Clean Air Campus in the Spotlight: Bard College’s Electric Bike-Sharing Program

Walking around the Bard College Campus in Annandale-On-Hudson, NY, you’ll see plenty of hurried college students and racks filled with the bicycles many of them use to get to class. Look closer and you’ll find some of these bikes are electric. Bard, a Clean Air Campus, recently started a bike-sharing program available to the entire college community. Bard is in a relatively rural area, but it is no stranger to the transportation problems that can affect college campuses and fast-developing communities. Bard operates its own shuttle between campus and the two closest towns, but many of the student parking lots nevertheless now regularly run out of spaces as car traffic increases. This new bike program helps solve this problem; students, faculty and staff can sign out the bikes for an entire day. In addition, there are several bikes available exclusively for use by staff for on-campus travel.

As an alternative to motor vehicle travel, the electric bike is perfect for short distances. It has no direct emissions and is easy to use even for those of us with little biking experience. The electricity is run with the push of a button, so the user can peddle as much or as little as wanted. Hopefully, the electric bike also opens the user up to the world of biking itself, to develop a habit of biking and to realize the benefits - personal health, cleaner air and a better environment - that biking offers. This one program will not solve all the transportation and pollution problems that Bard has, but it is nonetheless a step forward and is part of how we ultimately hope to improve transportation at Bard and in the local community. The program foreshadows a cleaner and healthier future, filled with smaller and emptier parking lots. The only way that can happen is through our own individual steps to start the processes by which such change arrives. At Bard College, the electric bike program is an opportunity to do just that.

Guest Blog by Bartek Starodaj, Bard College, a Clean Air Campus, Class of 2011.

Why All Drivers Should Avoid Idling...

Clean Air NY encourages alternatives to driving, promoting healthier air through biking, mass transit and reduced vehicle use. But — sometimes — even the best of us give in to the convenience of a car. When driving, alone or (we hope!) in a carpool or vanpool, you can lower your vehicle’s impact. One easy way is to reduce idling.

We idle anytime we leave the engine running while the car isn’t in use. Many New Yorkers idle based on misinformation regarding fuel consumption and engine wear. We’ve heard that stopping and restarting our car wastes more gas, harms the engine and prevents the car from warming up properly.

But these false assumptions often skim over the negative effects of idling. Our vehicles, our air and our wallets feel the costs on a regular basis:
- In addition to soot and smog-forming particles, idling vehicles produce about 130,000 tons of carbon dioxide each year.
- Fuel cannot combust completely in idling vehicles, so idling engines experience increased corrosion along with general wear-and-tear.
- An idling car or truck can waste between $62 and $529 of gas each year (based on current prices).

Most idling myths don’t hold up with today’s vehicles. Allowing your car to idle for more than 10 seconds actually wastes more fuel than restarting the engine. Idling in cold weather is unnecessary: Cars actually warm up more thoroughly when driven slowly and carefully for the first few minutes. Additional engine use and increased fuel consumption far outweigh the costs of wear-and-tear from restarts.

The good news: Reducing idling is simple and translates to real environmental, health and financial benefits for drivers. Most of us idle without a second thought—in the drive-through lane, at railroad crossings or while waiting to pick up a passenger. By cutting off such habits, you can save gas and improve New York’s air quality.

So stop and think next time you’ll be stopped for a bit. Shut off the engine. Step outside and breathe in the healthier air that you’re helping create.

Interested in learning more?
Idle-Free NYC: http://www.idle-free.info/
Environmental Defense Fund: “Idling Gets You Nowhere” http://www.edf.org/documents/9236_Idling_Nowhere_2009.pdf

For more information on other things you can do to improve NY’s air quality, please visit: http://www.cleanairny.org/DoYourPart/WhatCanIDo.aspx.

Guest Blogger: Sarah Tansey, Clean Air NY/CommuterLink summer intern.

Commit to Cleaner Air Week, Day 1 - NBC's Today Show and Grand Central Terminal

Clean Air NY kicked off Commit to Cleaner Air week outside of The Today Show studios in Rockefeller Center. As the camera spanned the audience outside, millions of viewers, nationally, caught a glimpse of how important it is to improve the air quality in New York State’s downstate region.

After our Today Show spotting, the Clean Air NY Street Team, along with our new Clean Air NY mascot made our way across town – carpooling of course – to Grand Central Terminal (the quintessential hub of New York public transit). At Grand Central, the Clean Air NY Cloud entertained hundreds of people commuting to and from work, while the street team spoke to dozens of people about committing to cleaner air. New Yorkers were interested in learning how to reduce their carbon footprint and Clean Air NY had just the answer! We explained to them that it is as simple as making smart travel choices – carpooling, taking public transit or biking, especially on air quality action days!

Want to learn more about Commit to Cleaner Air Week? Visit http://www.cleanairny.org/commit.

Jessica S. Horne, Marketing and Outreach Associate of Clean Air NY.

National Bike to Work Day 15 Inspired This Commuter to Become A Biker

Do you have a bike in your garage that you've wanted to use now that the weather is warmer? Well, if you’re like me, I had been waiting for the right time and found it just recently. My company participated in National Bike to Work Day on May 15 by setting up a competition among offices to see which one could get the most people to bike to work. Some of my colleagues ride in every day, but I was new to biking and not sure I was ready for the challenge. When a colleague told me about all the reasons biking is so good for me and my surroundings, I couldn't say no. Did you know that a short, four-mile round trip by bike keeps about 15 pounds of pollutants out of the air we breathe? Even our small steps can make a big difference!

Aside from the environmental benefits, I saved money on my commute (no stops at the pump to fill up on gas!) and felt a fresh, energetic start to the day. Biking to and from work is now my mode of exercise; did you know that a 130-pound cyclist burns 402 calories while pedaling 14 miles in an hour? By biking to work, I found that I felt healthier, saved money and improved the air quality in my region. Grab your bike out of the garage and get on the road!

Guest Blogger, Ryan Thompson, Clean Air NY individual partner.

Helping Our Loved Ones by Reducing Air Pollution

Air quality in the New York area really hits home for me. I’ve lived here my entire life. I had my first bout with asthma when I was 12 years old. Now I have a son who is 5 years old. He had his first bout with asthma when he was 2. My daughter just turned 2 years old, and I’m really worried about her. As you can see, I’m a concerned parent.

This past summer, I was in Atlanta and heard a fascinating story about the health effects of air quality. In 1996, in preparation for the Summer Olympics, Atlanta planners banned single-occupancy vehicles (cars traveling with just a driver and no passengers) from traveling on the roads around the Olympic village. Only people taking transit, carpooling, biking or walking were allowed into the area. As a result, during the weeks of the Olympic games pediatric asthma-related hospital admissions dropped by more than 40 percent. Fewer cars likely led to healthier children.

If we all make small changes to our daily travel routines, it could make a big difference in our air quality and the air that our loved ones breathe. Instead of driving alone, we encourage you to carpool, ride a bike, take the train or a bus and combine your daily errands. Every little bit helps.

Frank Mongioi is the Clean Air NY Marketing and Outreach Manager.