Farmingdale State College Cuts Ribbon on Solar Carport
(U.S.): The new carport/charging station, the first of its kind within SUNY, accommodates 20 electric vehicles and is powered by 390 solar panels. Students, faculty and staff can pay a $10 refundable deposit to use the charging station for one year.
U Utah Partners for Free Transit on Game Days
(U.S.): In an effort to reduce the demand for parking during events, the Utah Transit Authority will allow game attendees to use their university athletic event ticket as fare beginning this season.
Indiana U-Purdue U Introduces Car Sharing Program
An initiative out of the Transportation Sustainability Committee, the university has partnered with Zipcar to launch a campus car sharing program for students, faculty, staff and members of the community. The program will initially offer two vehicles on campus.
U Dayton Gives 100 Bicycles Away to Students
In an effort to create a bike-friendly campus and reduce its carbon footprint, incoming freshman students who have signed a two year no-car pledge received a free bicycle. Of the 293 students that signed the pledge, 100 were selected.
Bowling Green State U to Install Bike Shelters
Funded by a $50,000 grant from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, the new bike shelters not only help encourage biking to campus, but also trap stormwater run-off with green roofs of succulents and sedums.
Montgomery County CC Adds Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
The campus partnered with ECOtality, which received a $114.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to install vehicle chargers in nine states and the District of Columbia, to add two 240-volt pedestal charging stations to campus.
New Mexico State U Named 'Bronze Bicycle Friendly'
The designation from the League of American Bicyclists recognizes the university’s commitment to improving conditions for bicycling through investment in bicycling promotion, education programs, infrastructure and pro-bicycling policies.
New Survey Reveals U Oregon Community Favors Alt Transportation
The survey earlier this year of students, faculty and staff showed that only 18 percent of the campus drives alone to work, with bicycling the top commute choice (21 percent). The survey also found that about 62 percent of students and 72 percent of faculty and staff have bikes and almost half of students live within one mile of campus, significantly reducing the need to drive or own a car.
Yale U Introduces New Bike Share Program
(U.S.): The university has launched a six-month pilot with the bike-sharing company Zagster. The company has provided Yale with 50 bicycles and an online reservation system that is available to current students, faculty and staff. Zagster requires an online registration and a $20 annual membership fee — which will be fully reimbursed for registrants who subsequently complete a Bike Safety class offered by Yale Environmental Health and Safety.
Georgetown U Mobile App Allows Users to Track Buses
The university has debuted a new GPS-tracking feature for campus shuttles. NextGUTS maps the location of the next available Georgetown University Transportation Shuttle (GUTS) in real time, allowing anyone with a mobile device to access estimated times of arrival for the next available shuttles.
U Buffalo Debuts Bike Share Program
The university’s office of Sustainability has partnered with the office of Parking and Transportation Services, Buffalo BikeShare and a New York-based company to launch a beta test of a new bicycle-sharing program. BikeShare harnesses GPS technology, allowing users to track and rent a bicycle with the convenience of a mobile device or computer during the beta test phase. Bicycles can also be rented from the keypad interface on the bicycle.
Harvard U Police Department Converts to Hybrid and Electric Fleet
The university’s police departed has converted its entire fleet of marked patrol cars to hybrid and electric vehicles, in part to address growing concerns about climate change and public health. The move is expected to cut costs for the department by increasing the fleet’s fuel economy by a factor of 10. The fleet conversion was funded by a Harvard Green Revolving Fund interest-fee loan administered by the Office of Sustainability and Campus Services.
SUNY ESF Launches Bicycle Safety Committee
The university has formed a Bicycle Safety Committee to provide a focus on education and improved communication on best practices as well as increasing bike infrastructure on campus. Since its launch, the committee has coordinated the curb removal from campus pathways, obtained a bicycle accident report from the City of Syracuse Police Department and began collaborating with neighborhood groups and city officials about making cycling safer.
Okanagan College Installs EV Charging Stations
The college has begun installing 10 electric vehicle charging stations at four of its campuses. The stations will be available to the public at the same rate as visitor parking fees. The chargers are part of a British Columbia Ministry of Environment’s initiative to have stations installed province-wide.
