Check out this great article that was published yesterday in a local Vermont paper, the Brattleboro Reformer. It tells the story Jesse Peters, a musician who spent three months on his bicycle and rode 3,800 miles across the United States in order to spread the word about 350.

By JAIME CONE / Reformer Staff

Inspired by 350.org's international environmental campaign, Westminster musician Jesse Peters decided he didn't want to do a traditional cross-country tour — he wanted to travel the country on his mountain bike.

A self-employed guitar teacher and rock/folk musician, Peters also plays in a trio called G.M.P., which stands for "Grieco, Morton, Peters," the last names of the band's three members.

On his 3-month long journey, he brought copies of his most recent solo album "New Way to Fly," to sell. Peters departed with the intention of playing 350 gigs over 3,500 miles. He fell short of that goal when he dislocated his shoulder while swimming just 160 miles away from his final destination, the city of San Francisco, Calif.

Now, about two weeks after arriving back in Vermont, Peters said he still considers the trip a success, having biked an estimated 3,800 miles and playing at 25 cafes, bars and clubs. He said the physical aspect of the tour was very challenging.

"It was profoundly difficult," he said. "My rig weighed over 100 pounds with all my camping gear and my guitar in the trailer that I pulled." He added that he is "not a cyclist, per se," in that he doesn't compete in races or sport spandex shorts when he rides, though he spent a considerable amount of time training after he committed himself to the tour about a year ago.

"It just popped into my head," Peters said of his idea to bike to California. "I wanted to do something to make a pretty major statement." He said his chosen cause, 350.org, had a huge impact on him. The mission of the organization is to inspire the world to rise to the challenge of the climate crisis– to create a new sense of urgency and of possibility for our planet, according to its website. "Our focus is on the number 350 — as in parts per million CO2," the website states. "If we can't get below that number, scientists say, the damage we're already seeing from global warming will continue and accelerate."

350.org was founded by author and Vermont resident Bill McKibben, who wrote one of the first books on global warming for the general public, and a team of university friends.

"It felt like something a lot bigger than me," Peters said of the campaign, adding that he was struck by McKibben's "tenacity, single-mindedness and focus on the climate issue."

"I think air, water, weather and all the things that stem from the environment are pretty significant," he said. "I felt like it was something that I could use as an over-arching theme for the tour, which was both a musical journey and a personal journey."

Peters was able to book gigs in advance for the first portion of the trip, but as the tour took him further from home, he had to start finding venues each day as he arrived in new towns.

"By and large the response was positive and people would hook me up," he said. "What I was doing was unusual enough that people would respond positively." Along the way, Peters found himself playing at some interesting places, like Comma Coffee, a cafe in Carson City, Nev.

"That was a nice place with a lot of characters," Peters said.

He met up with fellow cross-country cyclists and some family members and friends, who sometimes let him stay at their homes. Often, though, he stayed in campsites and spent a lot of time on the road alone. "It was a little scary at moments, and there were desolate moments as well," Peters said. "Knowing how far away I was from those I really loved, there was a really profound sense of aloneness at times."

When he was on stage or approached by curious people on the street, he always took the opportunity to educate people about 350.org. "People were always asking me about what I was doing," he said. "Whenever they probed at all I would mention the 350 connection, and during in-between song chatter, I would bring it up."

Currently, 350.org is helping communities across the world to organize events on Oct. 10. The 10-10-10 Global Work Party is designed to be a one-day "massive opportunity to celebrate climate solutions at the local level, and to put the pressure on our leaders while doing so," according to 350.org. "I hope that there will be some gatherings in Brattleboro where people can express their determination to address this important issue," said Peters.

One event is already planned to take place in Putney, where the six-week long season of the Putney Farmers' Market will culminate with a special celebration on 10-10-10, the 350.org Global Work Party day.