| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 77.18 |
| Liaison | Daimon Eklund |
| Submission Date | Oct. 12, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Washington, Seattle
IN-24: Innovation A
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Claudia
Frere-Anderson Director UW Sustainability |
Name or title of the innovative policy, practice, program, or outcome:
A brief description of the innovative policy, practice, program, or outcome that outlines how credit criteria are met and any positive measurable outcomes associated with the innovation:
In 2017, UW Mailing Services purchased five electric assist cargo bicycles, and now nearly all mail deliveries to 455 departments across UW are made by e-bike instead of trucks.
UW is the first campus in the country to move to delivering mail via electric bikes. Mailing Services originally planned to roll out e-bike delivery slowly, but the bikes proved so successful they are being used for deliveries across the Seattle campus, as well as some off-campus locations such as Sand Point and even occasional trips to Bellevue.
With so many deliveries being made by e-bike, Mailing Services has already gotten rid of two trucks, and expects to reduce its fleet further soon. On campus, not only are the bikes more environmentally-friendly, they are also easier to maneuver around campus. In addition, the bikes don’t need to use building loading docks.
Since phasing out trucks, deliveries now take 10% less time and 30% fewer miles traveled. And each truck Mailing Services can remove from its fleet saves nearly $10,000 a year in fuel, lease, insurance and maintenance costs.
The use of electric cargo bikes continues a long tradition of Mailing Services’ sustainability efforts. The truck fleet is made of all hybrid-electric or bio-diesel vehicles, and before switching to e-bikes, the department piloted a program with non-electric bikes.
Which of the following impact areas does the innovation most closely relate to? (select up to three):
A letter of affirmation from an individual with relevant expertise or a press release or publication featuring the innovation :
The website URL where information about the innovation 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.