When Lauren Hanano ’12 bought an old bike from Craigslist to run short errands around Los Angeles, she didn’t anticipate that it would evolve into a new lifestyle. “Originally I just wanted to reduce my carbon footprint,” she says. “I timidly hopped on my little blue cruiser and pedaled my way around town. As I gained confidence, I began commuting to work via bicycle every day. Next thing you know, I was taking my bike everywhere. I realized I no longer needed a car. I LOVED commuting on my bicycle.”
So Lauren traded in her car for a better bike and cycled her way everywhere she needed to go. “‘What about showering? Isn’t it dangerous? What if you have to go somewhere far?’ Those are a few of the questions that I encountered when it came to biking. If the weather isn’t favorable or I need to go a bit farther, I’ll bike to the bus station and put my bike on the bus; or bike one way and bus back. If anyone is able to, I highly recommend bike commuting! It saves money, is great exercise, and is amazing for the environment.”
Lauren traces her commitment to environmental stewardship back to HPA, where Dana Petteys, Deighton Emmons, and Mike Franklin all sparked her interest in sustainability. “In the Service Learning Advisory Council (SLAC), I learned about the environmental price of single use plastics, and as a group we succeeded in getting HPA to forgo disposable water bottles and install hydration stations,” she explains. Their efforts paid off! In just over a year, the hydration stations in Ko Kākou Hale have kept nearly 10,000 water bottles out of circulation, and HPA’s alumni reunion is proudly plastic-free as well. “Since then,” Lauren says, “I’ve continued to learn about sustainable practices and moving towards a circular economy.”
Last summer, Lauren decided to embark on a spontaneous adventure: she packed two waterproof saddle bags with essentials and bought a one-way ticket to Seattle. From there, she biked her way back to Los Angeles. Over more than 1,600 miles, through redwood forests, across the Golden Gate Bridge, through cities and campgrounds all along the Pacific coast, Lauren enjoyed the camaraderie of new friends and learned about biking and herself.
I had so much fun racing and doing sprints alongside them that it was often a struggle for us to slow down and enjoy the view. But we always had time in the afternoon to hike to a lake or jump in the ocean.”
“Being completely new to road biking, I really enjoyed learning new bike tips and techniques from my friends. I had so much fun racing and doing sprints alongside them that it was often a struggle for us to slow down and enjoy the view. But we always had time in the afternoon to hike to a lake or jump in the ocean.”
Along the way, Lauren documented her travels on Instagram. (“Well… I didn’t really post while on my trip. Most of the time there wasn’t service and it was challenging to charge my phone. But the main reason was that I was enjoying being off the grid, haha,” she writes.) Lauren is back in L.A. now and #latergramming her journey. You can follow along: @lalacycles.
What’s next for Lauren? “Truthfully, I’m not sure where I’ll be in the next few years. This trip has taught me how to focus on the now and I’ve really carried that on with me.”
The helmet maker Thousand recently featured Lauren and her incredible journey in An Epic Ride with Lauren Hanano. You can read more about her trip there.