Why have a group of riders cross the country for climate change?  And why is CSCS specifically organizing this trip?

We care about climate change!  And we think that we all can make a difference.  

Riding across the country is a way to raise visibility on climate issues, to learn about the impacts of climate change on diverse communities, and to connect concerned people across the country with climate efforts of CSCS and other organizations.  

The Climate Ride focuses on climate justice, and thus we are focusing on diverse participation in this ride, and in the communities we visit. We believe a key to honestly raising climate awareness, and to effectively engaging a large number of people, is to highlight the concerns and experiences of diverse communities.  

Evidence shows clearly that stories are one of the most effective tools to influence attitudes and stimulate action.  Engaging including youth from a variety of backgrounds would best help us achieve our goals of increasing climate awareness and engagement. Communities across the country have rich and complicated experiences around climate change, and need to be heard. We change, and we act, when we can feel the stories of communities most closely.

Awareness of climate issues during the trip will be promoted through a range of strategies including:

-Youth-led community events
-A robust media presence
-Story-telling by participants at the 2021 MCUSA national convention, and
-Participation in the ride by communities in short segments along the route

Bicycling is especially appropriate for illustrating how humans can live in harmony with the earth.  As a low-carbon activity that represents a major solution to lowering carbon emissions, focusing on biking thus demonstrates how words can be transformed into actions.

CSCS is committed to advancing climate conversations, solutions and justice.  We envision especially an Anabaptist community that makes climate issues as the moral equivalent of peacebuilding.  All of CSCS’s activities — multiple student programs, congregational engagement, innovative research, and raising global voices — are geared towards these goals.