Edemskaya_UVic_Canada

SPOKES program UVic. University of Victoria is a very sustainability orientated institution and has even implemented a campus sustainability policy, which was adopted by UVic Board of Governors in March 2009.

The policy states that UVic should educate University’s students, faculty and staff on how to take care of our natural resources and to work towards a sustainable future, with cooperation of both global and local organizations. The policy helps the University Community make environmentally friendly decisions and provides an outline of what being sustainable means to the University of Victoria. UVic is well aware that making choices that concurrently involve “Ecological Balance, Economic Prosperity, and Social Development” can be tough. That’s why the policy recognizes that it “requires a collective action of the University Community through long term planning, shared learning, grassroots activities, and institutional leadership.” (www.web.uvic.ca/sustainability/CampusSustainabilityPolicy) Through this policy, the University has adopted many programs which contribute to our campus sustainability. Some of the programs include the UVic Campus Community Garden, EcoCar designed by the university’s engineering students, UVic Bike Kitchen and many others. The program I am going to let you know about is SPOKES. Many university students across the world choose riding a bike as their form of transportation due to its convenience, affordability and sustainability. University of Victoria students don’t hesitate to make this decision because of the SPOKES program the university offers.SPOKES stands for “Student Promotion of Kickstands etc. Salvaging” and is “an innovative bicycle bursary program at the University of Victoria that combines recycling with cycling.” (www.web.uvic.ca/sustainability/SPOKES) SPOKES is ran by volunteers and is supported by UVIc. So far SPOKES has given out about 1000 bicycles to the students, faculty and staff. The program started back in September 2003.This program’s goal is to keep the unwanted old bicycles from the landfill by tuning them up and lending them out to students. The bikes are available all year long, and are given out on the first come first serve bases through an application process. All the bikes have been donated and fixed up by the volunteers. The program shares knowledge because all volunteers teach and learn from each other about bike repairing.

All of the recipients of the bike bursary program are expected to invest some money and time into their bikes. Just like any type of transportation, bikes require care and fixing up. That is why this program is so successful, because all of the participants are giving back by taking good care of their bikes, so someone else can use them. SPOKES is a very successful program with plans to continue to grow and expand.