New President at EMU - Sustainable a +

They have just posted the first ad for our new president at EMU. Same old, same old.

I have now traveled to many schools and interviewed people at forward and progressive schools that see what the future is - a positive future - one of the main features these schools have is a President who supports sustainability. The faculty and staff speak proudly of their president - the support, the care, the commitment to making their school shine.

Why can't this happen at EMU? Yes, I know we have many a problem, but why not wipe the slate clean of that past, and step into the future, oh, it isn't the future anymore, but the present? Seek a president who believes in sustainability, and give the students a boost, give Michigan, and of course, EMU something to strive for - teaching our students to live in their future. Giving them the tools to make this a better world. With so many other schools preparing their students, why should they have a leg up and our students not at least hear what this all about, and why it is so important for their future?

And so I leave today with a list of issues that our new"sustainable" president should sponsor.
First of all, the ad should change, and focus on the 3 legs of sustainability

• Environment: healthier ecosystems
• Social: social justice
• Economy: stronger economies

The President of EMU should be someone we can be proud of and trust. Someone who believes that sustainability should be a part of:

• Our mission
• Curricula
• Student life
• Research
  
• Facilities
• Purchasing and investments
• Legislative efforts
• Informing the public
• Community Partnerships
• Professional Development

Who can be against such things?
No one.
Then sustainability should be a requirement in our search.

AASHE Executive Director, Tom Kimmerer

It has been a long time coming getting this video up, but things are moving pretty fast right now. My book on a Sustainable US and Canada is in the final draft stage and I am focused on getting this little bit of sustainability to light. Plus!!! The Sustainable development class is a go and I still have lots of work to make this an excellent class for the our student's future.

We were in a hot and humid Lexington, Kentucky in June this year. Tom Kimmerer, who just came aboard AASHE (Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education) in February, kindly submitted to my questions about AASHE, even though he had just come in from riding his bike and didn't realize we would be filming. Sorry about that! But he was gracious and willing to go ahead an educate me and now you as to what AASHE is and its mission.

EMU is not a member of AASHE, but for $1500 a year we could be and share what 300 other schools are doing to make education and our future a better place. I did ask if they took individual memberships but they do not. So its all or nothing EMU! I vote for all.

A Sustainable EMU?

Things are beginning to happen here at EMU. More student and faculty are realizing that we are on the brink of something new and that it is time for the school to be a part of it. The work is far from done, but soon, if we are lucky there will be a resolution given to the administrators to recognize sustainability issues and to create a committee to identify the issues and do something about them. I still think an environmental audit is the first step, and maybe it will actually come to be. Other faculty have been supportive and are doing "Robert's Rules of Order" things that I prefer not to get involved in. I am so happy that they care enough to push in ways that I do not. Let EMU get the message from all angles!

There is slowly building a mass of students willing to take the "Sustainable Development" course that I will be offering next semester. It will be the first time such a course is available at the school, and I am working hard to put together a worthy course to educate those who can see this future, or at least want to understand it.

That is all for now. I have a great deal of work to do, but thought I would relate the positive actions happening on our campus.

Money Available

The longer we wait to accept the future the farther behind we will be. The following was just announced. $5 Billion for exactly the types of upgrades and improvements that would help EMU become a part of the future, so we too can offer our students a place in the new paradigm. All we need to do is sign the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC).

$5 Billion in Financing Made Available for Campus Retrofits
Former President Bill Clinton recently announced a new partnership between the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) and signatories of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). This partnership seeks to enable colleges and universities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lower their energy bills, and upgrade campus facilities without dipping into their capital budgets or increasing monthly operating expenses. Specifically, the partnership gives signatories of the ACUPCC access to funding mechanisms, technical assistance, and discounts on products from companies who have signed Memoranda of Understanding with the CCI. The CCI has secured commitments from 5 global financial institutions to each offer $1 billion of financing for energy efficiency retrofit projects, from eight leading energy services companies to perform building retrofits and guarantee the energy savings, and more than twenty five manufacturers of energy efficient products who will offer discounts of up to 70 percent to project partners. Eleven ACUPCC signatories also announced the launch of pilot projects with the CCI that will serve as models for other colleges and universities.

Just Scary -Arizona Water

I don't get it. I looked in vain for the plentitude of solar energy panels I knew I would find in Arizona. In vain. But I didn't expect to find a denial of water issues in the desert too. I don't get it.

