Once in a while we like to highlight riders that you’re going to meet this May. Most people who ride in Climate Ride say they’re riding because a friend said they absolutely have to do it.
Climate Riders are some of the most interesting people you’ll meet. Together, they create an inspiring community both during the rides and after. Climate Ride began as a fundraising event, but has grown into so much more than that. Climate Ride is a place where thinkers, dreamers, connectors, and influencers gather to ride bikes, share ideas, and support the organizations that are part of the Climate Ride grants program. It’s a place where giving, learning, and getting fit can finally intersect.
This week, we spoke with Frankie Ridolfi, John Romankiewicz, Mike Howe, and Lily Gilbert who are riding on Climate Ride California 2013.
You know the Story of Stuff right? Introducing Team Free Range Studios, the master storytellers and creators of the Story of Stuff, and their team captain Frankie Ridofi. Frankie’s back for his 2nd ride. Frankie leads Free Range’s marketing strategy and execution, listening for customer needs with all his Spidey Senses and imagining exciting new ways to deliver value. He is passionate about using his 17 years of experience in marketing innovative organizations and products to advance environmental and social efforts. Previously, he worked at NASA, SETI and the National Observatories. He has a BA in Geology and Archaeology from Carleton College where he did field studies of climate change and mass-extinctions in Italy and Greece. He was a founding employee of two tech start-ups, one that delivers ethics programs to tens of millions of employees in corporations, and one that helps organizations measure their cradle-to-grave environmental impacts caused by consumption cycles, the systemic problem portrayed in “The Story of Stuff.” There’s no end to Frankie’s creativity – he has an alter ego – the Bookbinding Guy!
John aka “Sustainable John” Romankiewicz will be joining Climate Ride from Berkeley, CA. If you’re looking for inspiration and creative way to fundraise, simply check out one of his eco-raps. John is currently one of our top ten fundraisers, and has set his sights for that $5,000 mark. He’s already a third of the way there! (Way to go!) John works at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, and has been working in the clean energy and climate change space for about 8 years, both in the U.S. and China. But when he’s not at the Lab, he’s making and selling Chinese Crepes (“jian bing”) from his bike! Towing a custom-made crepe KickTrailer, Jian Bing Johnny is ready to serve the people of the East Bay! He is psyched to ride the coastline while surrounded by good people, so keep an eye out for John on the ride!
Mike Howe hails from Marin and was the oldest rider (72!) on the 2012 ride, and now he’s back to ride in 2013! Mike is the VP for Philanthropy at Olive Grove Consulting after having recently completed his service as the Chair of the National Task Force on Community Leadership at Stanford University. Mike took the first group of university faculty and students from the U.S. to China in 1972 and has continued to work with the Chinese government. He served as a consultant to the U.N. High Commission for Refugees between the late 70’s through the early 80’s, founded and ran a international graduate school in the mid-80’s, raced motorcycles and cars from the age of 15 on (he still has the race car – although it has been stored for a few years – too busy riding the bike). He returned to cycling in the mid 80’s after a serious accident requiring knee surgery. He rides his bike 4 to 5 days a week in around Marin and Sonoma counties. Since his accident he has traveled around the world consulting with governments and hon-governmental organizations with his S&S Coupler equipped Moots bike. Mike is a Board member of Greenbelt Alliance, a leading San Francisco Bay Area non-profit that advocates smart growth and open space preservation organizations working with local groups and government in the 9 Bay Area counties.
Lily Gilbert is a California native and nature-lover, Lily has cultivated a deep passion for environmental protection. After receiving a B.S. from UCSC in Marine Biology, she went on to travel in Australia where she saw first-hand the impacts of climate change on the Great Barrier Reef. She then spent time in rural Uganda, where she further developed her dedication to climate change mitigation and awareness. She now resides in San Francisco, CA and is currently working toward her M.S. in Environmental Science and Management. Right now she’s working for the Alliance to Save Energy on a team of grad students working to increase sustainability and energy efficiency across the UCSF campuses. In her spare time she enjoys hiking, backpacking, rock climbing, and cycling and is excited to merge her passions in the upcoming Climate Ride 2013!