A Sustainable Ride for Students

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Elspeth Luu. Read her story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.

Elspeth Luu, 18, is a long-time bicycling enthusiast. Experiencing the effects of climate change has also made her an advocate for sustainability. In 2022, Elspeth started Utmost Atmos in response to the California wildfires to promote sustainability, accessibility and environmental education. One of her signature programs launched by collecting bicycles local kids had outgrown or were no longer using.

She and her friends–and some of her 19-member team–refurbish and donate them along with often brand-new helmets. With a budget of over $22,000 thanks to donations and grants, they are able to purchase the tools needed to keep old bikes out of the landfill and make students who would otherwise be unable to afford them very happy. Funds also go towards environmental education in Title I schools.

When she’s not working on Utmost Atmos, Elspeth plays the cello with her school’s orchestra as well as the San Jose Youth Symphony and has written multiple pieces with lyrics following an environmental theme.

What inspired you to get started with this initiative?

One September morning, a wave of smoke filled my lungs as I stepped outside and an orange haze had settled over the sky, casting a glow over my backyard. Learning that this was fueled by wildfires intensified by climate change, I felt compelled to act. I started by meticulously separating my waste into recyclables, composting trash and swapping car rides for bike rides. But I realized it wasn’t a battle I could fight alone.

So, I gathered friends for weekly rides around the neighborhood that we called Cycle Saturdays, which eventually expanded to neighboring schools. I also noticed that some students in our community couldn’t afford bikes or helmets, and it sparked the idea to refurbish and donate secondhand bicycles to underserved youth to further promote both accessibility and sustainability.

Over several months, I worked on a grant proposal for this idea, eventually receiving $20,000 from the Silicon Valley Clean Energy Education Fund. With that funding, I put up flyers, reached out to my local church and knocked on doors to collect bicycles that families had outgrown. I recruited friends from school, orchestra and my neighborhood.

Together, we hosted Saturday repair shops, giving students from Title I schools safe, refurnished bikes. What started as a small project grew into Utmost Atmos, an organization dedicated to empowering youth to take action against climate change by hosting bicycle and helmet donation drives, leading safe riding workshops, organizing environmental art contests and visiting schools to talk about sustainability. Since its founding, our team has reached over 10,000 students across California.

I believe that one of the most impactful ways we can fight climate change is by educating youth. This is especially important for communities with fewer resources, as they are often the ones who contribute least to the factors of climate change, yet bear the greatest burden.

Tell us about your volunteer role with Utmost Atmos.

In my role as executive director, I write grant proposals, organize bicycle and helmet drives, lead sustainability visits to schools and generally, oversee our team. I coordinate partnerships and manage outreach as well.

For sustainability visits, we reach out to the school and ask if we can go in and present. It may be related to bicycling and bicycle safety or general environmental education, like what climate change is and what you can do to mitigate it.

One of the art competitions we did was the Canvas for Climate contest. Students submitted artwork relating to a prompt about climate change or a more general environmental concept they wanted to portray. For our current contest, the Earthlight Story Awards, elementary and middle school students will submit short stories, either a personal narrative or a work of fiction.

Refurbishing bicycles takes a lot of specialized knowledge. Is that something you’ve picked up through experience?
Yes. It’s a continual journey. I wouldn’t call myself an expert. We’ve had a lot of support from the community. One example is Mr. Tony Le who, the president of the Almaden Cycle Touring Club. He has a lot of knowledge and has connected us with some good resources.

What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?

Working with other passionate individuals to connect our community with environmental resources has made me value relationships over metrics: the smile of the 7-year-old girl whose helmet I fitted or the painting of a sixth grader entering our climate advocacy artwork competition. This is proof of what a team of students can accomplish together.

What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer?

Growth starts small. It starts with an idea and, sometimes, asking for help. There will be times that feel less successful than others, but each step builds progress. Change is often slow, but it’s worth it to see the positive impact you’re making on other people’s lives.

Tell us about future partnerships, programs or events that you are excited about.

We’re currently working on the Earthlight Story Awards and would love more people to submit. We’re also working on a mobile app to promote climate literacy and environmental education. There are three parts to it. One is a gamified quiz, which helps users learn more about waste disposal. Another is an interactive map of different waste disposal locations. And the last part is a scholarship and opportunity database that we’ll be continually updating so students are aware of ways to get involved if they‘re passionate about the environment and sustainability.

Any advice for people who want to start volunteering?

Figure out what matters to you and why. If you care deeply about something, other people will see that, and they’ll care too.

What do you want people to learn from your story?

It doesn’t take a big person to create change, just a big imagination and the will to begin.

Do you want to make a difference in your community like Elspeth? Find local volunteer opportunities.