College uses innovative way for travel

MOREHEAD CITY — Pedal power is putting a new program in motion on the campus of Carteret Community College.

The college’s Sustainability Committee unveiled its Green Bikes ride sharing program this month with a simple invitation for students and staff: See a green bike, ride a green bike.

The green-painted bicycles are now out and parked in bike racks or leaning against buildings, waiting for the next rider. If a green bike is sitting outside one of the buildings, it’s there for the next person heading to another class or switching buildings.

“The idea really is to reduce driving on campus. Instead on driving around, they can hop on a bike and leave it at the next building for someone else,” said Kimberly Johnson, a college staff member and chairman of the Sustainability Committee.

Carteret Community College isn’t a large campus; but every time students, staff and visitors are walking or biking instead of driving, it’s keeping cars parked and reducing emissions and the college’s carbon footprint.

The cold and winter weather haven’t made for good outside days; but with a little sunshine and warmer temperatures, Johnson is also hopeful the project will get people out and about and sharing time together.

“It’s a way to get people outside and out of their cars and to create a sense of community,” she said.

Student Brandon Adams, vice president of the Student Government Association, has already put the bikes to use. He’s on campus five days a week and likes the idea of being able to park his car and leave it, avoiding a shuffle between parking spaces and saving every drop of gas with fuel prices so high.

And it’s something unique and special to Carteret Community College, he said.

“I think it’s added to the school spirit of the college,” he said.

The Sustainability Committee began looking for a new project to take on after completing a three-year effort to raise the money to purchase a solar hot water heater for use by the cosmetology department, which requires high water usage. That solar water heater was installed last fall to help reduce electricity usage.

When they started brainstorming for a new project, Johnson remembered a friend telling her about a similar bike sharing program. Soon the Green Bikes project for Carteret Community College was under way.

Johnson said 10 bikes were donated. Community volunteer, Travis Monroe, gave his time to refurbish the bikes and get them ready for use. And with the $100 or so the Sustainability Committee had left from its water heater project, it was able to buy green paint, a new bicycle seat, handle bar grips and other materials to repair the bikes.

One of the 10 bikes was used for needed parts.

The small fleet of nine green bikes debuted Feb. 2, and students and staff were quickly pedaling to their destinations.

“Just over the past week I’ve seen them being used. I walk in a building and there’s one bike sitting there, and when I come back out there are three bikes there,” Johnson said.

The bikes are there for anyone to use on campus; and if all goes well, Johnson hopes they’ll be able to expand the fleet over time.

“For me, it’s worth a try to see how it goes,” she said.

Contact Jannette Pippin at 910-382-2557 or jpippin@freedomenc.com.