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Green Building, Red Tape
Some colleges have decided to build sustainably but skip costly LEED certification. (Photo courtesy Northern Arizona U.)
Princeton Review Will Issue 'Green' Ratings in Coming College Guide
Guest Blogger: Xarissa Holdaway
Unconsciously, many universities follow smart-growth principles
Guest Blogger: Lawrence Speck
A few words in praise of Modern buildings (a few of them, at least)
Other News
Thieves hit U. of Michigan Stadium Construction Site
Jahn's Library Dome at U. of Chicago: Elegant Minimalism or Self-Indulgent Object?
Anticipation Builds for U. of Louisville Health Research Facility
New campus buildings
Multimedia
Modernism in Albany
(An audio slide show)
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About Buildings & Grounds
Buildings & Grounds is written by Scott Carlson (left) and Lawrence Biemiller (right). Scott Carlson writes about architecture, facilties, energy, and sustainability, among other topics. Lawrence Biemiller writes about architecture and facilities and contributes to Notes from Academe. What's happening on your campus? Let us know.
The 'Velorution' at Ripon College: Give Up Your Car, Get a Bike
Enroll at Ripon College, and you might get a Trek 820 mountain bike.
David C. Joyce, president of Ripon College, wants to make a deal with new students this fall: Leave the car at home for the first year, and get a free Trek mountain bike. To keep.
The college has purchased 200 Trek bikes to give to a portion of the roughly 300 first-year students that will arrive in the fall. After students sign a honor code, saying that they will not bring a car to campus that year, they get a bike, a helmet, and a bike lock, altogether worth about $400. The program is supported by college donors, trustees, and alumni, and the college got discounts on the equipment from Master Lock and the Trek Bicycle Corporation, which is based 60 miles south of Ripon.
The giveaway is an attempt to address a slew of issues in a single stroke. Enrollment at Ripon College is growing, but Mr. Joyce has vowed not to add any new campus parking lots, which he considers ugly and a waste of green space. (In fact, the college recently acquired rights to a city road that passes through the middle of campus; that road will be removed, which means there will be one less thing to drive on.) Mr. Joyce is also concerned about energy issues and about student health — he would rather see students outside working their quadriceps than motoring across town.
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“We’re trying to change the culture,” Mr. Joyce told The Chronicle. “I figure it’s easier to bribe people than to punish them.”
Velo culture is well known to Mr. Joyce (right), who is a bit of a bike stud for a college president. He is a competitive mountain-bike racer on summer weekends (power climbs are his favorite). He and his wife, Lynne, who is also a cycling nut, go on vacations every year with their bikes. Last year they pedaled across Spain’s Sierra Nevada by day and slept in caves by night.
Doubling the number of bikes in the city of Ripon might bring some benefits for him and other bikers in the area: “There’s not a real bike shop downtown,” he says. “We’re working with a Board of Trustees member who owns property to see if we can encourage somebody to come and open up a shop to service all these bikes.”
The big question is, how many students will take the deal? About a third of the incoming students typically arrive without cars anyway, but Mr. Joyce hopes to persuade another third to go without — even after the first year. “The town is adjacent to the college, so this is a really convenient place to ride a bike,” he says. “Maybe if we get people on them the first year, hopefully they won’t bring a car later on.” —Scott Carlson
Scott Carlson | Wednesday February 13, 2008 | Permalink | Contact usComments
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What an awesome idea!! That is a great concept for the students as well as the College. I hope this is a success!!
— Kathy Dennis Feb 13, 07:32 PM #
Faculty and staff should park on the periphery of the college and inside parking lots should be removed (with the exception of handicap spaces).
What, not so palatable now?? Whatever happened to leadership??
— Easy Green Feb 14, 06:43 AM #
Easy Green— I already do park my car off campus and walk to my office — so would you like Catsup to help digest your pesimistic comments??????
— RC_STAFFER Feb 15, 06:07 PM #
Very impressive! I hope to hear that you’ve met your goal! Now all you need is to get ZipCar on campus and all you’ll need is a few parking spaces. Congratulations to the president, trustees and alumns for taking such initiative!
— O Feb 15, 06:45 PM #
Great, really great … except maybe for the fact that 200 identical bikes will be locked with 200 identical locks on row after row of bike racks! Hehe
— katieheffs Feb 15, 07:49 PM #
I wish we could get our administration to do something like this!
http://www.neiu.edu/~BikeNEIU
— Bob Kastigar Feb 16, 01:57 PM #
Wow, I am extremely excited! I have recently started a Environmental Sub-Committee at my college. In January I parked my Jeep and purchased a city transit bus pass. I did this becasue I want to take personal responsibility for my impact on the earth and eventually become carbon neutral. I am saving up to buy solar panels and want my college to purchase and create renewable energy. I support parking your car and biking/walking/mass transit to school and want to win a bike for not bringing my car to St. Clair College.
— Tanya Punkkinen Feb 17, 09:05 PM #
I love this idea!
http://GoogleMapsBikeThere.org/
— Peter Smith Feb 24, 04:34 AM #