No Impact Man

Join me at the US capitol on Wednesday!!!

That's right! You can join me and the rest of the Climate Riders as we ride into the US Capitol on today (Wednesday, September 30th!).

Join us and pedal with 100+ Climate Riders, 12 ambassadors, and supporters from the DC area to bicycle the final three miles of our 300 mile journey from New York City. We'll pedal up Constitution Ave to the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol for the Climate Ride finale and rally, where we will be calling for action in the Senate and at COP15.

Riders should meet at 3:15pm for a 3:30 en masse departure to the US Capitol.

You can also meet us at 3:45 PM on the West Lawn of the Capitol for the rally. Speakers at the rally include Bracken Hendricks of the Center for American Progress, Betsy Taylor of 1Sky, Keith Laughlin of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, Alisa Gravitz of Green America, and members of Congress (TBA), including Senator Cardin of Maryland and Dennis Kucinich of Ohio. 

We will have a photo opportunity at the Capitol with an AP photographer and other professional photographers.

Can't wait to see you there!

Me and Cimate Ride

Sixty-four miles today. If you're womdering how I'm doing, let's just say I gave up on my pride wen the guy trailing the rolly suitcase thing behind him went wizzing past!

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Wake up!

In case you didn't see:

The "adaptive challenge" of our climate emergency

From Leadership on the Line by Ron Heifetz and Marty Linsky:

"Every day, people have problems for which they do, in fact, have the necessary know-how and procedures. We call these technical problems. But there is a whole host of problems [like solving climate change] that are not amenable to authoratative expertise or standard operating procedures. They cannot be solved by someone who provides the answers from on high. We call these adaptive challenges because they require experiments, new discoveries, and adjustments from numerous places in the organization or community. Without learning new ways--changing attitudes, values, and behaviors--people cannot make the adaptive leap necessary to thrive in the new environment. The sustainability of change depends on having the people with the problem internalize the change itself."

This is why I think climate is not just a regulatory problem. The culture itself must adapt. Regulatory change, forced upon a population who may not want it, is not enough. It is crucial but it is not enough. Because if we want the necessary changes to be permanent, we must remember that "the sustainability of change depends on having the people with the problem internalize the change itself."
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If you're at a loss for how to help

This post is dedicated to my friend Amy Wilson.

Lately, I've been giving a lot of talks and answering a lot of questions and, often times, people ask how they can help. This is a wonderful question, but waiting for someone else to answer it is not quite as wonderful.

Let me say why. The other day, one woman raised her hand and said she was a second-grade teacher and that she wanted to teach her kids about recycling. What should I do, she asked?

This brings to mind a wonderful Zen story from a book called Dropping Ashes on the Buddha by Zen Master Seung Sahn:

When Dae Ju first came to Zen Master Ma-jo, the master asked, "What do you want from me?"

Dae Ju said, "I want you to teach me the Dharma [the Truth]."

"What a fool you are!" said Ma-jo. "You have the greatest treasure in the world within you, and yet you go around asking other people for help. What good is this? I have nothing to give you."

Dae Ju bowed and said, "Please, Master, tell me what this treasure is."

Ma-jo said, "Where is your question coming from? This is your treasure. It is precisely what is making you ask this question at this very moment. Everything is stored in this precious treasure-house of yours. It is there at your disposal, you can use it as you wish, nothing is lacking. You are the master of everything. Why, then, are you running away from yourself and seeking for things outside?"

When I started the No Impact experiment, many people said it was crazy. But no one seemed to be able to give me any other good ideas about how I could really help when it came to the climate emergency. Deep inside me was this big question, "How can I help?"

Since no one had a good answer for me, finally, I had to rely on what Ma-jo called my "treasure-house"--the very same thing (whatever it is) that caused me to ask the question, "How can I help?" I had to give up asking questions about whether I could really help or not and whether I would do it right. I had to stop checking.

I had to trust my "treasure-house."

To put it in more Christian terms, I had to have faith that the Kingdom of God was within me.

To put it in Nike's terms, I had to "Just do it!" ;)

And so I started No Impact, even though some people said it was crazy.

It is because we don't trust ourselves that we follow other people's directions. Further, one could argue that it is because we have all been following other people's directions that we are in the middle of our joint crises of climate and quality of life.

So when the second-grade teacher asks me what she can do to teach recycling to her students, I tell her to trust the place her question comes from and just do it. There is a saying I love: "Follow your situation." That means, since you know your situation better than anyone else, you are the best qualified to figure out how to help within it.

In my situation, I know no other way than to trust myself. In your situation, I know no other way than to trust you. I hope you will trust you, too. If you're wondering how you can help, just follow your situation. Trust your treasure-house. The Kingdom of God is within you. Just do it!

PS By the way, you can also follow me on Twitter and on Facebook.

