event such as this we began the ride with many different backgrounds and experiences. But after numerous conversations, both on and off the bike, we arrived in DC all united in a common objective of encouraging more to be done about climate change."
Ride, Baby, Ride!
"The trip culminated in an exhilarating bike ride down Constitution Avenue, escorted by Capitol Police. The presidential campaign was well underway with one party rallying around the cry "Drill, Baby, Drill." We rode up Constitution Avenue declaring "Ride, Baby, Ride!"
Green Seniors asked David how his sense of urgency about global warming came about.
"I have had a long standing concern about global warming/climate change but until last year not a sense of urgency. I probably was representative of most Americans in that I really had never tried to understand the issue. Last summer I received an email from the Rails to Trails Conservancy inviting members to join their team on the inaugural Climate Ride from New York City to Washington, DC. I became intrigued and signed up.
"Of course, now I had to raise money and I felt compelled to learn more about climate change. I blogged to my contributors and shared my thoughts which meant a little research. I explored a variety of websites and read Wally Broecker's book, Fixing Climate.
"A big eye opener was to do a carbon footprint analysis at several of the various on-line sites that have calculators. I was chastened to realize the size of my personal footprint. From this two drivers for my sense of urgency arose:
1) data was being collected that indicated climate change could be accelerating; and
2) the data indicated that significant climate change was already inevitable at current emissions levels."
David Hearne summed up his message to all of you, the readers of the Green Seniors website:
"If you care about the world in which your grandchildren will live, take global climate change seriously now and demand action."
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