Luther College Rideshare Program Expands to Graceland U
(U.S.): The college has expanded its Rideshare program to include Graceland University. A user-friendly new computer program was developed by a computer science student and faculty member to connect drivers in the community with riders looking to carpool to class or work.
Virginia Tech Students Launch Alternative Transportation Project
(U.S.): The institute’s Design for America chapter has launched “The BurgFinder”, a project to make alternative forms of transportation easier for students to access and understand. The group is designing and installing signs that present information regarding biking and walking in a simple and informative format.
Washington U St. Louis Installs Electric Vehicle Charging Station
(U.S.): The Department of Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering has installed an electric-car charging station on campus. The university hopes the station will spur a campus trend toward more sustainable vehicles. The WeCar car sharing service has announced that it will soon have an electric car for student use. Implementation of the charging station was based on a sophomore chemical engineering student’s independent study project.
U Vermont Hosts First Bike Summit
The university has held its first annual Bike Summit in an effort to raise awareness about bike visibility on campus. The participants of the summit discussed options such as more bike racks around campus, more bike lanes downtown and a shop on campus to help with bike repairs.
Georgia Tech Creates Bike Sustainability Map
The Bicycle Infrastructure Improvement Committee, in partnership with Capital Planning and Space Management, has released the campus' first Bike Suitability Map. The map highlights trails based on level of difficulty and displays campus multi-use paths.
Bellevue College Installs Electric Vehicle Charging Station
(U.S.): The college has installed a DC fast charger for electric vehicles on campus. The new charger utilizes direct current to provide an 80 percent charge in approximately 30 minutes. Four conventional chargers have also been installed at the college in recent months, and all five stations are available to the public for a fee.
Vanderbilt U Goes Solar with Electric Vehicle Charging Station
(U.S.): The university’s solar-powered electric vehicle charging station can accommodate 10 vehicles and joins five other stations scattered across the university campus and medical center. The Smart Modal Area Recharge Terminal station is a joint project of the university, the Tennessee Valley Authority, and the Electric Power Research Institute.
U Michigan Installs Bike Pump and Service Stations
In celebration of bike week, the university has installed two bicycle tire pumps and a repair stand on campus. Officials and student bike ambassadors explained how to use the repair and pump stations during Bike Fest, the university’s first bicycle resource fair.
Humboldt State U Connects to Hydrogen Highway
A newly completed upgrade to the university’s hydrogen fueling station has connected the campus to California’s Hydrogen Highway. A new compressor allows hydrogen-fueled vehicles to travel up to 400 miles nonstop, linking them to other hydrogen fueling stations in the region. The state-funded station upgrade is one of several initiatives aimed at creating the fueling infrastructure necessary to support the broad-scale adoption of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles.
League of American Bicyclists Names Bike-Friendly Universities
The League of American Bicyclists has designated nine new schools to its "Bicycle Friendly Universities" list, bringing the total to 44 institutions in 25 states. The newly recognized institutions include Eastern Mennonite University, Pennsylvania State University, Princeton University, Rochester Institute of Technology, State University of New York at Buffalo, University of Denver, University of Kentucky, University of Utah, and Yale University.
Parkland College Purchases Hybrid Car, Installs Charging Station
The college has purchased a hybrid car for its Department of Public Safety and has begun installing an electric vehicle charging station that will be available for public use. The college’s Sustainable Campus Committee spearheaded the charging station project.
U North Texas Installs Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
Six electric vehicle charging stations are being built on campus as a result of a student-proposed idea. The We Mean Green Fund committee purchased the stations for $65,737, while ECOtality provided the university with an additional $13,500.
Pittsburg State U Staff to Use Ride Share Program
(U.S.): To show support for the university’s sustainability efforts, the Unclassified Staff Senate has begun promoting ride sharing. Staff will be able to use a shared Zimbra to find others with corresponding campus commutes.