For a state that has mandated that all state buildings are to be LEED certified, in a state that has schools that are way ahead in their sustainable goals, in a state with almost unending sunshine - there is little to no use of solar energy. Even Arcosanti the experimental community north of Phoenix is only 15% solar, though they do conserve their water (and I will get to the wonderful ideas that ARE being pursued there, later).

Why is there no solar or water conservation in Arizona?

I went searching to see if it was just me, but found that I am not hallucinating in the sunshine.

PHOENIX - Arizona could become the nation's leading generator of solar power but isn't taking the steps needed to do so, leaving neighboring states to reap the benefits of harnessing the sun's energy, officials told state lawmakers and regulators Thursday.

"The technology to mine your sun exists. I believe this state has been ignoring that resource," said Fred Morse, co-chairman of the Western Governors' Association Solar Task Force. (Tucson Citizen, 2/2/07)

Arizona's relentless sunshine has enough energy to power the entire country.
Yet solar supplies less than half of 1 percent of the state's power. (Arizona Republic, 7/8/07)

Arizona makes me feel better about the poor state of affairs in Michigan. Arizona wastes water - wake up.

To reduce evaporation, water in the early evening or morning. Avoid watering during the middle of the day or late evenings (10 p.m. to 3 am). During the heat of the day, water is wasted by evaporation. (Montana(!!) water tips)

Water early in the morning. Water when temperatures are mild and winds are calm, so less water will be lost through evaporation. (Maryland water tips)

Water your landscaping during the cool of the day: Watering landscaping in the early morning or late evening reduces water waste through evaporation and avoids peak use times of day, which helps us stabilize water pressure. (Modesto California)

Water early morning or late evening versus midday, when evaporation is greatest. Note that morning watering reduces problems with mildews and soil-borne diseases. (Virginia Nursery and Landscape)

You get the idea. Everyone, except Arizona, seems to know that watering in the early morning is the way to go. They seem to be in denial that they live in a desert.

A Meeting of Minds at Prescott College

Prescott College is small in its size, but in my mind, big in its reputation. It attracts people who are interested in Sustainability, and they come to learn. The school offers degrees in sustainability (among others) from undergraduate to a Doctoral in Sustainable Education. I was very impressed with what I heard and saw and hope you will find inspiration from the founder of the Sustainable Community Development program, Terril Shorb, who shared some time with me recently.

Arizona State University (ASU) began as a teacher college in 1885, became a leading research university (Carnegie I )in 1994, and is today one of the leading proponents of Sustainability in the nation. One of the reasons that Sustainability has been able to have a foot hold at ASU is support — from students, administration, faculty, donors, the state, and the University President.

The state has mandated all new state buildings to be silver LEED certified, programs are in place that encourage faculty to work together, students are included in the plans, and — and this is important — the President in on board. Much as I found at Berea, having the support of University President Michael Crow provides a focus at all levels of the schools. For example, ASU is pursuing full carbon neutrality, and has signed the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment. Bonny Bentzin, a manager of sustainability initiatives said that the cutting the bureaucracy red tape is difficult but having the President involved gives the process gravitas.

Please, please, please, those who are on the committee for another President at EMU, find one who supports sustainability, so that we can give our students an education to prepare them for the future of America.

Tribute

I am busy. The excellent and well written article that Geoff Larcom wrote about me in the Ann Arbor News has brought attention to me and to the things that I, and as it turns out, several others on campus are concerned about. I think that is such as good thing. No longer do I feel alone on campus, but there are opportunities that can now be shared by those who care about making EMU a better campus. So thank you Geoff, and thanks to all of those who are also working to bring EMU into the light and making it more sustainable. I am excited to see what the future will bring.

Energy Awareness Week - Mountaintop Removal

Energy Awareness Week has been a success. Last time I held this event it was embarrassing, and could still be considered so in other venues, but for EMU we did well. Next year will be better yet. We have had some wonderful events and speakers during the week (more to come on another post). But right now I would like to focus on my friends doing the good fight against mountaintop removal (MTR), a dastardly process of cutting the tops off mountains to get to the coal, and then filling valleys to create "flat land," in the middle of Appalachia. In the process the coal companies are destroying one of the few remaining traditional cultures in America. Shame. No respect for the land, the mountains, the wildlife, the people.

