BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Alan Wright dipped his bike wheels into Boston Harbor this weekend as he prepared to ride 4500 miles across the country.
Wright is traveling to Sunset Springs, Oregon to also dip his wheels into the Pacific Ocean as part of his lifelong "bucket list." But he said that is not the only reason he's making the trek.
"I'm also doing it to raise awareness about climate change," he said. "[and] the role of how we get around, our transportation system that's adding to the problem."
Wright said that 40 percent of climate change in countries like the U.S. comes from transportation -- and 70 percent of it comes from the use of private vehicles that burn gasoline or diesel fuels.
"When the climate is warmed in the past it happened over hundreds, thousands of years, and agriculture and civilizations have been able to adapt," Wright said. "But the rate at which we are driving and eating at the planet is faster than we'll be able to adapt to."
As he embarks on the cross-country journey, Wright said he expects it will take about 9 weeks to get to his destination.
WBZ NewsRadio's Suzanne Sausville (@WBZSausville) reports.
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Written by Rachel Armany
(Photo: Courtesy of Alan Wright)