Sustainable Students Get Clark Cycling

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Thursday, May 31, 2012

Ashley Klann, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

Clark is upholding its reputation as an environmentally conscious campus with the help of Cycles of Change, a bike themed group getting students into cycling culture. They’ve brought bike racks and a bike share program to Clark and most recently, an on-campus bike maintenance shop in the basement of one dormitory.

“It’s a step to make Clark more sustainable,” said Clark student Lizzy Redlich. “It’s also a great way to start a community. It’s a part of what we want the university to be.”

“I helped start this as an itty bitty freshman,” said ’12 graduate, Katelyn McGrath. “I never imagined myself doing this.”

McGrath and Redlich are a part of the group’s primary board (or “spokes”) and illustrate how Clark is able to give students the power to change things on campus. After taking a course called “The Sustainable University,” taught by Jennie Stephens, Assistant Professor of Environmental Science and Policy, McGrath and fellow founder, Ashley Trull, were on a mission: get Clarkies cycling with a bike share program.

“Cycles of Change was founded based on what students wanted Clark to be – a sustainable university, and they wanted to change how the university functions,” Redlich said. “We’re a small school, and it has been a student initiative. It wouldn’t get done otherwise.”

With such a positive response to their efforts, Cycles of Change is expanding, and their maintenance shop is designed to help students who want to be more committed to biking. Just what goes into prepping a storage space in the basement of a dorm?

“It’s been an arduously long process,” said Redlich. Parts need to be organized, and bikes need space.” Fixtures have been welded onto the walls to hang the over two dozen bikes, but it has been easier said than done.

“It’s a liability issue,” McGrath said, explaining that the university was responsible for making sure everything was up to code.

Cycles of Change hopes this will encourage people to take advantage of its bike share program as well as serving to educate students on the benefits of biking and knowing how to maintain your own bike.

“Bike maintenance isn’t that hard, and basic repairs are pretty easy,” Redlich said. “People shouldn’t feel intimidated about it. Once you understand the basic mechanics of it, you’re good to go. It’s also important stuff to know, safety-wise. If you get a flat tire by yourself, and you don’t know how to fix it, you’re stuck.”

McGrath says it’s also empowering.

“I really hope this brings more people to our group to see how cool it is to fix a bike,” she said. “I just fixed my front brake and I felt so powerful.”

The maintenance shop will also provide the group a more convenient area to repair the routine wears and damages to the bikes in their fleet.

“Everyday we have issues – brakes, tires,” McGrath said. More goes into the group’s bike share than meets the eye. “If you could only imagine the organization we have to do for people checking them in.”

Sustaining the Movement

Cycles of Change hopes to encourage a greener, more active lifestyle on campus and also teach fellow students about bike culture. “If you have anything in life, you need to know how to maintain it. It’ll be a huge educational tool,” McGrath said. “We want to promote sustainable transportation and make people want to use their bike.”

“It’s a sustainable lifestyle,” Redlich said. “When I think of biking, I think recycling. I think of someone who is conscious of energy use, and even conscious of where your food comes from and realizing how all of those different things that are connected.”

The spokes at Cycles of Change are also aware of the bigger picture. For Redlich, who is a Global Environmental Studies major, biking is more about the ecological benefits, but for many others, it’s more than that.

“Biking is so universal,” she said. “There are people that bike for different reasons. They may have no transportation or they might be into racing. Either way, there’s something behind why they’ve chosen to bike.”

While Clark has done plenty to promote the group’s efforts, they haven’t been the only help in getting Cycles of Change get on the road. Worcester’s Earn-A-Bike was also very influential, and provided many of the group’s bicycles through their volunteer program.

“Clark Bike Share wouldn’t be here without them, hands down,” McGrath said. She maintains that Earn-A-Bike’s program was crucial to their success. Who wouldn’t turn down a bike for only 10 hours of volunteering?

Getting Students off Campus

The students are also excited about bringing the campus closer to the city.

“Worcester is a really cool place and has a lot to offer, and you don’t really get that if you don’t have a way to get around,” Redlich said.

“Some Clarkies never leave campus. They’re in a bubble,” McGrath said. “I ride all through the neighborhoods around Main South. It helps me build a connection to the city.”

For more information about how you can get involved, contact [email protected]

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