Adrian Huq Photos.
Tucked underneath the Audubon Arts District of downtown New Haven, 40 people gathered in the tunnel of the Farmington Canal Trail to launch the one-month countdown to the Rock to Rock Earth Day Bike Ride. Chatter and live music by Dave Giardina reverberated within its cool cement walls.
On one table, attendees voted for their top three of 10 t-shirt design contest entries, each printed out and strung up on a railing. Tables of rescued snacks catered by Haven’s Harvest, reusable plates and cups, and a line of bikes leaning against the railing set the tone for the gathering of environmentalists and active transportation enthusiasts.
This scene unfolded last Sunday, at the Rock to Rock Launch Party ahead of its annual all-ages bike ride and green fair. Now in its 18th year, the annual bike ride is New Haven’s largest Earth Day event and has raised over $2.6 million for local environmental and social justice nonprofits through peer-to-peer fundraising efforts and rider registration fees. The event also features a Green Fair with tabling organizations, live music, and food trucks at East Rock Park.
This year, the ride takes place on Saturday, April 25. Register, help fundraise, and check out the biking and hiking routes here.
The ride brings together 18 organizational partners who will each assemble teams of people to bike or hike while collecting donations for their nonprofits. The coalition’s lead organizers are Chris Schweitzer of the New Haven/Leon Sister City Project and Anna Ruth Pickett of the Urban Resources Initiative (URI).
At the launch party, informative posterboards educated attendees about the history of the 200-year history trail, while attendees mingled and later listened to a lineup of eco-focused speakers.
The Farmington Canal Trail Tunnel runs under Temple Street and Whitney Avenue, behind Audubon Street, featuring ramps, stairs, and interpretive displays. The main entrance is at the corner of Orange and Grove Streets.
Pickett emceed the event, first welcoming Lisa Fernandez and Aaron Goode from the Farmington Canal Rail to Trail Association to the microphone, who both spoke on the significance of the completion of this trail section.
Bigger news came as members of the New Haven Coalition for Active Transportation (NCAT) announced their merger with Elm City Cycling, a volunteer-run, member-supported nonprofit organization incorporated in 2009. The group advocates for better bicycling conditions and organizes community-building events such as the Bike to Work Breakfast—and is a longtime supporter of the Rock to Rock ride.
“We think the two forces joined together will be great for New Haven, especially for biking and active transportation,” said Laura Burrone, a health sciences specialist U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs who is also a longtime member of Elm City Cycling
“We don’t need too many groups doing the same thing. We’re all better off together,” echoed Angus Lamont, director of education at NCAT..
Briona Jenkins, who returned to her home state of Connecticut after most recently living in Texas, joined the Rock to Rock planning team on behalf of her job as director of development and communications at Common Ground High School. “It kind of fell into my lap in the best way possible,” Jenkins said.
Common Ground tends to consistently be among the top fundraising organizations in Rock to Rock. Among the school’s student body, board members, and staff, Jenkins noted “a lot of camaraderie and interest in Rock to Rock.”
Eunice Mahler, who has been a volunteer for Citizens Climate Lobby of Greater New Haven for the last six years and their liaison to Representative Rosa DeLauro, sat at an art making station and drew an entry on the spot for the t-shirt contest.
“I come back [to Rock to Rock] because we want to share the message about how the climate is changing and what we can do to help step by step to advance change,” Mahler said. She also has a tradition of hosting the “Climate Anxiety Counseling” booth at the Green Fair.
Artist and Trash-to-Fashion founder Rebekah Fraser also attended the Launch Party on behalf of Massaro Community Farm, where she serves on the board of directors. She spoke of her excitement that Rock to Rock brings together local environmental organizations together in solidarity and friendly competition and serves as an avenue for like-minded organizations to connect and celebrate their work.
Fraser pointed to the importance of having groups work in different ways on addressing environmental justice issues and climate change in order to “have a chance at saving whatever we can.”
“Climate change adaptation and mitigation is a very complex issue, and there’s not one single approach to solving it,” Fraser said. “We need all the different perspectives, all the hands. In this case, all the legs!” Fraser said.
Register to ride in Rock to Rock on April 25 on their website, with tickets starting at $10. You can also keep up to date on their upcoming events including an environmental volunteer Day of Service on April 11 and weekly practice bike rides through their Instagram and Facebook.