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Wade is a biologist and streamer who goes by DRWD40 on Twitch and YouTube. We’re excited to be partnering with Wade to help raise funds for our Environmental Justice Action Grants and bring more climate action to the millions of folks who watch Twitch.
You can catch Wade live on Twitch this coming Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 8 AM-Noon Eastern Time. Here’s the full schedule and we have an interview with him below as well. Wade may be adjusting this schedule for weather, so be sure to check his Twitch for updates!
Power for our Planet Thursday Jun 2 Day 1 I will be putting together the solar charging system in the backyard. The goal of this system is to charge my stream gear using only solar power. Paddle for our Planet June 03 Day 2 I will be paddling to the islands in the river to go metal detecting and bring back as much garbage as I can. Lots of people party out there so there is lots of trash. Plant for our Planet June 4 Day 3 we will be going to Florida native plant nurseries and then planting some plants in my backyard. Any donations $50 or more will get a a plant bought in their name. Peddle for our Planet June 5 Day 4 we will be riding the bike and doing some birding in the Florida marshes! Picking up for our Planet (Bonus day if we reach $1500) June 6 This is a bonus stream on Monday morning where we will go beach metal detecting!
Power for our Planet Thursday Jun 2 Day 1 I will be putting together the solar charging system in the backyard. The goal of this system is to charge my stream gear using only solar power.
Paddle for our Planet June 03 Day 2 I will be paddling to the islands in the river to go metal detecting and bring back as much garbage as I can. Lots of people party out there so there is lots of trash.
Plant for our Planet June 4 Day 3 we will be going to Florida native plant nurseries and then planting some plants in my backyard. Any donations $50 or more will get a a plant bought in their name.
Peddle for our Planet June 5 Day 4 we will be riding the bike and doing some birding in the Florida marshes!
Picking up for our Planet (Bonus day if we reach $1500) June 6 This is a bonus stream on Monday morning where we will go beach metal detecting!
We’d love for all the Climate Ride community to stop by and to support and learn from his efforts!
Climate Ride (CR): First off, why’d you decide to participate in Climate Rise?
Wade (WD): I’ve always loved cycling and the environment, so this seemed like a great way to showcase both those loves. Also, I love to show new people the good that we can do on a platform like Twitch. Yes, it might be known as a gaming platform, but it can be a great educational outreach tool and bring awareness towards things like the environment and climate change.
CR: How’d you get involved with Twitch and streaming?
WD: I began streaming in January of 2018 by playing games like a proper Twitch streamer. I slowly grew my community and began adding pieces of educational content. My original goal was to provide free tutoring in biology for those who needed it, but it turned into something even more awesome. I love being able to share my knowledge with others and get them excited about science and learning. In October 2019 I moved my stream outdoors, and now I get to share my love of nature and hobbies. We go metal detecting, go on hikes, do bird, insect, and plant identifications, go kayaking, watch rocket launches, and do some cycling. I love doing outdoor live streaming and love the tech behind getting it working. Streaming has been an amazing adventure and hobby, and I’m happy I can share these things with everyone.
CR: What does fundraising for the Environmental Justice Actions Grant Program through Climate Rise mean to you?
WD: Being able to help disadvantaged communities learn more about the importance of climate change and how it could affect them is very important. Their communities will also be at highest risk due to the consequences of climate change, so any help is significant. Fundraising and asking for money have always been difficult for me so I like to make sure I choose organizations that I can be passionate about while asking for funds. Fundraising for the Environmental Justice Action Grant Program was an easy yes.
CR: Have you seen climate change impacting the area where you live or felt the effects of climate change yourself?
WD: I live on the east coast of Florida so we are always worried about rising sea levels and stronger hurricanes. Also, more invasive species can make Florida their home and add pressure to our native species. Florida already has some invasive species issues and to add more to that for not only the wildlife but also plant life could make things really tough on the native habitats.
CR: Besides running a successful stream, you’re also anatomy and physiology, genetics, microbiology, and immunology professor? How do you find the time to do all that? Do you notice and think about climate impacts in your work?
WD: Oh it’s tough, that’s for sure! Streaming is my side fun and I try to get out at least twice a week during the busy parts of the semester. Now that it’s summer and I’m only teaching a few courses, I have more time to get out and stream. I never think of streaming as work. I’d be getting out and doing these things regardless of cameras being attached to me. It’s just an added bonus that I can share these experiences with the world. Most of my local friends have also moved away so this makes it so I can bring virtual friends with me everywhere I go.
As for climate impacts in my work, I don’t notice too much since most of what I teach is human biology rather than environmental science. I touch on it a bit in genetics when discussing speciation and how shifting climates could allow interactions between species that never interacted before (such as the polar bear and grizzly) leading to potential hybrids. You could also have damaging effects if a species moves in that threatens a native species.
