IT Trades In Vans For 'Green' Wheels
The Information Technology staff are not only
getting around campus faster and more efficiently these days - they're
also getting around greener.
IT has replaced two gasoline-powered mini-vans with two bicycles and two
electric golf carts with enclosed storage on the back. The new vehicles
are getting great reviews both from the students and staff who use them
and from the students and staff they're assisting.
Student Services Coordinator Steve Millington says that the new vehicles
are easier to maneuver around campus, so those in need of help with
computers can get it faster than ever. Another plus is that the vehicles
can get closer to buildings than vans, so hauling equipment is easier
than ever.
The department still has one van, for transporting equipment that won't
fit on bikes or carts, but even that may change soon. Millington notes
that with the trend of electronics becoming smaller - think tablets
instead of desktops - the staff now rarely has to use the van.
One test remains for the vehicles: the North Country winter. The
University's facilities staff use similar carts year-round, so it is
likely that those will be used during the winter, but Millington says
the continuing use of bicycles may depend upon how much snow and ice
accumulates.
"We're really excited that we have found alternatives that align with
our goal of being as environmentally sustainable as possible,"
Millington said. "And they have not limited our ability to get our job
done."
Millington says, "I think that people also enjoy a little breeze in their face periodically throughout the day. I know I do!"