We were fortunate and had the MTR roadshow give two excellent presentations, educating faculty and students alike to the reality of our electricity - 60% of Michigan's electricity is produced by coal - the dirtiest fossil fuel out there. It is past time to become sustainable, it is time to conserve, to shut off my computer.

Sustainability at Berea College, Kentucky

Tammy Clemons talks about sustainability at Berea College, Kentucky

I have always been intrigued and attracted to Berea College in Kentucky. Even before I knew they were deeply involved in sustainable issues I liked that Berea was involved in the region, the crafts, and in giving opportunities to many Appalachian students who may not otherwise receive the advantages of a college education. And THEN I learned about their sustainable program.

So in July of this year I had a return visit to the college and spoke with their Sustainability Coordinator, Tammy Clemons, who has worked in this position for the past two years and has just signed up for two more. As you will see she is knowledgeable and enthusiastic about her job. This segment of the interview concerns a history of sustainability and a brief look at Lincoln Hall a LEED certified building on campus (first in Kentucky!).

At another time I hope to post our discussion of Berea's Ecovillage along with several others in the Midwest. Sustainability lives! and now to bring it to EMU and educate our students to the future. The choice is clear:

Mad Max or Sustainability

Making EMU Great (A primer for Administrators and the Board of Regents)

We all love teaching in Traverse City because the classes are small and the area and facilities are beautiful.

Yeah, it has a long way to go, but if you don't try, you won't get there. So my wish list. This list is aimed at faculty needs. If you have a happy faculty they will be predisposed to being more helpful, and caring about students. And this doesn't mean that faculty do not care, but the way we are treated at EMU makes it hard to focus on what is most important, giving a good, solid, and state of the art education to our students. (I naturally think that part of the state of the art is providing an education in sustainable development across the disciplines).

After looking at what makes people LOVE the places they work, I have come up with a list of things EMU can do to make it one of the great schools to work in America.

• Respect, value and trust your hard working faculty
  
• TRANSPARENCY
• Make the workload reasonable so faculty have time to pursue the state of their art
• Smaller classes
• Provide Graduate Assistants to faculty who have large classes
  
• Have administrators be "in the trenches" and know (or remember) what it is to teach
• Break down the hierarchy
  
• Really listen to those "in the trenches"
  
• Offer training support
  
• Offer better educational opportunities for faculty
• Have a mentoring program for new faculty
• Have a daily communications blog where concerns can be discussed
• Treat faculty to rewards for their good work, instead of using them until they are no more
• Have a "local" hero reward program that honestly recognizes those who go out of their way
• Don't treat the school as a business. It is not. It is an educational institution that is creating the next generation of leaders, doers, and VERY IMPORTANTLY the next generation of teachers. Education is about caring about individual needs, not mass classes where you don't know your students.
  
• Smaller classes - once again I emphasize this.
  
• Have get togethers that are joyful, fun, offer good food, and camaraderie.
  
• Have a fun health fitness and healthy food place for all to retreat.
  

Appalachian State University Sustainable Development

Interdisciplinary studies has always seemed the way to go to get a good rounded education. It is part of the reason that I chose geography as my "discipline." Geography is the bridging discipline between the arts and sciences and therefore allows study across a wide expanse in order to get closer to the whole story. So when I heard about the interdisciplinary study program - entwined with sustainable development - at Appalachian State University in North Carolina, I was all ears. I found out that though others see it the same as I do, there are still many hurdles to overcome.

A visit to the sustainable development program at Appalachian State University, a beautiful university set in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina netted an informative interview with Prof. Cynthia Wood who graciously discussed the integration of sustainable development into the curriculum.

We had to move everything for the class over to the library. Fortunately, students helped carry some things. Thank you!

Yesterday was the first day back for the Fall semester 2007. the day was 90 degrees, and we, of course, received an email from physical plant telling us they don't have the energy they need (perhaps because of the hugely inefficient systems??)

The high temperature and humidity combinations forecasted for the next
few days (temperature expected to be in the 90s) will severely tax many
of the cooling systems on campus. 

I had a class with 80 students at 5:30 in Strong Hall auditorium. I arrived at 4:30P to find the hall with no lights. My first optimistic but incorrect thought was, "finally they are conserving energy!" But then I saw classrooms with classes in them and no lights —sitting in the penumbra of evening —and I knew something was wrong.

