VIU leads by example during Bike to Work Week

Students, staff and faculty at Vancouver Island University will lead by example during Bike to Work Week June 2 to 8.

VIU is joining forces with the City of Nanaimo, Regional District of Nanaimo and BC Transit to encourage people to get out of their cars and use alternate forms of transportation such as biking, walking, taking the bus or carpooling.

VIU President Ralph Nilson, Vice-President Patrick Ross, Dean Mike Mann and many others have pledged to ride their bikes to work, while Vice-President Leslie King, Associate Vice-President David Drakeford, Dean Fred MacDonald and Dean Anne Leavitt have promised to walk to work.

The public is invited to a special celebration at Vancouver Island University’s Welcome Centre located in front of the Main Cafeteria, Building 300, 7 to 9 am on Tuesday, June 3 to celebrate Bike to Work Week and Clean Air Day.

There you will find coffee and snacks, cycling and clean air displays, a tune-up station for cyclists participating in Bike to Work Week, and a variety of prizes for environmentally conscious commuters who cycle, walk or take the bus to school or work.

There will also be a display of hybrid vehicles from Toyota, Honda and Tom Harris GM Chevrolet, and a BC Transit bus with a demonstration on how to load your bike on the rack.  A-channel, the Wolf and the Wave will be there (with music), along with representatives from the City of Nanaimo and the Regional District of Nanaimo.

“Bike to Work Week is a great opportunity to learn more and make environmentally friendly lifestyle choices,” said Steve Earle, a Geology professor at VIU who routinely rides his bike to work. “Our main goal is to get people out of their cars. We’re encouraging everyone to help improve air quality and reduce your carbon footprint by participating in this and other activities organized in the community.”

 “With over 19,000 students, staff and faculty attending Vancouver Island University campuses, our environmental impact is huge,” said Nilson.

“Environmental sustainability starts with each of us, and protecting our environment is critical to our success.  As leaders in teaching, learning and research, all of us at Vancouver Island University have a responsibility to lead by example.”

To further entice people to leave their cars at home, the City of Nanaimo has established a number of Celebration Stations for Bike to Work Week participants. Stations will be set up from 7 to 9 am Monday at the Coyote Café (near Terminal Park), Wednesday at Harry Whipper Park on Hammond Bay Road, Thursday at Bowen Road where it meets the E&N trail, and Friday at the Woodgrove bus exchange. Water, snacks and coffee will be provided.

Also as part of the Bike to Work Week festivities, the Regional District of Nanaimo’s Buck-A-Bus promotion will reduce bus fares to one dollar on Wednesday. 

Meanwhile, Earle hopes people will continue using alternative forms of transportation even when Bike to Work Week ends.

 “We need to get serious about environmental sustainability, especially with the government’s introduction of Bill 44,” he said. “It has the potential to make a huge difference. People need to use other forms of transportation year round.”

Sustainability – which includes initiatives to get employees and students out of their cars - is a major priority in all project planning as Malaspina transitions to Vancouver Island University, said Ric Kelm, Director of Facilities Services and Campus Development.

 “We’ve been working on green initiatives for years, in an effort to increase energy efficiency and reduce our carbon footprint (the direct effect on the environment of carbon dioxide emissions),” Kelm said.

In 2000, Malaspina implemented a system of paid parking, created to reduce the number of single occupant vehicles coming to campus. Money collected from parking is used to fund environmental initiatives, including bike lockers, showers and other facilities designed to encourage alternate methods of transportation.

Malaspina also implemented the Propass, a permanent bus pass employees can acquire from the Regional District of Nanaimo through payroll deductions.

Meanwhile, Kelm said the new Campus Sustainability Committee is hard at work planning and implementing additional green initiatives and overseeing investments of parking fees in sustainability projects. Their focus includes waste reduction, energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

For more information about VIU’s sustainability initiatives, visit viu.ca. For information about Clean Air Day or Bike to Work Week check out the websites at www.cleanairday.com or www.biketowork.ca/nanaimo