Sustainable Skidmore announces fall initiatives

Sustainable Skidmore is at it again—devising new programs to raise environmental awareness and help "green" the campus.

The second annual "Leave Your Car at Home" week is scheduled Monday through Friday, Sept. 29 to Oct. 3.  Designed to help reduce carbon emissions created when individuals travel solo to and from campus, the event hopes to build on the 2007 program, when 63 cars were taken off the road for five days, resulting in 1,212.5 miles avoided and a reduction of over 1,200 pounds of CO2.  (The calculation is based on a CO2 emission factor per passenger mile, according to Sustainability Coordinator Erica Fuller.)  

As a prelude to the week, and to help bicycle owners who planning to switch modes of transportation, the Skidmore Cycling Club held a free bicycle maintenance day Sept. 26.

Fuller reports that the Cycling Club has broadened its focus to include not only cycle racing, but also, promoting bikes as sound transportation options.  The club is collaborating with the Saratoga Healthy Transportation Network to sell the Network's Bicycle Benefits stickers for $5 each.  Affixed to bike helmets or bicycles, the stickers qualify owners for discounts at participating downtown merchants.

"Weaving alternative transportation and more recreational rides into the cycling club not only increases the awareness of bicycling opportunities, but also is a great way to reach out to people in the Skidmore community who are interested in bicycling, but not necessarily racing," Fuller said.

Those for whom bicycling is not possible have two other options:  the free CDTA bus or carpooling.  The Campus Environment Committee and Alex Chaucer, Skidmore's GIS instructional technologist, have developed a GIS carpool map for faculty and staff who wish to participate. See details here.

To track this year's event, participants are asked to fill out a short survey found on the sustainability website as well as participate in a photo at 8:30 a.m. Monday, Sept. 29, in front of Case Center by the bus stop.  This year the event is also reaching out to students to encourage them to participate by not driving around campus and by taking the bus or carpooling to go off campus.  

"The goal of this event is to encourage people to use a more efficient mode of transportation to get to campus during this week.  Our hope is that community members like it and continue to bike, walk, bus, and carpool beyond this one week," said Fuller.