As I approached my office several other faculty were laughing and bemoaning the "welcome to EMU" backhand compliment, and commenting on the new branding campaign of "education first" wondering then what was second. What else to expect at our school? First day back we either get strikes (we have had 3 in the past 8 years) or a power outage.

The power was out.

It did not return in time for class. I couldn't afford to lose 3 hours of class, it would set the class at an awkward place. I went to the library and asked if there were any rooms available, and was able to hold class there. But this school is in such poor shape we fear every time we have "weather," and receive one of the above emails. We receive these "weather" emails summer and winter, spring, and fall.

So I decided to bring up the original blog posting. WE NEED AN ENVIRONMENTAL AUDIT. WE NEED TO CHANGE THE ENTIRE WAY OUR SCHOOL IS RUN IN RELATION TO ADMINISTRATION AND ENERGY.

So here is the original blog, still applicable.
________________________________________________________________

Today, after months of thought, I "came out," and showed my sustainable colors. I am just tired of dealing with my office being 90 degrees in summer, and 50 degrees in winter because of antiquated and inefficient HVAC systems at Eastern Michigan University. I am tired of continually living in this completely unsustainable state and school and reading about how the school messed up again. There has to be a better way. I hope that with the help of other faculty and students we can make Michigan and EMU a better place to live.


My central focus will be making EMU a sustainable school, to bring it to the environmental and energy standards that all of America has finally become aware of (about time). My secondary focus is the number of ways that a normal, not wealthy person, can live a fairly sustainable life. As far as the school goes, well I hope others at EMU also believe. With that in mind I went to school today.

What I did today was discuss sustainability with a number of people on campus. It seemed to go well, but, persistence will be the name of the game. To me, it is how can anyone NOT endorse making the school healthier for themselves, and at the same time cutting our dependence on non-renewable energy?

More than 90 % of America's energy is non-renewable, inefficient and therefore, polluting. Our dependence on fossil based fuel has put us in a hated war, blown up mountains in Appalachia, influenced global warming, and fouled our air, land, and water. It is time. It is time. It is time.

To me, it is a no-brainer, but, well, not everyone thinks like me. But maybe there is support out there, people who also think that our school can improve and make it a happy and healthy place to work.

The first step is an environmental audit, an analysis of various systems on campus from an environmental POV: measuring quantitatively and qualitatively the following and any others I have not thought of (please let me know what else to think about here):

• building design
• energy usage
• transportation
  
• food
  
• recycling
  
• water
  
• paper
• solid waste
• hazardous materials
• air quality
  
• environmental literacy
  

I have heard this may be a difficult accomplishment at EMU, but if I don't start, if others do not believe in this, then it will never happen. Once the audit is done it will be published, and the next step is working with the school to make the necessary improvements if any are called for (!)

A Visit to Michigan State University

Terry Link is the Sustainability Director at MSU. Here he shares with me what many other universities in Michigan are a part of, Michigan Higher Education Partnership for Sustainability (MiHEPS), but unfortunately EMU is not a member. Shouldn't we be? You betcha.

Among the many sustainable project are MSU are

• recycling
• green roofs (they have one)
  
• taking a bio-based waste from a local bio-plastics firm to burn in their power plant
• they have a sustainability report for the campus
  
• Student project involving sustainable ideas
  

The website is www.ecofoot.msu.edu

The School Year is Near

Traverse City is known as the Cherry Capital of Michigan and they are a beautiful site, and yummy too. They have a Cherry Festival in early July, but the crowds keep me away.

I have worked now for a few weeks up in Traverse City during the summer to strengthen my bank account since being on sabbatical is a beautiful experience psychically, but not financially. I come back to a school that has been beaten up. Everyone is down about losing yet another president to mismanagement and lack of leadership, and because the students have had tuition increased yet again (8% this year, but more than 33% over the past 5 years) and see nothing new for their investment. No new buildings, no state of the art classrooms, and stressed professors with the highest workload in the nation struggling to maintain what little they have. The state of Michigan is now at the bottom nationally for support for its schools.

Is it really the time to institute a sustainable education program?

You betcha.

What better time to step into a new world of hope than when you are down and it seems that all faith is gone? Yes, there are still things that need straightening up at the school, and I have gone there enough already, now is the time to look at what other schools in America are doing about looking in to the future, and finding a sustainable world.

