The Cure for Climate Depression
Editor's note: Thank you to Amie Ashton, SVBC Board Member, for not only supporting SVBC in the 2017 Climate Ride California, but agreeing to write about her experiences here as well.Hello my name is Amie, and I have climate depression.For me, the only antidote to being profoundly sad about ice shelves breaking off in Antarctica and starving polar bears - is action. So, having dumped my car almost entirely for a bike this year, I also decided to join the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition (SVBC) Climate Ride team for the 2017 California Central Coast Ride.For those that don't know about Climate Ride, this charitable cycling nonprofit organization raises funds for environmental, conservation, clean energy, sustainability, climate education, and active transportation advocacy organizations, including SVBC - which was my chosen charity of the many organizations to which you can donate.The Central Coast Climate Ride involved biking from San Francisco to San Luis Obispo - with over 320 miles of riding over five days, loads of climbing, and fundraising the $2,800 minimum to participate. And let's face it, there could not be a more beautiful course to ride out there!
I was skeptical, I won't lie. Some environmental events end up leaving more trash in their wake than anything else - not cool! Climate Ride was legit though. It was the little things that won me over: we had to bring our own mug for coffee, plates and utensils were washed and reused, we had tasty meat-light meals, composted, recycled, reused, and left not a spec of trash behind. Camping each night lowered our impact even more.And what about the RIDE - overall it was spectacular! I saw parts of San Francisco I had never really explored, ate just-picked strawberries at Swanton Berry Farm near Davenport, rode 17-mile drive (and got lost enjoying the scenery - whoops), stopped for scoops of ice cream (thanks Shiloh), heard thoughtful speakers each night at camp after dinner, and met amazing like-minded people who were riding for all sorts of different environmental causes. The ride even received a proclamation from the mayor of Watsonville, who told us all about his town's bicycle ambitions and thanked the Climate Ride for inspiring change in his community! I think that moment carried me through the following 112-mile day. I may still worry about climate change, but I don't feel so alone to know that others are trying to make a difference.
Now, I have to issue a challenge to SVBC members and friends! The SVBC team this year was seven people, San Francisco Bike Coalition had 15, and Los Angeles County Bike Coalition had 25 people. We can't let them beat us in 2018!Here are the basics if you are considering a joining SVBC for the Climate Ride in 2018:
- How much time commitment is the climate ride? Ideally, five days Friday through Tuesday; though, it's not mandatory to ride all five days.
- What is the fundraising commitment? The minimum is $2,800 per person. You can have multiple beneficiaries, but if you’re on the SVBC team, you would hopefully direct the majority of the funds to SVBC.
- What are the average distances and effort level? The average distance is about 60 miles per day, and one day there are multiple distance options (including a century). Some of the days involve a degree of climbing, but nothing too gruesome. I came in having done a handful of 25-mile rides and was fine.
- Where do we sleep? You sleep in your own tent, but several nights are spent at commercial campgrounds where small cabins could be rented in advance. Hotels can be arranged for an extra fee as well.
- What if I have a mechanical issue or just can’t finish a day? They have mechanics and SAG vehicles to assist, so no problem.
If you're interested in joining or supporting the SVBC Climate Ride in 2018, email the boss at shiloh@bikesiliconvalley.org.
