Speaker Series Brita Climate Ride 2009

Special thanks to the Embassy of Denmark – COP15 United Nations Climate Change Conference

(speakers subject to change, speaking events take place from 7-8:30 pm each night and are open to the public, please email caeli@climateride.org if you are interested in attending)

Kick-off event at Central Park Zoo (limited seating) 9/25:

Per Stig Moller, Foreign Minister of Denmark

Dr. James Hansen, head of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, renowned climatologist, Time Magazine top 100 influential people, and winner of the 2009 Carl-Gustaf Rossby Research Medal, the highest honor of the American Meteorological Society.

Rob Rose, Wildlife Conservation Society

Night 1, Princeton University, McCosh Hall, 7:30pm 9/26:

Dr. Ben Strauss - associate director at Climate Central, founding board member of Grist.org and founding board member of the Environmental Leadership Program.  Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Princeton University. Dr. Strauss will talk about the psychology of climate communications.

Jason Kowalski - policy analyst at 1Sky.  Jason will give us the skinny on the ACES bill and what really happens behind the scenes with energy and climate legislation on Capitol Hill.

The Great Salt Licks! - this bluegrass band traveling by bicycle during Climate Ride will do a musical presentation that weaves a story of climate, energy and environmentalism.

Night 2, Phoenixville YMCA, Phoenixville, PA ,7 pm, 9/27:

Germany Trade and Invest - Climate Riders who are members of Germany’s foreign trade board to discuss the transition of East Germany to a “green” economy

Alison Gannett - Founder Save Our Snow Foundation, voted Outside Magazine’s ‘08 Green All-Stars, US Champ Freeskier

Night 3 Holtwood, PA (email for details), 9/28:

Roz Savage - first woman to row across the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, environmental activist, United Nations Environmental Program Climate Hero

Wood Turner - the one climate scorekeeper you need to know, Executive Director Climate Counts

Colin Beavan aka NO IMPACT MAN - the man who lived one year with zero carbon impact–the extraordinary movie will be previewed on Climate Ride.  Watch the trailer.

Night 4, Reisterstown, MD, 7pm, (limited seating—email for details) 9/29:

Friis Arne Petersen - Denmark’s Ambassador to the US, host of the COP15 UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen Dec. 2009

Mike Tidwell - inspiring activist, writer and documentary filmmaker, President Chesapeake Climate Action Network, and his own home is fueled almost entirely by wind, solar and corn power

Mikael Colville-Anderson - Denmark’s leading bicycle ambassador and advocate, accomplished writer, director, photographer and blogger who created the famous European blog Copenhaganize.com.  Colville gives a passionate talk on cycling as an environ-mentally friendly, viable, and sustainable transportation alternative.

Rally on Capitol Lawn—OPEN TO EVERYONE, 9/30 Washington DC:

Senator Ben Cardin (MD)

Senator Jeanne Shaheen (NH)

Congressman Earl Bluemenauer (OR)

Congressman Dennis Kucinich (OH)

Betsy Taylor - President of 1Sky and founder of the Center for the New American Dream

Alisa Gravitz, Executive Director, Green America, For over 25 years, Alisa Gravitz has helped pioneer and lead the national agenda to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable economy.  Alisa helped create the nation’s first Green Business Network and Green Festivals, and developed strategies that use the power of green businesses, consumers and investors to call for clean energy and other economic solutions to climate change. Alisa’s “12 Step Plan for Climate Action” has been used by businesses and policymakers around the world for developing policies that can address the climate crisis at the speed and scale necessary to tackle the worst of the climate change impacts.

Keith Laughlin - President, Rails to Trails Conservancy

The youngest rider is a 12 year old from Massachusetts and the oldest rider is an 82 year old woman from NYC who has been a bike commuter for 50 years.

Other riders/speakers include:
Josh Dorfman, The Lazy Environmentalist -watch his new Sundance show.  He’s not too lazy to ride for the climate!

Randy Swisher, recently retired executive director of AWEA, the American Wind Energy Association, and avid cyclist

Tom Burnett - 31 year old DC environmental science teacher - recovering from spinal cord injury and riding on behalf of disabled people to show that “we can overcome incredible adversity to do things that no one thought possible.”  Read his blog.

Elliot May - Reverb.org - Director of Strategic Partnerships

David Kroodsma - Stanford-trained climate expert who pedal 21,000 miles to research and raise awareness of climate change

The World Bank Team

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