Luke Rein got on his bike in Barrington, Rhode Island, and 4,030 miles later, he reached the Pacific Ocean. At 22 years old, Luke made a cross-country bike trip from Rhode Island to Santa Monica, California. Except this trip was no ordinary ride.
Calling it the Renewable Ride, Luke set out to showcase the power of renewable energy and to support 350.org. Luke attached a solar panel onto the back of his bike, and had it hooked up to a small battery generator trailer that rode with him. During his journey, he used the energy from the solar panel to charge his cell phone, use gps, and to charge his headlights and taillights.
“It started out as a cool adventure to visit a friend, but I started thinking about how this could be a great way to raise funds for 350.org, and showcase renewable energy. I wanted to make a low-impact ride cross-country, and it just clicked” Luke said of his inspiration for the ride.
Luke Rein in Santa Monica, California
Along the way, he met over 60 people, and garnered 70 financial supporters. In total, Luke raised $4,000 for 350.org. During the more difficult days of his trip, he would think of “the folks that pledged to support me and 350.org” to make it fully to the Pacific.
Luke’s encouraged by the shift away from fossil fuels that he saw across the country, explaining that residents in Oklahoma noted that it’s “financially better to build wind turbines than dig oil wells.”
While Luke doesn’t have any plans for another cross-country trip, he plans to stay involved and active with 350.org and take on additional activism projects in the future.
On behalf of the team here at 350.org, we can’t thank Luke enough for his support!
If you’d like to raise funds for 350.org with your own project, whether it’s biking, creating another event or fundraiser, or even encouraging friends and family to donate in your honor to 350.org for your birthday or another celebration, you can sign up here. If you should have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to [email protected]!