Thanks to all who helped Anna with Hazon’s food curriculum and attended Hazon’s food conference. But the side of Hazon which I’m sure everyone is more familiar with belongs to it’s chief role as instigator of the people of the bike, and have I got some awesome rides for you:

• Announcing the first DC Jewish Environmental Bike Ride on Earth Day weekend, April 20th – 22nd! A one-day retreat and one-day ride through rural Maryland to downtown DC.
• And registration now open for the 7th annual New York Jewish Environmental Bike Ride this Labor Day weekend. A two-day ride from Isabella Freedman to downtown Manhattan plus the two-day Shabbaton. (Jewschool-special $50 discount code, you know, for friends: “purim”)
• For those who weren’t aware of the Hazon Arava Institute Israel Ride, it’s there and it’s sold out at 181 participants. For serious bikers or newly serious bikers, a life-changing five-day Ride through the Negev from Jerusalem to Eilat plus Shabbat festivities.

Over the last six years, the Rides have raised over $2.4 million dollars for environmental projects around the country and in Israel, such as Hazon’s food conference and Jewish CSA project, including Adamah, Teva, COEJL, the Arava Institute — and over 20 organizations from the 2006 New York Ride proceeds alone. Like all of Hazon’s activites, the Rides are both glatt kosher and super-vegetarian friendly (rather a hard mix to find these days) and completely open to first-time riders.
I have never ridden more than, oh, 3 miles on a bike so 50 miles in a day for the DC Ride is going to be a challenge, and a blast. For those who haven’t sampled a Hazon Ride, it comes on high authority that they’re fun and support a great cause — you know, planet earth.