Hard to believe, but Climate Ride 2008 is over - for us riders, at least. I'm sure the (outstanding) staff will still be going strong for the next several days. Plus, each rider has taken home a wealth of knowledge, experience and support to continue the fight well into the future until . . .(more...)

Today was another excellent riding day, crossing the Delaware River into some of Pennsylvania's prime national presidential elections battleground landscape. We saw more campaign lawn signs than we could count--losing track in part because of the significant hills we were climbing. But the riding was, again, . . .(more...)

As Brita Climate Ride continues its way to Washington, it's worth looking in he rear-view mirror at the weekend. In addition to the start of Brita Climate Ride, Climate Riders who trickled into New York on Friday may have noticed that the city seemed especially green. As part of Park(ing) Day, on-street parking spaces in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx were blissfully transformed . . .(more...)

Having never spent much time in New Jersey outside my cousin’s apartment in Newark, I was excited to bike from Atlantic Highlands to Princeton today. I wasn’t disappointed. We biked 43 miles (a little more than expected due to an unintentional detour) through the aptly named Garden State, passing . . .(more...)

Hello from New York. I'm Stephen Miller, trail development coordinator for Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) and I had the pleasure of joining my coworker Kartik Sribarra and Team RTC as they set off this morning on the first ever Brita Climate Ride. The day began well for Team RTC with sunny skies with temperatures in the 60s. Things kicked off early as Brita Climate Ride was featured shortly before 8 a.m., on the CBS Early Show, and . . .(more...)

Wow. This promises to be a great event -- one in which I'm very happy Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) is participating. After an enjoyable bus ride from Washington, D.C., with five other Climate Riders and our bikes, we made our way to BLVD in Manhattan, where we . . .(more...)

“Rails-to-trails…? As in, you’re against railroads?” I hear that question, or one like it, all too often. People assume that, because unused or abandoned rail lines get transformed into trails, we at Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) want to see rail lines fall into disuse so they can be converted to trails. Nothing could be further from the truth! Rail systems are absolutely vital to our nation’s transportation system. Rail travel is an efficient way to move people and goods while emitting a tiny fraction of the greenhouse gases than private automobiles. In fact, much of RTC’s work to promote transportation options for those who cannot or choose not to drive hinges on linking with public transportation. After all, the vast majority of those who access transit do so by walking or biking. Rail-trails preserve rail corridors. Only after a railroad has determined there to be no other feasible use do RTC and local groups work to ensure that the corridor is not lost forever. Additionally, a rail-with-trail (a trail sharing an active rail corridor, usually separated by a safety buffer) offers another unique transportation connection between transit and trail. The basic process of a rail-trail conversion goes something like this:(more...)

On Tuesday July 8, 2008, 22-year old Alice Swanson was struck and killed by a trash truck just a few blocks from Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s national headquarters in the Dupont neighborhood of Washington, D.C. While tragedies such as this are always heart-breaking no matter where they occur, this one was a close-to-home reminder for our Washington, D.C.-staff—many of whom ride through that neighborhood daily—that the need for more and safer places to bicycle has never been greater. Bicycle safety is closely related to Climate Ride. If you consider that more and more people are turning toward bicycling for transportation in the wake of skyrocketing gas prices and climate concerns, then you know that means more people on the roads. More people on the trails. More people who need safe places to make the choice to bicycle easier. For the last 22 years, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) has been working to provide these safer places, creating a nationwide network of trails from former rail lines and connecting corridors.(more...)

Greetings from Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC)! My name is Kartik Sribarra, manager of policy outreach for RTC. I’m extremely excited to be participating in Climate Ride. I’ve been cycling regularly for five or six years now, and have always loved walking to get where I was going, avoiding the need to burn oil in the process. I’m honored to work for an organization that has such a strong history of embracing, encouraging and advocating for “active transportation” — walking and biking. I truly believe in Climate Ride’s mission, and am excited to represent RTC on the ride in September. It’s not hyperbole to claim that climate change may pose a threat to humanity, the likes of which we have never known. If left unchecked, climate change has the potential to cause extraordinary harm around the world. Scientists believe that climate change can increase the frequency and severity of natural events like floods, hurricanes and tornados. In spite of all of this doom and gloom, such enormous threats present equally great opportunities. Climate change has galvanized Americans, from the individual to the highest levels of our government, from nonprofit organizations to some of America’s largest businesses. Rarely does an issue come about that garners such universal support. But it’s not just about organizations; it’s also about individuals. One thing I appreciate about the fight against climate change — something that RTC actively promotes — is the role everyone can play in addressing it. By making the very simple (and fun!) choice to walk or bike to get where we’re going, we’re able to fight climate change. To that end, RTC encourages everyone to take the Burn Calories, Not Carbon!^TM pledge. The pledge encourages participants to change the way they travel, committing to walk and bike more and drive less. These personal commitments have many positive impacts on climate change:(more...)