Humanity sitting on its hands and melting

With the Polar Ice Caps melting faster than estimated, the WWF has put up a really clever installation on the steps of a Berlin square that anthropomorphizes ice block sculptures. The ice carved out to look like simple humans melted away in the hot summer sun in a statement speaking to the frailty of nature and the human impact thereof. Via Theme.

Help the United States be a leader again!

There's sad news coming from the climate talks taking place at the United Nations, this week, but I've learned that I am not powerless and I can help change it. You can too!

According to the New York Times:

Officials of several European countries have cited what they see as a lack of political will on the part of the United States to adequately address climate change. The American reluctance to accept any agreement that would require legally binding and internationally enforceable targets for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions could doom the [negotiations due to take place in Copenhagen in December], they said.

I'm not happy about this at all. This is not leadership.

So here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to use this cool 1Sky tool that automatically rings my congresspeople and connects me by phone. I'm going to tell them I want the United States to be a leader in the Copenhagen negotiations and in building a renewable energy economy.

Please join me in letting your reps know too. To use the 1Sky tool, click here.

500 climate volunteers needed in NYC's Central Park on Sunday at 9AM!!!

The Human Countdown choreographed sculpture is the flagship event kickstarting the Climate Wake Up Call, a series of coordinated events worldwide to bring attention to the dangers faced by the world's poorest people as a result of climate change.  

As global leaders and the international media descend on the United Nation's headquarters in New York for the week beginning September 20, thousands of people will form the shape of a giant earth moving through a human hourglass sculpture.

Think halftime show meets Spencer Tunick meets Earth Day rally. Not since Christo’s Gates installation has Central Park hosted a spectacle of this scale.

The Coalition has over 2000 people confirmed to attend, but needs 500 extra volunteers from 9AM at the Trump Wollman ice rink in NYC's Central Park to be the centerpiece – the earth – of the formation.

Organized by a broad global coalition fighting climate change as part of the TckTckTck Campaign, it will frame events during Climate Week New York City. 

Please come!

Inspiring the change we need

As a culture, we're having a really hard time facing up to depth of our environmental crises and our climate change problems. That's not to say we shouldn't keep trying. We must.

But with all the trade offs between the different issues in Congress, we're having a hard time getting the change we need.

Why?

In part, it's because not enough us--the workaday folks that the politicians serve--are letting them know it's our priority (and you can help let them know through 1Sky or 350, for example). In part, it's because a lot of us haven't yet decided that it is our priority.

In other words, to accomplish what we need to accomplish, we need some cultural transformation.

How do we get it?

By working in many different ways. By trying. All shoulders at the door.

But according to one writer I admire, John Marshall Roberts, cultural transformation comes in three ways:

1. By forcing people to change (physical realm): You somehow get control, and then you insist--through regulation or otherwise--that people do what you know to be right. The thing is, once you lose control, the people rebel.
2. By persuading people to change (mental realm): You appeal to the power of reason and get people to support your agenda because it seems rational. The problem here is that someone else comes along and persuades them otherwise. Plus, what we believe with our thoughts isn't what guides our lives.
3. By inspiring people to change (spiritual realm): You appeal to their higher selves and aspirations so that they decide for themselves that they want the change you're after. Then, the transformation becomes a moral compass point.

So the question becomes, what can we do to inspire that change rather than trying to hector people into it?

Ride today, change the world

I'll be riding in Climate Ride at the end of the month. They are still looking for more riders. Here's what they have to say. Hope you might join in!

How far would you pedal for a new energy future? Register now for Brita Climate Ride, a fully supported, 5-day charity bike ride from New York City to Washington DC, September 26 – 30, 2009. It’s the ride of a lifetime through some of the East Coast's most beautiful countryside. Join two hundred cyclists for great food, world class biking, and the chance to meet and network with leaders in climate change, renewable energy and environmental causes. Don't miss this historic ride to Washington!

Brita Climate Ride supports essential climate and bicycling advocacy projects at three beneficiary organizations: Focus the Nation, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, and Clean Air – Cool Planet. Your fundraising helps the beneficiaries continue to provide the critical services and education needed to address climate and energy issues.

Be Part of a Grass-roots Effort- Join a fascinating group of renewable energy experts, climate activists, recent college grads, and everyday folks.

Make a Statement- Carry your message 300 miles to the steps of the Capitol, where you have a chance to personally meet your representatives in Congress to encourage action.

It’s a Climate Conference on Wheels- Hear informative talks each evening from expert speakers, and join the discussion on climate science, green technology, and solutions to the climate crisis.

The Time is Now- We're at a climatic tipping point, and with the important COP15 Conference coming up in December, this year’s Brita Climate Ride is more important than ever.

It’s Fun- Unite with fellow Climate Riders for an unforgettable, fully-supported adventure. Our experienced team takes care of all the logistics, so you can network, make friends, and enjoy cycling through some of the most beautiful scenery in America.

To join up or help support, go here.