Queen’s U Introduces Car Sharing Program
(Canada): The university has partnered with VRTUCAR to offer a new car sharing program that will provide the campus community with an alternative transportation option and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This initiative will include one shared car and the car-sharing company will cover the cost of insurance, gas, maintenance and snow tires.
U California Berkeley Installs DIY Bike Repair Station
(U.S.): The do-it-yourself repair station is the first of three planned by the university’s Office of Parking and Transportation as part of a wider effort to accommodate increasing demand for bicycle services on campus. The station is equipped with screwdrivers, a tire pump and a reference code to access detailed repair instructions on Internet-enabled phones.
Virginia Tech Ambassadors Build Biking Community
(U.S.): The university’s Alternative Transportation Program has implemented the Bicycle Ambassador Program in an effort to encourage safe, responsible bicycle usage among students and faculty. Student ambassadors volunteer their time each week in order to teach cyclists of all skill levels about appropriate bicycling behavior. The ambassadors plan to hold bicycle repair workshops and registration drives, and gather feedback regarding what students want out of biking services on campus.
Montgomery County CC Launches Public Safety Segway Patrol
The college has introduced a Public Safety Segway Patrol Program as part of its sustainability initiative. When charging, the segway releases14 times less greenhouse gas emissions than driving the public safety vehicle and zero emissions when in use, saving an estimated ton of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere per year.
Texas A&M U to Launch Bike Share Program
Transportation Services has announced plans to launch Borrow-a-Bike, a short-term bike lease program. MaroonBike provided locally handmade bicycles for the project.
U California San Diego Installs Electric Vehicle Charging Station
Two electric vehicle charging stations are now open to the public, installed by local renewable energy company Sullivan Solar Power. The station infrastructure was fully paid for through the EV Project, a U.S. Department of Energy funded program administered by ECOtality.
U Michigan Acquires 3 New Hybrid Buses
(U.S.): The university has purchased three new hybrid buses to join its fleet, fulfilling a September 2011 commitment that the university would introduce seven hybrid buses in a year in an effort to be more sustainable. The buses use a roof-mounted battery system to supplement their diesel engines, allowing for reduced emissions.
U Michigan Launches Bike Rental Program
(U.S.): A fleet of 30 bicycles will be available to students, faculty and staff as part of a recently launched Blue Bikes checkout program. In addition to the rental program, several supporting bicycle amenities will be installed this fall including additional bike racks in high-demand areas, two public air pump stations, and a fix-it station where cyclists can access tools for quick fixes.
Wellesley College Introduces Bike Share Program
(U.S.): The college will provide 15 bikes for checkout over a 24-hour period to the campus community as part of a new bike share program. A grant from the Class of 1957 Green Fund kick-started the program and will also provide resources to students who already own bikes.
Lincoln Memorial U Introduces Bike Share Program
A fleet of 20 bicycles, 10 mountain bikes and 10 cruisers are available to the campus community as part of a recently launched bike checkout program. The university will also further its bicycle-friendly efforts by designating cycling-specific lanes on campus roadways, installing improved bicycle parking at all residence halls and posting bicycle safety signs.
Florida International U Opens Campus Bike Shop
The FIU Bike Shop, now open at the Modesto Maidique Campus, provides tune-ups, tire installations, safety checks, part replacements and other adjustments. The shop is open to both students and the public, with students receiving discounted prices for all services. In 2013, the Bike Shop plans to hold bike repair workshops for students.
Montgomery County CC Opens Parking Lot for Energy-Efficient Cars
The college has opened a new parking lot designated for students, faculty and staff who carpool or drive energy-efficient vehicles. The lot also includes charging stations for electric vehicles, LED lighting, subsurface infiltration system, rain gardens and vegetated swales with check dams to slow the rate of run-off conveyance.
SUNY New Paltz Reduces Campus Parking Spots
In an effort to encourage students, faculty and staff to walk more and use public transit, the university has announced plans to reduce the number of parking spaces on campus. As part of the effort, the university will add about a dozen additional bikes racks throughout campus this year.
