This is a guest post from Cy Maramangalam, Lead Educator in Washington, DC. 

The roar of enthusiasm from the 200 person audience was comparable to an auditorium with twice the amount high schoolers. The enthusiasm in the room is unusually rich, because it’s backed by a unifying cause: combating climate change.

The Climate Ride NYC-DC is a grand cycling adventure that connects two of the nation’s most important cities – New York and Washington, DC – by bicycle. I was able to meet them at the end of their fourth riding day in Reisterstown, Maryland and give them a peek into what we do.

After a short talk from Mike Tidwell, Director for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, and Elizabeth Shope, Advocate for the National Resources Defense Council. I gave them the first part of our presentation, which explains the situation that our world is in and the science behind climate change. I then gave a short talk about the rest of our award winning assembly and how we help students afterwards. They gave a resounding applause and wealth of support for the work that we do.

Sam McKelvie, once our esteemed office manager, is riding for team ACE! After four days of riding, she’s looking so solid. You can support her ride here.

I was so impressed by everyone involved in the climate ride. There were riders from all walks of life who are involved in all different types of work, from politics, education, advocacy, sustainable design and entertainment. It was so cool to see everybody come together and unit over the common cause of climate change. After presenting, I had the chance to stay for a bonfire where I was able to chat with the riders as well as rock out to the music of Ben Sollee and others. Overall, it was an awesome evening.

Today, they complete finish their epic ride in DC. Congratulations on your journey. Climate Riders and thank you for the work that you’ve done!