Recycling : Bicycle Recyling Program
Beginning in the Fall and Winter of the academic year 1999/2000, the Recycling Department kicked off a new program to reduce waste. As the saying goes, "responsible recyclers reduce and reuse." The idea behind the bike program was to keep bikes on the road as long as they could safely remain there, and to make them cheaply available. According to Rob Townsend and Chris Wroble (K'00), the head of recycling at 'K', "The purpose of the bicycle project is to use donated and abandoned bicycles to encourage non-motorized transportation throughout the college and surrounding community. This form of alternative transportation will encourage sustainability, recreation, and community involvement." Rob and his crew of fearless recyclers tagged bikes that had been abandoned in the bike rooms of K's residence halls, and Chris, a skilled bike mechanic, made the necessary repairs. As soon as repaired bikes were once again safe to ride, they were sold very cheaply to international students, faculty and staff at the college. Chris worked on bikes here until his graduation in the summer of 2000. Following his departure, it was some time until we again had a mechanic on staff.
Currently the bike program at K is a Co-op with the Sustainability House, located near the lower entrance of DeWaters. The repair program is in the process of being opened again, but bicycle donations will be accepted. Please contact us with
your questions.
Painting copyright © 2001 Taliah
Lempert
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