Cool Planet - Mindy & Ryan's LowCarbon Crossing for Climate Action

Nov 15 Update: We've completed our journey and made it to Washington, DC and spent two days with other Citizens' Climate Lobby volunteers visiting congressional offices to advocate for carbon solutions.  We still have a ways to go to reach our fundraising goal and have funds to support the ongoing climate solutions work of Cool Planet and Citizens' Climate Lobby/Education.  Your donation is greatly appreciated and will help us continue the work we started on our 3755 mile cross-country journey.  We found many concerned about climate change and seeing the impacts in their own back yard.  We delivered nearly 300 hand-written postcards to congressional offices on our arrival that resulted from the 32 formal community conversations and hundreds of individual conversations.

August 27 - November 13, I (Mindy Ahler) will be biking across the country on a LowCarbon Crossings (www.lowcarboncrossings.org) ride (along with my ride partner, Ryan Hall) - engaging in community conversations about climate solutions.  Why?  Because climate change is a threat to everything I hold dear and time is of the essence to engage in meaningful solutions.  There are so many opportunities for people to get involved and many inspiring stories of work already in progress.  I was in Paris last December during the international climate talks and I was inspired by the people I met from around the world working on climate solutions and engaging ordinary citizens in their work.  My goal on this bike ride is to spread hope and possibility in the face of this daunting problem. Oh, and I also have a passion for biking and have set a goal to cross the country before I've reached the age of 50.  Since I'm 47 now, I figured I might as well give it a try.

To make this journey possible and to accomplish our goals that reach far beyond just biking, we will need help from many others.  Funds raised here will offset the costs of the trip, but more importantly will support our work on climate solutions through Cool Planet and Citizens' Climate Lobby.  Your donations are tax-deductible through the Edina Community Foundation (of which Cool Planet is a designated fund).  Your donation will make a big difference in reaching the goals of this LowCarbon Crossing to provide hope and inspiration in the face of our climate crisis to take action individually and communally.  There are also many ways I need support in arranging conversations, spreading the word, social media, etc. so please contact me (mindy@coolplanetmn.org) if you are interested in helping in other ways.

The concept of LowCarbon Crossings:

Bring together groups of people who are passionate about bicycling and about helping to solve the climate crisis.  Create events where the force of those people can inspire action in others and have a great time doing it!

Goals of LowCarbon Crossings:

• Heighten understanding of climate issues
• Inspire action toward climate solutions
• Promote cycling as a healthy, carbon-neutral way to see the world
• Engage with people dedicated to making a difference

LowCarbon Crossings is a program of Cool Planet.  All donations are tax-deductible through the generous support of the Edina Community Foundation.

If you would prefer to send a check, you make your check payable to "Cool Planet ECF"
Mail to:
Cool Planet
4244 Crocker Ave
Edina, MN 55416