Ride for the Future

The Future We Are Creating

Our government is in debt and our leaders are slashing needed social services and forgoing investments required to build a better future. Yet as the societal cost of fossil fuels becomes ever more apparent and as fossil fuel companies continue to make record profits, our government continues to provide billions of dollars of taxpayer hand-outs each year to an industry that is both incredibly profitable and tragically deadly. Communities that are host to fossil fuel facilities continue to carry a heavy burden on behalf of all who consume the energy produced there, while countless other communities are hit with more and more extreme weather events. It is clear that the longer we stay on our current path, the greater the cost will be in lives and treasure. The time could not be more ripe to invest fossil fuel subsidies in the communities and projects that need that taxpayer support the most and build a better future, one neighborhood at a time.

How We Are Creating It

RIDE FOR THE FUTURE

From May 22^nd – July 30^th, our Ride for the Future team of 11 young leaders will travel exclusively by bicycle from New Orleans to ExxonMobil’s headquarters in Dallas, Texas. Along the way, the participants will learn from and highlight local efforts to improve communities while transitioning them away from fossil fuels. At the same time, the riders will highlight the harms fossil fuels cause communities, visiting communities suffering from pollution from refineries and power plants, communities still suffering from the the BP oil spill, and communities suffering from natural disasters in line with scientists’ predictions of a changing climate, including the droughts and wildfires in Texas and hurricane damage across the region.

Our Story & Why You Should Support Us

In 2006, an organization on my campus asked me to join them in a campaign to help stop climate change by pressuring the University administration to commit to 100% clean energy. After 6 months of meetings, petitioning and rallies, the entire University of California system committed to a plan to end their use of fossil fuels.

For nearly 6 years now, I've worked on policy, communications and with grassroots leaders to hasten our transition to a sustainable, clean energy economy - and I'm hoping you will join me in building a better future, by donating to the Better Future Project.

Ride for the Future (and Climate Summer) will provide students from across the country the opportunity I was given nearly 6 years ago - to be part of a meaningful campaign - to be part of something bigger than themselves - and to learn incredible skills that will help them create positive change in our crazy world.

Now more than ever we need to aspire for this better future, and begin the transition to end our use of fossil fuels. I'm asking for your support to train the next generation of leaders, and provide them with skills to create a sustainable, clean energy economy.