Back to School Week: UF Issues Alternative Transport Challenge

As kindergarteners to post-grads across the U.S. begin returning to school this month and next, they’re finding more and more of their campuses taking steps to reduce energy consumption, save water and go green. All this week, we at EcoLocalizer plan to highlight some of the ways in which schools nationwide are working to becoming more sustainable.

The University of Florida in Gainesville, for example, is launching a campaign to encourage students, faculty members and staff to reduce individual car travel in and around town. UF’s “One Less Car Challenge” (the grammar nag in me has to note it should be the “One Fewer Car Challenge”) asks everyone to explore other ways of commuting, including bicycling, regional transit, car-pooling and car-sharing.

• » See also: Grayson Speaks Truth and Fire
• » Get EcoLocalizer by RSS or sign up by email.

“The One Less Car Challenge is part of a larger campaign to help support the UF community in tough economic times, and to emphasize UF’s commitment to a more sustainable campus,” said Kyle Cavanaugh, senior vice president of the university.

Both teams and individuals have through Sept. 17 for the One Less Car Challenge, which will get a festive kickoff on Oct. 17. That’s the day challenge organizers plan to host a fair featuring resources and demonstrations for bicyclists, details on the GreenRide car ride matching service, a ZipCar car-sharing program display, and information about the Gainesville Regional Transit System’s new Gator Locator GPS tracking system.

The fair will also offer free food, a prize drawing and a chance to watch UF’s annual car-vs.-bicycle race.

You can learn more about the One Less Car Challenge at the UF Office of Sustainability Website.

Tweet This Post