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Independent Challenge Spotlight:  Coastin’

Inspired by his mother’s passion and the drastic drought he has witnessed in his home state California, Lowell Meyer has set out on his own self-supported bike ride for change down the Western Seaboard.

Having never biked for more than 55 miles in one sitting, let alone 1,600 in one month, Lowell mustered the courage to ask for a month and a half off work and then asked his friends, family, and strangers to donate to his cause.

 “Not only is it five weeks on the road on my own, but it also involves fundraising. I’ve never fundraised for anything other than the movies I work on [as a] cameraman, but [this trip and cause] is something very near and dear to me, and something I’ve been dreaming about for a year now.” 

Turns out, Lowell is a natural fundraiser. Originally thinking he’d try to raise $1 per mile ($1,589.00), he has now surpassed his goal twice and has set a new fundraising goal at $8,000 (about $5 per mile)! The money he is raising will go to Citizens Climate Lobby (CCL)—an organization he first heard of through his mother.

“I chose to support the Citizens Climate Lobby because it’s an organization that my mom volunteers for and feels very passionately about. I chose CCL to support her, and because it’s a really good non-profit! CCL is an organization that creates political will by empowering individuals to experience breakthroughs in exercising their personal and political power. I have seen it do that for my mother, and as such, I feel inspired to do my part as well.”

“I’ve been wanting to see all of our great state [California] – and our Western seaboard at large – by bicycle for a long time; so I figured there’d be no better way to raise attention, awareness, and funds for a good cause than to create a coastal trip that is giving back to those fighting for climate change reform in our national and local governments.”

Lowell is now about two weeks in of his month and a half long journey from Seattle to Los Angeles on a self-supported bicycle tour.  Read more about Lowell’s story and support him here.