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Sustainable Saratoga is pleased to announce that part-time staffer Sam Scoppettone will ride his bike 300 miles from New York City to Washington, D.C. this fall to raise awareness about climate change and benefit Sustainable Saratoga. The fundraiser is being organized by Climate Ride, the first multi-day, long-distance charitable bike ride that benefits organizations working on sustainable solutions to the climate crisis and other environmental causes. Riders interested in joining Sam for the five-day trek, or for other Climate Ride events around the country, can also select Sustainable Saratoga as a beneficiary or help form a team

Sam needs to raise a minimum of $2,800 by early September to participate in the ride, joining cyclists from around the country in support of a broad spectrum of environmental charities. “This is the defining challenge of my generation,” Sam’s fundraising page reads. “I believe that the costs of inaction far outweigh the costs of investing in a clean energy future,” he says. “I’m asking the Saratoga community to help me bring that message to Washington and invest in local solutions to this global problem.”

Some top business leaders, including former NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg, former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, and Cargill chairman Gregory Page, have recently made headlines warning about the dangers to the economy posed by climate change, highlighted in a report entitled “Risky Business” released on June 24 (www.riskybusiness.org).

Sustainable Saratoga chairman Harry Moran, who sits on the city’s Business Advisory Council, said he hopes local residents and businesses understand the magnitude of the climate change problem. “As a community we need to find ways to dramatically reduce our consumption of fossil fuels,” he states. Climate-related disasters such as crop failures, new diseases, drought, storm damage, and temperature changes have ripple effects throughout the entire economy. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide and methane would reduce the severity of such disruptions in the future.

Funds raised through Climate Ride will be used in part to support Sustainable Saratoga’s Climate & Energy committee, which develops education, advocacy, and project-based initiatives to help the community transition toward a climate-friendly future. To sponsor Sam’s participation in Climate Ride, supporters can visit http://bike.climateride.org/participant/sam-s. Anonymous donations and matching gifts may also be arranged.

 

About Sustainable Saratoga

Sustainable Saratoga (www.sustainablesaratoga.org) is a not-for-profit organization that promotes sustainable practices and the protection of natural resources, through education, advocacy and action, for the benefit of current and future generations in the Saratoga Springs area. Many of our initiatives involve reducing energy waste, helping the community become more energy efficient, and developing alternative forms of energy. Recent examples include an educational forum on incentives for energy-efficient buildings and renewable energy, education and advocacy in support of energy-efficient land use policies in the City’s comprehensive plan update, and an urban forestry initiative that will help reduce energy use in the city.

About Climate Ride

Climate Ride is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that organizes life-changing charitable events to raise awareness and support sustainability, active transportation, and environmental causes. We engage in the Climate Ride events to support a collection of beneficiary organizations that are working to engage citizens in the possibility of a green economy, educate the public about the interconnected web of environmental issues related to the climate crisis, mobilize government and businesses to enact sound energy policies that promote renewables, and raise the profile of green transportation. To learn more about Climate Ride NYC-DC, go to http://www.climateride.org/events/nyc-dc.