Moraine Valley CC Installs Electric Vehicle Chargers
(U.S.): Two electric vehicle charging stations are now open to the public at the cost of one dollar per hour. The station infrastructure was fully paid for through the EV Project, a U.S. Department of Energy funded program administered by ECOtality.
Appalachian State U Students Lobby to Legalize Skateboards
The university’s Sustainability Council has begun a campaign to make skateboards legal in the town of Boone and on campus. A transportation study conducted last year showed that among the general population, a significant percentage of students had a strong, positive response toward legalizing this type of eco-friendly transportation.
Northeastern U Installs Bike Repair Station
The university has installed a self-service bike repair stand on campus. The Student Government Association’s Renewable Energy Initiatives Board purchased the stand with money from the Renewable Energy Fund.
Quinnipiac U Partners with CT Rides
The university’s Sustainability Committee has partnered with CT Rides, a program sponsored by CT Department of Transportation, to encourage students to use alternate forms of transportation. Students will have the opportunity to earn rewards and discounts from local restaurants and businesses by riding the shuttles.
Santa Monica College Opens Bike Parking Lot
The college has opened a $600,000 bike parking lot that holds up to 400 bicycles. The three-quarter acre parking lot also provides secure skateboard parking and DIY fix-it stations.
Sarah Lawrence College Introduces Car Sharing Program
The college has partnered with Zipcar to offer a car sharing service for students, faculty, staff and members of the community. Students now have the opportunity to participate in the Students With Drive grant program, which provides students with free Zipcar membership and driving credits to support campus student organizations.
U North Carolina Earns ‘Best Workplaces for Commuters’ Honor
The university has been named “Best Workplaces for Commuters” by the National Center for Transit Research for its commitment to innovative sustainable transportation. Alternative transportation initiatives include on-campus car and bicycle sharing services and fare-free public transportation have led to an 8 percent decrease in greenhouse gas emissions from commuter vehicles since 2008.
U Arizona Creates Bicycling and Pedestrian Committee
Following the recommendations of a Parking and Transportation Services study, the university has created the Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee to improve the bicycle and pedestrian conditions for students, faculty, staff and visitors.
DePaul U Introduces Car Sharing Program
(U.S.): The university has partnered with Zipcar to launch a campus car sharing program for students, faculty, staff and members of the community. The program will initially offer five vehicles on campus.
Fayetteville State U Go Green Initiative Rewards Vehicle Owners
(U.S.): The university has created a program to reward owners of low-emitting and fuel-efficient vehicles. Commuter students and employees who own a vehicle that falls into those categories will be allowed to park in specially marked spaces near the front entrance of certain buildings on campus.
Harvard U Offers Benefits for Bicyclists
(U.S.): The CommuterChoice Program will offer bicyclists tax-free reimbursements for bike-related expenses, including purchase and repair, and will provide Emergency Ride Home services to faculty and staff commuters who do not travel by car.
Florida State U Installs Bike Repair Stations, Safety Lights
The university has installed free-to-use bike repair stations to provide users a variety of tools to fix their broken gears, collapsed chains, and low tires. “Bike boxes,” bright green squares containing a white bicycle logo, have also been installed at campus crosswalks to caution drivers of cyclists sharing the road.
North Central College Debuts First Electric Car Charging Station
The college has installed its first electric vehicle charging station. The station can simultaneously charge two electric vehicles and is free to use for students, faculty or staff. The sustainability coordinator will evaluate the project by collecting data about how often the station is being used and how much greenhouse gases have been reduced.
Triton College Installs Electric Car Charging Stations
The college has installed several new electric car charging stations. Charging rates for electric vehicles are one dollar an hour for students, faculty, and staff and two dollars an hour for the public. The stations were funded by a grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
Montana State U Promotes Sustainable Transportation
The university’s Campus Sustainability Advisory Council and Western Transportation Institute, along with the City of Bozeman, have announced a challenge to promote more sustainable transportation choices in the greater Bozeman area. The Drive Less-Save More Challenge is a friendly competition between businesses, institutions and government agencies that is intended to help reduce times when employees drive alone. The challenge runs from Jan. 10 through Feb. 10.