CR: We’re seeing exactly that interaction here in the west as climate change allows beetle populations to move in and decimate white pine populations, an essential food source for grizzly bears. It’s amazing how climate change is affecting native species. Is there anything else you think we should know about?
WD: Not much that I can think of! I just love getting outside and sharing my experiences with everyone. I’m a big believer that if you put good out into the world that others will be motivated to do the same. I’m happy you reached out to see if I’d like to participate in Climate Rise, and I hope we can help make a difference. Also, I hope to show that Twitch is a welcoming place for all to come hang out and enjoy some outdoor content.
CR: Thanks Wade for all your work to make Twitch that kind of place and bring climate conversations to your community and Twitch. All of us at Climate Ride are excited to team up, amplify your efforts, and do some good for great organizations! Be sure to join us in checking out Wade’s adventures and remember, thanks to the Algorand Foundation, his fundraising will be matched dollar for dollar up to $2.5 million! You can help him hit his goal of $1,000 here.
Climate Rise participant, Sara Lawson, a hospice nurse from New York, plans to climb the 25 bluestone stairs on her upstate New York property 200 times – yep, 5,000 stairs – to celebrate the clean Hudson Valley air we are lucky enough to breathe and to raise awareness for climate action. We wanted to learn more about what led her to embark on this journey and her experience with climate change.
Climate Ride (CR): What led you to participate in Climate Rise?
Sara Lawson (SL): Two years ago I took part in Climate Rise at the very start of the pandemic. I vividly remember the feelings of helplessness regarding our changing world: would I ever ride a Climate Ride again? How could I continue to support climate action? How could I find time around the edges of my all-consuming work as a nurse in Covid to stay fit, support CR, and work for the health of the planet? Then along came Climate Rise with a solution perfectly tailored to the times. I created my own challenge, climbing a public staircase in Mill Valley California a ridiculous number of times, and it helped me to feel I could still be part of a solution to our climate crisis, even in the midst of other global crises. Two years on, I still can’t do Climate Rides because of the challenges of my work. But I can climb stairs!
CR: Well said. Your dedication to participating in any way that you can is inspiring, to say the least. What’s motivating you as you take on this challenge?
SL: In the summer of 2020, I moved from the Bay Area to upstate New York. It was a sudden Covid-driven move and a dramatic change for me and my partner. We retooled our lives in the midst of crisis. Now we are settling into the beautiful Hudson Valley, where we were lucky enough to land. I’ve been biking the rollers here in Dutchess County, but have not been able to meet other riders, or take part in any Climate Rides, though I read about them and hope (Bar Harbor one day?!). When I saw Climate Rise was happening again, I thought, “I can do that!” Reprising my stair-climbing craze is helping me stay fit, giving me something to train for – a feeling I love – and connecting me again with the CR community and climate action. Every stair I climb makes me feel less helpless in the face of rising oceans, the drought in my home state, and species extinction.
CR: That’s really what we hope for when people participate in this, the feeling that comes with making a difference and helping others to do the same. How has climate change impacted you and the area you live in?
SL: Well California, my home for thirty years, is burning. Burning and dying of thirst. I lived through three catastrophic fire seasons before I left, and now I watch every summer and fall as the fires burn earlier and hotter, consuming more people’s homes and lives.
The Hudson Valley, in contrast, is lush and healthy. But the weather patterns are changing here too, just more subtly. Last September I visited the Florida Keys with my daughter, somewhere I had always wanted to see. It didn’t disappoint: I felt like I’d stepped back into the 1950s, into a very exotic corner of the United States. And our hearts broke to think the Keys will probably be underwater in 30 years.
CR: The work you are putting in now, along with everyone participating, gives all of us at Climate Ride hope that the world will only get better. Thank you for your hard work. Speaking of work, what has your experience as a hospice nurse been like over the past couple of years?
SL: Busy! I work long hours with few breaks. Our healthcare system is overstretched. I’m thankful I am a community hospice nurse and not working in the hospitals, but all areas of my industry are understaffed and oversubscribed. Nursing in Covid was frightening at first: we didn’t understand the virus very well and I would enter nursing homes ravaged by it, where the staff did not wear their PPE or get enough training in precautions. I wonder now how many of those I knew died. Hospice work in Covid has been as busy and chaotic as you might imagine. Work is constantly threatening to consume my whole life if I don’t push back and try to keep some kind of life-work balance. I’m thankful for job security, the PPE I’m supplied with, and to have work I really love and find meaningful. I’d just like a little less of it!
CR: The world is forever indebted to the nurses that went through so much during COVID-19. Thank you for your service. As for your selected beneficiaries, what does fundraising for the Environmental Justice Actions Grant Program through Climate Rise mean to you?
