Seventeen bicyclists will make a stop in Pittsburgh this Friday as part of a trip from Seattle to Washington, D.C. The coast-to-coast ride is an effort to raise awareness of and inspire conversations about climate change, and is part of the Center for Sustainable Climate Solutions’ summer Climate Ride.
Organized by Eastern Mennonite University, Goshen College, and the Mennonite Central Committee, CSCS works to fight climate change through faith communities, viewing climate response as a moral obligation.
The ride itself gives its participants, who are mostly young adults from Mennonite colleges, the opportunity to engage with Mennonite and other faith-based communities on the subject of climate change, as well as meeting with organizations across the country to learn about different perspectives on and solutions to climate change.
“I think for all of us, it’s going to be a big change of perspective [concerning] what we’re able to do, and things not feeling as difficult,” said Sierra Richer, one of the cyclists. “Also, making connections, I feel like, is a really big [benefit], meeting so many different people who also care about climate change.”
The riders will arrive in Pittsburgh on Friday, July 23, and spend the night at Pittsburgh Mennonite Church before departing for Washington, D.C., the next morning.
Those interested are invited to join the riders for the last five days of the journey, which will culminate in the group’s arrival in Washington, D.C. and a visit to Capitol Hill on July 28.
