| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 81.82 |
| Liaison | Ryan Ihrke |
| Submission Date | Feb. 23, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Green Mountain College
OP-18: Support for Sustainable Transportation
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.80 / 2.00 |
Ryan
Ihrke Director of Sustainability Sustainability |
Does the institution provide secure bicycle storage (not including office space), shower facilities, and lockers for bicycle commuters?:
A brief description of the facilities for bicycle commuters:
The GMC athletic department allows all bicycle commuters to use shower and locker facilities. Bike parking is abundant on central campus with dozens of racks. Additionally, a REED intensive class completed construction of a prominent bike shelter, centrally located outside of the student center. It was funded by the Student Campus Greening Fund and the project was led by two students who began the effort as part of their delicate balance class (a requirement of the Environmental Liberal Arts Core Curriculum).
Does the institution provide short-term bicycle parking for all occupied buildings and makes long-term bicycle storage available for students who live on-site (if applicable)?:
A brief description of the bicycle parking and storage facilities:
Short-term bicycle racks are strategically located outside and close to every residence hall on campus and most of the major buildings. Moreover, the most central residence hall, Moses, has covered bike racks located under the front steps of the building. A dedicated bike shelter next to the student center was also built by students in 2014.
Long-term bicycle storage is available within every residence hall in storage rooms. Students have to write their names on a green tag so that storage items can be recovered. Many students store bikes in these rooms.
Does the institution have a bicycle and pedestrian plan or policy (or adhere to a local community plan/policy) that sets standards and practices for campus streets to enable safe access for all users?:
A brief description of the bicycle and pedestrian plan or policy:
The College is committed to keeping central campus free of motorized vehicles. The campus consists of a network of paved walkways that are meant for bicycles, skateboards, pedestrians, and other non-motorized forms of transportation. These are safe walkways for bicycles and pedestrians to travel on and they are used for the vast majority of transportation on campus. Vehicles are not even useful for
getting around on central campus because they can only drive on the periphery. This networks connects to a bus stop by Bogue Hall. The Marble Valley Regional Transit bus. stops at the bus stop five times a day during weekdays, 3 times a day on weekends. This bus service can transport people throughout the region on multiple different routes.
Does the institution have a bicycle-sharing program or participate in a local bicycle-sharing program?:
A brief description of the bicycle sharing program:
The campus bike-sharing program, known as “Green Bikes” was created in 2009 through funding from the Student Campus Greening Fund, a student run grant program that funds GMC campus greening initiatives. Any GMC community member may check out a bike free of charge, for 24-48 hours. The Bike Shop provides routine maintenance for the bikes. A large grant purchased nine bicycles to start the program in 2009. An additional grant funded a paid student manager to facilitate this project, under the supervision of a staff adviser. Now the program is run by the Bike Shop on campus, which is a student club. During FY 2017, the total fleet included the following:
10 mountain bikes
7 road/cruiser/around town bikes
3 trailers
In addition, the following support items were made avaialble as well.
4 sets of bikepacking bags
1 roadside repair kit
Does the institution offer free or reduced price transit passes and/or operate a free campus shuttle for commuters?:
A brief description of the mass transit programs:
GMC operates a free campus shuttle, however, it is not designed to support regular commuting to and from campus. The free shuttle provides service to health care providers during the week and retail/entertainment hubs on the weekends. Shuttles also run to regional bus hubs, train stations, and airports before and after breaks for a small fee.
Does the institution offer a guaranteed return trip program to regular users of alternative modes of transportation?:
A brief description of the guaranteed return trip program:
GMC is official partners with Go Vermont, the state's carpooling database that uses Zimride for its matching tool. Every student, staff, or faculty member who registers with Go Vermont and who carpools twice per week is automatically eligible for up to six guaranteed rides per year. The user calls Go Vermont's hotline to find an alternative ride if their carpooling partner doesn't show up or if they have to return early due to an emergency. They can then submit a reimbursement form to Go Vermont for the cost of the ride. Rides may be reimbursed up to $70.
Does the institution participate in a car/vanpool or ride sharing program and/or offer reduced parking fees or preferential parking for car/vanpoolers?:
A brief description of the carpool/vanpool program:
GMC is official partners with Go Vermont, the free carpool matching program offered by the Vermont Agency of Transportation. The Go Vermont website is linked from the GMC Sustainable Transportation page. People who carpool can take advantage of priority parking spaces reserved for carpoolers.
The decision to partner with Go Vermont came from a focus group run by the Sustainability Office and Student Involvement Office in the spring of 2013. The goals of the focus group (consisting of staff, students, and faculty) were to 1) conduct a survey to answer key questions about improving carpooling on campus, 2) choose an online platform that will serve the community better, and 3) brainstorm
incentives for increasing use of the online tool. The focus group, comprised of students, staff, and faculty members met four times, successfully conducted a survey with a 45% response rate, and decided that Zimride would be the best online platform to use through a partnership with Go Vermont and their database.
Does the institution participate in a car sharing program, such as a commercial car-sharing program, one administered by the institution, or one administered by a regional organization?:
A brief description of the car sharing program:
Does the institution have one or more Level 2 or Level 3 electric vehicle recharging stations that are accessible to student and employee commuters?:
A brief description of the electric vehicle recharging stations:
The College has a level 2 solar charging station powered by two solar arrays located behind Dunton Hall. The charging station sits adjacent to two parking spaces that must be left open for people who want to charge their vehicles. Charging is free for any member of the College or Town communities. The charging station is also listed on several public charging station maps available online.
Does the institution offer a telecommuting program for employees as a matter of policy or as standard practice?:
A brief description of the telecommuting program:
All of our graduate programs and our undergraduate degree completion programs are solely delivered on-line. Faculty who are teaching these courses are sometimes located significant distances away from Green Mountain College's campuses and telecommute or deliver their courses from their home locations.
For employees based at our physical campus, these faculty members often also teach from home in online courses and take advantage of the college’s “flex time” schedule so that they do not have to be on campus every business day. Some departments also allow employees to do this on a limited basis.
Does the institution offer a condensed work week option that reduces employee commuting (as a matter of policy or standard practice)?:
A brief description of the condensed work week option:
The College allows faculty members to arrange their work week so that they do not have to be on campus for the full week as long as their division chair and dean of faculty approves. Many faculty members take advantage of this “flex time,” especially when they are involved in teaching one or more online classes and only come to the college twice per week. Many staff members are also on “flex time” schedules.
Does the institution have incentives or programs to encourage employees to live close to campus?:
A brief description of the incentives or programs to encourage employees to live close to campus:
Does the institution employ other strategies to reduce the impact of commuting (e.g. preferred parking for fuel-efficient vehicles, cash-out of parking programs)?:
A brief description of other strategies to reduce the impact of commuting:
The College offers a bicycle cost reimbursement program for commuters who bike to work. The benefit covers routine maintenance, repairs and supplies associated with commuting up to $20 per month or $240 per year. The College also advertises Go Vermont's free bus finder tool which makes it easier for students, staff, and faculty to find bus companies who can provide service for destinations outside of the region.
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.