SL: I’ll be honest, I hate fundraising and I hate asking people for money in these times. But fundraising for climate action feels meaningful. I can get behind asking people for donations to help keep our planet habitable. If not that, what?
CR: You are so right, fighting for our planet is something we feel everyone can get behind. Are there any personal challenges you’ve confronted or foresee in preparing for your campaign? How did you overcome them?
SL: I’ve had a couple of back injuries in the past few years, each time from failing to notice my body is no longer thirty years old. If my stair climbing causes a flare-up, I may have to reconsider my challenge. But I plan to stretch, something I’ve never been good at, and listen to my body as I run up and down the stairs. I think I started to train early and have kept my goal reasonable, unlike my 2019 personal Climate Ride, where I rode 300 miles in 5 days and had back pain when I started. Live and learn!
CR: Wow! Yes, it’s definitely always important to listen to your body but it sounds like this is something you are ready for. Has preparing for this campaign spurred you to take any action on climate?
SL: We are on a household mission to eradicate plastic as much as possible. It’s been interesting.
CR: Every little bit helps! You’re doing some incredible work, Sara! Thank you for sharing your journey with us.
If you’d like to find out more and support Sara in her Climate Rise streaming event, check out her fundraising page below. Thanks to the Algorand Foundation, any donation you make will be doubled!
https://tiltify.com/@saramaggiellawson/clinton-hollow-stair-climber
Mackenzie
With my able -bodied assistants, Ada, age 7 and Evie, age 5, we plan to ride the new Creek Walk bike path and pick up trash along the way to our 5 mile destination, ice cream!
Claire O'Connor
sunRise is the perfect time of day to appreciate the outdoors. This year friends, family, and team IceIceBaby sent in pics at sunRise to participate in this virtual climateRise – with a goal of raising $1000. While the weather didn’t cooperate much with the sun, it was a fun way to all share our mornings and celebrate Earth Day.
Kate Williams is CEO of 1% for the Planet, a global movement that inspires action and commitment so that our planet and future generations thrive. 1% for the Planet engages businesses and individuals to support environmental nonprofit solutions through membership and everyday actions. Started in 2002 by Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, and Craig Mathews, founder of Blue Ribbon Flies, 1% for the Planet’s global network of thousands of businesses and individuals have given hundreds of millions to environmental partners to date. Kate has led significant growth in the community’s scale and impact, as well as deep work on best practices for implementing high-impact giving strategies, growing a network brand, and operating a highly effective and innovative enterprise.
Kate earned a BA at Princeton University and an MS at the MIT Sloan School of Management. She has served on several nonprofit Boards, currently BlueCross BlueShield of Vermont and Shelburne Farms. Kate is a trail runner, active dog walker, and kitchen gardener. Kate lives in Vermont with her husband and two children.
Larissa Conners is a lover of all things bikes, from commuting to work to racing XCO world cups. Larissa’s career started in triathlon and has arched through racing road, cross country mountain bike, ultramarathon mountain bike, and gravel. Bike racing has taken her all over the world, but this adventure junkie is now embracing the journey of motherhood and staying a bit closer to home, mainly commuting to teach high school math at Petaluma High School and racing gravel for the Voler Factory Gravel team! Larissa is a two-time winner of the Leadville 100 MTB race.
Meg Shutzer is an award-winning documentary filmmaker. She has a BA from Harvard and a Master’s from UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism where her work was recognized with the Reva and David Logan Prize for Excellence in Investigative Reporting. Her documentaries have screened on five continents and have won numerous awards at film festivals, including the PBS Reel South Award at the New Orleans Film Festival in 2019. This year she is part of the first-ever IF/Then Short Film Distribution Fellowship for her forthcoming film 8 Days at Ware. When she isn’t chasing down a story, you can find Meg teaching video classes at San Quentin State Prison or spin classes at the 17th Street Athletic Club.
I’ll be riding 500 miles by the end of April and trying to raise $1,000 in support of Climate Ride and Bears Ears Coalition!
You can support me here!
Caeli Quinn
I just skate skied the longest distance I’ve ever skied–28 miles–on Going to the Sun Road. Thanks to my donors, I raised $600 for Climate Rise!
Russell Mendivil
I’m going to build a tiny food pantry but it won’t look this nice.
Scroll through the experience of Virtual Climate Rise which took place on July 11, 2020! For the best viewing experience on a desktop or laptop, please allow the photobook to fully load before viewing. Once fully loaded, you can select widescreen (arrows at bottom right) and then you can toggle using the large right and left arrows on the photos and videos.
On mobile, use the right-left arrows in the screen to advance the slides and then let the page load to watch videos.
Thanks to all the Climate Rise participants who made this possible!
Check out the kickoff for Climate Rise featuring keynote talks by Caeli Quinn and Bill McKibben!
Watch people around the country rising together for our planet!
Over 300 people joined together to Climate Rise!
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