Climate Cycle Information

Climate Cycle, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, was founded in 2008 out of a concern that today’s youth lacked the tools necessary to respond to global warming or benefit from the emerging green economy. Today, Climate Cycle leads the charge in catalyzing environmental education in the classroom and in our communities by developing young leaders in sustainability. Our mission: Inspire students to green our world. To date, 1,200 Chicagoland K-12 students have participated in our annual Ride to Recharge, an event in downtown Chicago that, like our Dunes to Downtown Ride, raises money for green schools projects. Since 2009, over $360,000 has been raised through this event. Through these efforts, 13 solar panel arrays across 11 schools have been funded, in addition to a medley of other schools based sustainability projects. These include pedal-powered classrooms in which stationary bikes power batteries that run classroom appliances, solar backpack making clubs that power portable electronic devices, urban agriculture projects, composting and other waste reduction efforts, and more. In total, nearly 40 such projects have been funded. Equally important, since 2010 over 15,000 Chicago students have been reached through Climate Cycle's school presentations, which teach students about climate science and sustainability, and what they can do to help address our shared environmental challenges.