Cross-country electric vehicle road trip rolls into Boulder

Tour to award $10,000 to local climate innovators in Boulder

BOULDER, CO – On Wednesday, Sept. 19, Mayor Suzanne Jones and actress and comedian Jo Firestone will welcome the “New American Road Trip” as it arrives in Boulder. The electric-vehicle tour will feature Boulder as its third major stop while traveling across America, following events in San Francisco and Las Vegas. This event in Boulder will feature an engaging speaking program and awarding of funds to contest winners, as well as music, clean energy vendors, food and an electric vehicle “Ride & Drive” for everyone to enjoy.

“Boulder has a long history of developing sustainability solutions and taking action at the local level. We were pleased to be chosen as a host city because of our community’s enthusiasm for electric vehicles and commitment to climate action,” said Mayor Jones. “I hope Boulder residents will come out to the event to show their continued support for reducing emissions, celebrate our collective progress and learn more about next-step opportunities.”

The New American Road Trip event in Boulder will be held from 4:30 p.m. – 7 p.m. at 1056 Canyon Boulevard Parking lot between the Library and the Municipal Building. Groups or individuals who are reducing their carbon footprint through their transportation choices are encouraged to participate in an Instagram Contest open from Sept. 5 to Sept. 12 to win monetary prizes to further develop their ideas. A total of $10,000 will be awarded at the event to the local innovators chosen from the contest who best address climate change in the Boulder community.

About the New American Road Trip

“The New American Road Trip” – an electric-vehicle tour across America, announced today, will journey from California to New York over 10 days in September to highlight the stories of the people, cities and emerging technologies that are fulfilling America’s Pledge on climate change, creating jobs and economic prosperity while reducing climate pollution and ensuring our country’s clean energy future.

The tour begins on September 14 at the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco, where summit co-chairs California Governor Jerry Brown, UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Climate Action Michael R. Bloomberg, Mahindra Group CEO Anand Mahindra, UN Secretary-General’s Youth Special Envoy Jayathma Wickramanayake and UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa will present a call to action signed by city and state officials, and business leaders declaring their commitment to climate action and encouraging more ambitious steps from national and international leaders. The tour will conclude in New York during the UN General Assembly on September 26th, where the document will be delivered to the One Planet Summit, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron.

Along the 2,906-mile journey, “The New American Road Trip” will hold marquee public events in Las Vegas, Boulder, St. Louis and Pittsburgh, and award a total of $40,000 to local innovators who are addressing climate change in their communities. Comedians, celebrities, mayors, governors, and many others will hitch a ride and offer a glimpse into how local leaders across the United States are making substantial progress to achieve the climate goals under the Paris Agreement, despite inaction from the federal government. Celebrities and comedians participating in the road trip include actor, singer and activist Aidan Gallagher; actors Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Oscar Nunez; actress and Grammy-nominated singer Antonique Smith; and comedian Jo Firestone.

This tour and local innovator awards were made possible through a partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies, The Hewlett Foundation, The JPB Foundation, The IKEA Foundation and ClimateWorks Foundation which all came together to help show the world Americans are ‘still in’ when it comes to stopping climate change. For more information about the trip, other participating cities or the funding contest, visit our Eventbrite page.

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For Immediate Release: September 5, 2018

Contact: Marcos Rodriguez Maciel | 559.920.0534 | mmaciel@skdknick.com