Jean Sideris
Outreach Coordinator for the Climate Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists

The timing of our ride couldn’t be better–we are at a historical moment for climate policy. We have a president, a House and a Senate who are ready to take action. In fact, the House of Representatives passed a comprehensive climate bill this summer. Now, that bill is far from perfect and is the smallest of steps towards truly meeting the climate challenge. However, it does put a cap on carbon and sets the framework for moving to a clean energy economy. A year ago, even that tiny step was inconceivable.

It now moves to the Senate.  Majority leader Harry Reid said he wants senate committees to pass their piece of a bill out of committee by the end of September and he wants to have a bill on the floor in October—just as hundreds of us pedal our way to their doorstep.

We’ll be arriving on Capitol Hill right when the full Senate will be looking at climate and energy policy. Don’t miss the chance to march your weary legs into their offices.  I hope every one of us will meet with our members of Congress on October 1. We are taking an amazing journey, challenging our bodies and our minds, and spending months asking our friends, family, co-workers and strangers for support as we cycle 300 miles to advocate for our climate future. I will be proud to share my story with my senators and representative and demand they take bold action this fall. National action is in their hands and they need us to guide them to good decisions.

And that’s not all. This December, the international community will be meeting in Copenhagen to discuss a global treaty to reduce emissions. The United States has stood on the sidelines and stalled global action for nearly a decade. Now, we need to show the international community that our government is taking action. Passing legislation is critical to showing the world we are ready to be part of our global community.

I just couldn’t be more thrilled to be doing this ride at this time. Thanks to all of you for being part of this and I can’t wait to meet and talk with you on our journey! See you all in New York!

Best,

Jean

Somerville, MA