Sustainable bike-sharing systems: characteristics and commonalities across cases in urban China

Bicycles are a desirable form of transportation for many reasons, including the fact that taking a bicycle is environmentally-friendly, economically cost-effective, a way to keep fit and healthy and, on occasions, an enjoyable social activity. This paper explores the characteristics and commonalities between particular bike-sharing systems in urban areas, with a view to deriving influences on the sustainability of such systems. The empirical study is China and the paper analyses bike-sharing systems in five Chinese cities. China is suffering from the severe negative consequences of high private vehicle usage in large and densely populated cities. Nevertheless a long history of bicycle usage in the country provides great potential for such a green form of travel to be part of public and private transportation. The findings show that bike-sharing systems have varying degrees of success. The configurations which seem the most sustainable consider and integrate elements relating to transport planning, system design and choice of business model. Key conclusions are that those responsible for developing policy and practices in relation to bike-sharing systems need to understand the diverse aspects of value for the stakeholders wishing to engage with such a system. Public bicycle sharing, as a Product Service System, needs to be carefully developed to appreciate the quality and timely interplay between the physical design of the system and the provision of services being offered. Keywords Bike-sharing system; Sustainable development; Sustainability; China; Case studie

Go Green Week: Developing Community Through Sustainability Initiatives

The University of Worcester, UK, in conjunction with the Worcester City Council, requested our team organize a Go Green Week fair in April, 2018 as part of their joint commitment to creating a more sustainable city. We expanded upon a previous WPI teams Go Green Week model to promote sustainability within the community, focusing on areas such as energy conservation, recycling, reducing plastic and food waste, and promoting the health of the local river. Throughout the event, our team collected surveys to evaluate both the sustainability knowledge and behavior of our sample and compare these results to University sample data. We determined that our sample has a foundation in certain areas of sustainability, and made recommendations for additional sustainability education in the community

Using Bicycles for the First and Last Mile of a Commute

Bicycle ridership as a partial or total workday method of commute is increasing in popularity. With that increase in cyclists comes challenges for transportation agencies: how can the needs of cyclists fit seamlessly with the needs of non-cyclists, especially those utilizing light rail and commuter rail such as Caltrain On June 3, 2009, MTI, the Commonwealth Club of California and the United States Department of Transportation sponsored Using Bicycles for the First and Last Mile of a Commute in San Jose Co-sponsors of the event included Caltrain, Bay Area Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, Silicon Valley Leadership Group, and Valley Transit Authority (VTA). Introducing keynote speaker Carl Guardino was MTI\u27s Executive Director Rod Diridon, Sr. A panel discussion, moderated by newspaper columnist Gary Richards included Dr. Kevin Krizek from the University of Boulder, MTC\u27s Sean Co; Federal Transit Administration representative Alex Smith, San Francisco Bicycle Coalition founder Shirley Johnson, Silicon Valley Bicycling Coalition Executive Director Corinne Winter, City of San Jos? Bicycle and Pedestrian Program Coordinator John Brazil, and Caltrain Special Assistant to the CEO Mark Simon

Designing Away Waste: A Comparative Analysis of Urban Reuse and Remanufacture Initiatives

In order to transform the economy into one that is circular, that recovers most materials through reuse, remanufacturing and recycling, these activities need to grow significantly. Waste management has substantially incorporated recycling as an end-of-life treatment but has still largely failed to incorporate remanufacturing and reuse as possible material recovery routes. This article aims to provide useful information to establish centers for urban remanufacture (CUREs), by analyzing fifteen existing initiatives that facilitate reuse and remanufacture by providing access to secondary materials or manufacturing tools. The study consists of a review of selected initiatives complemented with targeted interviews to fill in missing information. Most initiatives provided access to secondary materials (13 of 15 initiatives), and almost all used different manufacturing tools (14 of 15 initiatives). Besides their regular opening hours, initiatives were mainly engaged in capacity building activities, which were done through predefined or improvised workshops. Most initiatives relied on external support to finance their operations (9 of 15 initiatives). However, one of the self-financed initiatives is the oldest initiative in the study, operating since 1998. Based on the results and tacit knowledge collected in this study, a framework is suggested to serve as a guide for establishing future CUREs

Big Red, Small Planet

At WKU, “The Spirit Makes the Master”. Our commitment to continuous improvement is clearly reflected in our sustainability efforts. WKU’s commitment to sustainability, whether demonstrated in campus operations or in educational programs, helps to ensure that our graduates are prepared to address the complicated environmental, social and economic issues we face today. They will be able to think critically, solve problems creatively and be engaged citizens. If that’s all we accomplish then we will have achieved great success. But our sustainability commitment pays dividends, as it also leads us to reduce our environmental footprint, practice social responsibility, and conserve natural and economic resources. It encourages unprecedented cross-campus and community collaboration and partnerships. It supports our goal to be “A Leading American University with International Reach.” And, it brings renewed meaning to the other great Hilltopper motto: “Life More Life”! This publication, created through partnership by the Office of Sustainability and the Hoffman Environmental Research Institute, offers a look into the impressive array of sustainability initiatives happening at WKU. While it is comprehensive, it is not exhaustive. There are still more sustainability successes to share and we will continue to realize accomplishments and make progress. Work has already begun on the next edition to update and add content. We hope you will enjoy exploring the eBook, and that the stories inside inspire and enlighten

The Daily Texan

Texas Student Medi

Innovating Sustainability Education through the “Bird’s Eye” Perspective

Various disciplines were used to define sustainability through their lens and set an education space that integrated students into finding needed and creative solutions for the problems affecting their community. This was done through the creation of an University Honors course that took 13 students and put them into a class split into two parts: setting a base foundation of sustainability knowledge through learning the views and struggles of different disciplines every week and then building a sustainability project that caters to the needs of the community. This class was used to create an education experience that is responsive to the world\u27s needs and empowers students to be the people to find needed solutions. The course hopes to inspire higher education to move towards experiential and interdisciplinary teaching methods

The Planet, 2011, Winter

https://cedar.wwu.edu/planet/1058/thumbnail.jp

Greening Buffalo: What Local Governments Can Do

Almost every city in the Unites States is undertaking a significant green initiative. Policy makers, advocates, and citizens are realizing that the future of cities lies in sustainability, and that the future of the environment depends on urban policy