This award program honors U.S. schools that are advancing creative solutions to global warming on their campuses. HSU is one of eight winning schools that were chosen from a national pool of entries. Learn about this year’s winners, including HSU, by watching the Chill Out webcast.
Humboldt State has made alternative transportation a viable option for students, faculty and staff on campus. One of the university’s most helpful and innovative projects is the Jack Pass, an unlimited-ride bus pass for all HSU students. The student club Green Wheels, which worked with HSU Parking and Commuter Services along with President Rollin Richmond, devised and implemented the innovative transportation initiative.
“It’s really cool that our efforts were recognized and it’s just further encouragement to keep on going in the same direction,” said Tommy Viducich, president of HSU Green Wheels. “We plan to continue to expand the bus service with Jack Pass and to make it more available. We need to continue to make improvements in public transportation so more and more people want to use it and so that it becomes easier to use.”
Since implementing Jack Pass, the Redwood Transit System announced a 30 percent increase in ridership, which translates to huge reductions in the county’s carbon footprint. The local transit systems have been able to expand their schedules and routes to better accommodate the increased ridership.
After the introduction of the Jack Pass, 526 fewer parking permits were sold on the campus the following year. Thomas Dewey, HSU police chief, said there have been approximately 500,000 Jack Pass bus rides since the program was implemented in 2007.
Green Wheels also organizes Car Free Day and Alternative Uses for Parking Spaces where they spread the word about Jack Pass. There is also information available for freshman and incoming students concerning Jack Pass during campus orientation.
Other winning schools in the contest include: California State University Chancellor’s Office; California State University, Northridge; Massachusetts Maritime Academy; Vermont’s Middlebury College; Longwood University in Virginia; and the University of California, San Diego.
Humboldt State University has a long-standing commitment to environmental responsibility. This commitment is incorporated throughout the university curriculum, interwoven into its approach to campus operations and spread by graduates who carry knowledge and skills related to sustainability with them when they leave HSU. Many graduates, in fact, choose to sign the Graduation Pledge of Social and Environmental Responsibility, which HSU students created and shared with universities around the world.
For all these impressive efforts, National Wildlife Federation will feature the winning colleges in the Chill Out: Campus Solutions to Global Warming webcast on April 15. The colleges will also receive a monetary award from the National Wildlife Federation to continue exploring innovating global warming solutions.
The webcast is a low footprint production, going well beyond the industry’s sustainable filmmaking guidelines, and has been recognized by the Environmental Media Association’s Green Seal Program for using the film industry’s best environmental practices. Campuses around the country are encouraged to host events on their campuses to watch the green webcast. The program will part of global warming and Earth Day events scheduled on over 160 campuses across the country.
Visit http://www.green-wheels.org/hsu for more information about Jack Pass and the group’s mission and goals.
Visit http://www.humboldt.edu/green/ to learn more about the many eco-conscious clubs, courses and events happening at Humboldt State.
Visit www.campuschillout.org to register for and view the webcast.