Plugged In, Charged Up: A 13,287-Mile EV Roadtrip for People, Peace, and Planet

Dear World Pulse Sisters,

Picture this: me, looking like I wrestled with a baggage carousel and lost, clutching my Egyptian licorice tea like it's liquid courage, meeting my TEDxVail friend Nabeel at Denver International Airport at 7 AM. He's holding my Tesla key card and grinning like someone about to enable a beautiful disaster.

"You flew from Alaska to drive 13,287 miles? That's either brilliant or completely bananas," Nabeel laughed, clearly leaning toward bananas.

"Nabeel, I bundled my travel to minimize air miles – flying creates massive carbon footprints. Now watch me prove that hope has a 287-mile range!" I replied, patting my Tesla's frunk like it contains the secret sauce to saving one part of shemanity (climate conscious women leaders scaling Earth keeping as it was as natural as delivering a baby).

"But seriously, WHY are you torturing yourself like this? There are easier ways to have a breakdown!"

That's the question that's been percolating in my brain like Egyptian licorice tea left steeping way too long. Why drive 13,287 miles in an EV? Why visit dozens of communities where people will probably think I'm completely unhinged? Why document every charging station and every awkward conversation? Because the world needs to see what's possible when we dare to dream differently – and document it with the obsessive dedication of someone who clearly has too little time to be sitting in talk therapy?

The Mission: More Than Miles (And Slightly Less Than Sanity)

This isn't just a road trip – it's a pilgrimage of possibility with a 287-mile range per charge and a driver whose decision-making skills are questionable at best. Every rotation of these whisper-quiet electric wheels carries a message: we can power our lives without poisoning our planet.

"Mom, do you really think you'll change anyone's mind doing this roadtrip, or are you just having an elaborate public meltdown?" my son McKenzy asked as I loaded my laptop and enough Egyptian licorice tea to caffeinate a small Egyptian village.

"McKenzy, honey, I'm going to show the world that change is already happening – and maybe prove that middle-aged women can do ridiculously awesome things when they stop caring what people think and start caring about what actually matters!"

The Route: A Cross-Country Electric Adventure (AKA My Detailed Plan to Drive Everyone Crazy)

Exact Distance: 13,287 miles (Yes, I measured. Twice. With different apps. I'm that person now.)

Duration: 87 days (September 4 - November 28, 2025)

18 Confirmed Rotary Meetings + 3 Major TEDx Events + 1 TED Event + 1 Talk on Climate Coaching

(And approximately 847 charging stops where I'll awkwardly wave at confused gas station attendants)

Rotary: Service Above Self (And Below My Usual Standards of Personal Safety)

At most stops, I'll be connecting with local Rotary clubs – those remarkable gatherings of good people doing good work in all curves of our Earth, who will probably question my life choices but politely serve me lunch anyway. Every other Monday, WE Rotary Club of International Peace meetings will connect a peace builder with an Earth keeper. Connecting Alaska Rotary Clubs with the lower 48 Clubs comes next year – assuming I survive this adventure and still have my driver's license.

The seven pillars of Rotary service extend far beyond our local communities:

Peace and Conflict Prevention - Building bridges across divides (like slimming the split for differences)

Disease Prevention and Treatment - Healing our world, one person at a time

Water and Sanitation - The foundation of human dignity (and clean bathrooms at charging stations)

Maternal and Child Health - Nurturing our future

Basic Education and Literacy - Knowledge as liberation

Economic and Community Development - Prosperity with purpose

Supporting the Environment - Our newest pillar, my oldest obsession

"How far will you drive in your EV? What's the connection for Rotary Service? And have you considered therapy?" asked Beth, Homer's Rotary Club past president and Executive Director of the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies, with the gentle concern of someone watching a friend adopt too many cats.

"Beth, every mile I drive without emissions is a mile toward cleaner air for someone's kiddos. Every Rotary club I visit is another network of people who understand that service above self includes service to our planetary home. And yes, my therapist knows about this trip – she thinks it's 'interesting.'"