U Oregon Installs Bike Repair Stations
The university’s Outdoor Program is installing bike "Fixit" stations across campus that include tools for performing basic bicycle maintenance and repair. Funded primarily through the Student Sustainability Fund, six stations will be completed by the end of fall term
Colorado State U Adds More Bike Fix Stands
Following the success of its first bike fix stand, installed at the beginning of the year, the university has announced plans to add six more across campus. The stand is free for all to use and includes tools for helping bicyclists repair flats and complete basic tune-ups.
Hawaii Pacific U Introduces Carpooling Website
The university has launched GreenRide, an online map-based carpool program that connects people who want to share rides. The free service will also let users see how much they save by sharing a ride to campus.
U Iowa Introduces Car Sharing Program
The university has partnered with Zipcar to launch a campus car sharing program for students, faculty, staff and members of the Iowa City community. The university and Iowa City have identified 10 designated parking places around campus and downtown where registered members can find vehicles to rent.
U North Carolina Chapel Hill Debuts Bike Sharing Program
Students living in three south campus residence halls will have access to 30 bicycles for one-day rentals as part of the recently launched Tar Heel Bikes. The two-year pilot program received $40,000 in grants and hopes to expand to include the entire campus.
Wake Technical CC Adds Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
Two charging stations have been installed on the campus as part of a U.S. Department of Energy funded research project focused on the large-scale adoption of plug-in vehicles, led by Progress Energy Carolinas. Data collected from the public-access stations will inform charging needs outside the home as well as the impact on the grid and associated costs and issues. At the project's completion in April 2013, ownership and maintenance responsibilities for the stations will transfer to the college.
IIT Bangalore Launches Bicycle Sharing Initiative
(India): The institute has partnered with Ride A Cycle Foundation’s Namma Cycle to offer bicycles for rent to the campus community. Based on the success of the pilot, the project may be expanded to incorporate areas surrounding the campus.
Temple U Introduces Electric Car Charging Stations
(U.S.): Students danced the "Electric Slide" as two hybrid-electric cars were introduced to campus recently as part of the PhillyCarShare program. The university has also unveiled two new electric car charging stations for use by the campus community. The electric cars and stations are part of the university's goal of reducing energy consumption by 25 percent in two years.
Bellevue College Implements Ride Share Program
The college has received a grant of $21,000 from King County Metro and $26,500 from the Washington State Department of Transportation to offer rideshare incentives to students and employees, and provide fare subsidies for commuter vanpools. The grants will also fund the launch of BC RideMatch, a website that will allow students, faculty and staff to connect with carpoolers.
Berklee College of Music Creates Bike Pavilion
Features include parking for 75 bikes and charging stations for five electric scooters, as well as a repair station with an air pump and various tools. The facility is an attempt to protect the bikes from theft and to encourage alternative forms of transportation.
CSU East Bay to Offer Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
Two new charging stations will be installed as part of California State University, East Bay’s master plan to transition to more sustainable technologies. The university will also replace outdated parking lot pole units with more energy-efficient plasma lighting systems. The projects will receive funding through renewable energy grants.
Florida Gulf Coast U Brings Car Sharing Program to Campus
The university has partnered with WeCar by Enterprise to offer an on-campus car sharing program for faculty, staff and students. The initiative will kick off with two vehicles and, if successful, the university plans to add additional cars to the program.
McMaster U Wins Clean Air Commute
The university avoided the emission of 6.89 tons of pollutants during the week-long Clean Air Commute, taking the top spot for its size category among 180 workplaces in the challenge. Taking place across Ontario, the challenge encouraged the use of sustainable modes of transportation to work or school.
Southwestern Illinois College Starts Green Transportation Program
In partnership with St. Clair County Transit District, the college will work to better incorporate the College MetroLink Station into the campus and surrounding community for improved alternative transportation options. A MetroBikeLink, a trail adjacent to the light rail tracks, will also be expanded and include a pedestrian bridge. The project is expected to be complete by the end of 2013.
