Q & A with Lacey Riddle

By todd murphy

The Portland Tribune, Dec 7, 2007, Updated Oct 30, 2009

SARAH TOOR / TRIBUNE PHOTO

UP senior Lacey Riddle is ready to sacrifice her body to the temperatures and toxins of the Willamette River, all to raise awareness for climate change.

Every Friday, the Portland Tribune puts questions to a prominent– or not so prominent – local person. This week: Lacey Riddle

Lacey Riddle is going to freeze her butt off Saturday to make a point about global warming.

A very quick point, she hopes.

Riddle, a senior environmental ethics and policy major at the University of Portland, is among a group of Portlanders planning to take a very brief “polar bear” plunge into the frigid Willamette River on Saturday morning as part of a national campaign to highlight global warming issues. The plunge will begin at 11 a.m at George Rogers Park in Lake Oswego.

Supposedly – the organizers swear this is true – there will be a number of similar plunges going on throughout the United States on Saturday.

All of it is meant to bring attention to a national campaign being organized by a Portland group called Focus the Nation. Focus the Nation is organizing a national “teach-in” on “global warming solutions for America” on college campuses across the nation on Jan. 31.

But first things first. First will come Riddle and others getting an idea of what 48-degree water feels like. And all of this will be happening only two days before the University of Portland’s finals week begins – for which Riddle has plenty of studying to do.

Portland Tribune: So what made you think it would be a good idea to jump into a freezing river?

Lacey Riddle: I’m so smart on this issue that I’m dumb enough to do this. I’m willing to sacrifice my body for the cause. I’m really terrified of the outcome – what my body might look like after this.

Tribune: You’ll be wearing a warm coat, right?

1 | 2 Next Page >>

Facebook	Digg	Del.icio.us
Newsvine	Stumbleupon	Reddit