7 Pillars for Peace in Earth by 2030

Alaska's Climate Challenges & Victories (Or Why I'm Fleeing South for 87 Days)

My beautiful but increasingly toasty home state of Alaska faces serious climate threats:

🔥 Willow Oil Project - ConocoPhillips drilling in caribou habitat, because apparently we haven't learned that poking holes in pristine wilderness is a bad idea

⛏️ Pebble Mine Threat - Proposed copper/gold mine threatening Bristol Bay's world-class salmon fishery (imagine strip-mining Yellowstone for pocket change)

🏔️ Donlin Gold - Hard-rock mining project threatening pristine wetlands because nothing says "progress" like destroying salmon streams

🛣️ Ambler Road - 211-mile industrial road through boreal forest, crossing the iconic Yukon River 200+ times (subtle!)

🌲 Tongass Logging - Threats to Southeast Alaska's ancient rainforest, because 500-year-old trees are apparently just really big toilet paper

🎉 But here's our VICTORY dance: Chuitna Coal Project - DEFEATED! The proposed strip-mining project that would have devastated Cook Inlet salmon runs was suspended in 2017 thanks to fierce community opposition! The people stood up. The people spoke. The people WON! (Insert happy dance here 💃)

The Climate Truth We Cannot Ignore (But Can Definitely Make Fun Of)

Four truths about our changing climate that fuel this journey:

#ClimateJusticeNow - The communities least responsible for climate change suffer its worst impacts first (spoiler alert: it's not the billionaires with private jets)

#ChargingForward - Every EV mile driven today is a vote for our children's breathable future (and a vote against my sanity, apparently)

#PoweringPossibility - Renewable energy isn't just technology, it's hope made manifest (and it powers cars really, really quietly)

#EarthKeepersRising - Women worldwide are leading the charge toward environmental healing (probably because we're tired of cleaning up everyone else's messes)

Building Peace, One Hilariously Awkward Conversation at a Time

Peace-building happens in the smallest, weirdest moments: the Rotary president who shares stories of her community's solar project while I frantically take notes between sips of Egyptian licorice tea, the diner owner who's installing EV chargers "because it's 2025 and it's about damn time," and the kid who asks why my car doesn't make noise and then squeals with delight when I explain it runs on sunshine and wind like some kind of magical fairy vehicle.

Your Absolutely Ridiculous Guide to Change-Maker Connections 🎪🤡🚗

Here's where I desperately need your brilliant, beautiful, completely wild wisdom, sisters: Who should I meet along this route? Please, PLEASE drop your recommendations in the comments below and make me laugh until my Egyptian licorice tea comes out my nose! Connect me with:

🌱 Women leading renewable energy cooperatives (preferably ones who won't judge my obvious caffeine addiction)

🌾 Communities building resilient food systems (bonus points if they can explain why I think Egyptian licorice tea counts as a food group)

⚡ Young activists organizing for climate action (especially ones who can keep up with my completely bonkers non-sleep schedule and won't call the authorities when I start talking to my car)

🔬 Innovators creating inclusive clean technology (and anyone who can explain why my Tesla seems to have more personality than most humans I know)

👵 Elders holding traditional ecological knowledge (particularly those with the best stories and questionable advice about everything from sleep to life choices)

🎪 Xecutives whose story needs amplifying (or who knows where to find charging stations with bathrooms that don't require a tetanus shot)

"The best journeys aren't planned in advance," my grandmother used to say. "They're discovered through the people you meet along the way."

Together, we'll show the world that change is already happening – one electric mile, one conversation, one perfectly brewed cup of Egyptian licorice tea at a time. "Buckle up, Rouge," I whispered to my 2022 Tesla 3. "We're about to prove that hope has horsepower, love has range, and trust can charge any distance!"

#TRUSTTheEVJourneyUSA #WomenLeadingandDrivingChange #TEDxVailToEverywhere #REAPRIBBONResonance #13287SweetTreatMilesOfHope #EgyptianLicoriceTeaAddict