Natural Resources Defense Council Named New Beneficiary of Climate Ride

Online, July 11, 2011 (Newswire.com) - NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL NAMED NEW BENEFICIARY OF CLIMATE RIDE

Team NRDC forming for 300-mile, 5-day event from Eureka to San Francisco; Climate Ride now allows participants to choose their specific beneficiary organization

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - Climate Ride has named the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) as a full beneficiary for 2011, to replace a beneficiary spot left vacant by the merger of two other organizations: 350.org and 1Sky. Participants in this October's Climate Ride California 2011 will be able to choose NRDC as their primary beneficiary, or one of several nonprofit organizations for which they will be raising funds. Registration for Team NRDC and more information can be found at http://tinyurl.com/teamnrdc.

"As a new beneficiary of Climate Ride, we're delighted that we can participate in this unique, inspiring event, while raising funds to support our mission," said Peter Lehner, Executive Director of NRDC. "The environmental challenges we face today are enormous, and so are the opportunities to solve them. To get the job done, we need clear-headed leadership from both business and government. We've worked for decades to give communities less polluting transportation alternatives, especially biking, that can reduce our dependence on oil while creating more livable spaces. We've recently increased our capacity to work on these issues through our new Sustainable Communities initiative, and our new partnership with Climate Ride will help to make us even more effective. This ride will certainly be great fun, especially on the down hills!"

Climate Ride California 2011 will take place October 2-6, 2011, beginning in Fortuna, CA (near Eureka), and finishing in San Francisco. Climate Ride will see more than 100 cyclists pedaling 320 miles along a portion of the classic Pacific Coast Bike Route. This "green conference on wheels" and fundraiser is designed to raise awareness of sustainability and renewable energy, and has taken place for the past three years from New York City to Washington, DC, and last year in California. Registration is currently open to up to 150 cyclists at www.climateride.org.

"With the merger of two of our other beneficiary organizations, we had an open spot on our roster to include another hard-working nonprofit, and that organization will be NRDC," said Caeli Quinn, Co-Founder and Director of Climate Ride. "One of NRDC's main priorities is to establish sustainability and good stewardship of the Earth as central ethical imperatives of human society - which fits perfectly with our goals at Climate Ride. We're thrilled to be able to support NRDC and their important mission of safeguarding the Earth."

Other beneficiary organizations include Green America, 350.org, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, Climate Counts, 1% For the Planet, San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, Washington Area Bicyclist Association, and Transportation Alternatives. East Bay Bicycle Coalition recently joined as a partner organization. All Climate Ride beneficiaries are related to sustainability, renewable energy, climate or bicycle advocacy.

"This year we've introduced an innovative way for participants to drive change in their local and global communities," said Geraldine Carter, Co-Founder and Director of Climate Ride. "Participants can now choose which organizations will benefit from their fundraising. When registrants sign up for the event, they can choose one specifically, all nine, or any combination of organizations from our list, and their fundraising dollars will be divided among them. It's a very unique way for people to participate in a group event, and yet personalize it to support what's important to them. Practically no other event does that."

Climate Ride is the first bicycle tour where pedal strokes help raise money and awareness of a future powered by renewable energy, sustainability, and a green economy. The ride offers people who share a passion for green living and cycling a chance to journey toward making a difference. Each Climate Rider pays a registration fee of $75 and then raises at least $2400 to participate in this 5-day, all-inclusive, fully-supported event. For more information about Climate Ride, Team NRDC, or to support a participant, please visit www.climateride.org.

About the Natural Resources Defense Council
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 1.3 million members and online activists. Since 1970, NRDC's lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world's natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Livingston, Montana, and Beijing. For more information, please visit www.nrdc.org

About Climate Ride
Climate Ride was founded to inspire and empower citizens to work toward a new energy future. Climate Ride events raise money for a collection of innovative organizations including Green America, 350.org, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Climate Counts, 1% For the Planet, San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, Washington Area Bicyclist Association, and Transportation Alternatives. For more information, visit www.climateride.org.

Contact: Caeli Quinn, Co-Founder and Director, Climate Ride, 406.871.5477, [email protected], or Tim O'Bayley, O'Bayley Communications, 760.778.3525, [email protected]
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