With that I would like to present some work I have done over the summer in this vein. I visited several schools that have active sustainable programs. Here is the first, American University in Washington DC. In this clip of out talk Lindsay Mediera is talking about campus students groups participation and purchasing alternative energy.

One down

So the president is gone. One down. But now to get rid of the Board of Regents and clean house for good. Of course, this is assuming that we choose our new board and not depend on political appointees.

Idealism and the First Step to a Sustainable Healthy Economy

You know, I have been looking at the past few posts, and it is so sad that they seem so down, so negative, but it is the true state of affairs in Michigan and at my school. I believe in truths, and of course, truth is elusive - maybe even more so these days. I realize also that truth is seen through a variety of different lenses, and that agendas can blind, or truncate the truth. I try to see it objectively, for the good of all, but I am hardly infallible, just wary.

I guess what drives me foremost is my idealism. Many people think that idealism is a bad thing. I don't. It is striving for perfection, always changing to make the world a better place. I look around me and can't honestly think that the world is in its ideal formation. Too much going wrong, too much corruption, to much greed, too little honesty, too little compassion. Not that any of that is easily fixed, because of the point of view of the "fixer." But once again, objective idealism and the addition of putting yourself into someone elses shoes. How would you react, act if it were you?

When I look at Michigan I see a state that is populated by many of the working class who have lived a lucky, lucky life during the past 50 or so years mostly working in union jobs, especially in the auto industry. The workers have elevated far beyond many professions, making 6 figure salaries on a high school degree. Those days are over.

The unions have to figure this one out. We are in a global economy now, and for better or worse, and I am no fan of the way we are running the economy, we need to refigure how the unions will run. Getting rid of them is obviously wrong. The lack of balance between worker and CEO is so off kilter that we need voices to try and maintain equilibrium. But right now the unions are not in good shape.

At the top of the heap is getting good health care in this nation. So the first thing I would aim at for helping Michigan get back on its feet is to offer general health care - beginning with a general proactive exam for everyone each year. We can aim for a more sustainable health care as well, relying more on eating healthy, exercise, and being aware of one's body, rather than giving the doctors and pharmaceutical companies abeyance over our own bodies. It is also healthy because you would give some of the power back to the people, and an empowered populace is one that will help bring about the changes that this state sorely needs. We cannot depend on the elected or appointed to solve the ills.

We need to have people reconnect with their bodies, listen to them, rather than live out of our bodies and take only pills to "make it right." That is not honesty, but fooling ourselves. It would require reeducating the populace, but let it begin here. We have so much work to become sustainable at any level in America. Why not start? Why not lead the way Michigan?

If we provided just this basic level, it would warn many people of the problems they have been putting off, not addressing, or could not afford to find out about. It would be a step in the right direction, and provide some of the leadership that is sorely lacking in America. It would be I cannot help but to think that offering any level of health care to the general populace would not help draw new businesses and opportunities into the state.

Another Victim of the Economy

I have attended Continuity Yoga in Ypsilanti since it opened. I was so happy to have a yoga studio only a bicycle ride away. I went today and was told they are closing down. The economy. "It is a choice people are making, gas for the car or yoga," said Julie the owner. Too bad, she is a good yoga instructor.

Well, it isn't like it is a surprise. I don't know why this has all gone the way it has. I wanted to write a sustainable blog. Get my school to think and act sustainably, be healthy, exercise, eat right. (Latest projections from HMOs is that the Midwest will have the highest premium increases in the nation this coming year, 18.4% [Detroit Free Press July 2]). We are a long way from even thinking about such things, as you may have noticed from the past half dozen entries. Michigan, my school, the economy are all horribly disfigured.

I went to school the other day on my bike and counted the number of houses for sale. There was an average of 4 houses on every block. But these days, people have had their homes on the market so long (with no lookers) that they know they will lose money on their homes so what you hear is,'"as soon as we can we are getting the .... out of Michigan." I know already there are homes vacant in the suburbs, not just Detroit. At school we get emails telling to do whatever we can to get enrollments up. They are down, down, down. I see it in my classes, which are down about 25%. Even if people are still living here they just don't have any money.



Guess that will teach them to live unsustainably.


Oh, I know it isn't directly the fault of the people, but instead the corruption and lack of fore site that exists in this state. Can you believe that the Big 3 (not so big anymore) are still fighting increasing the fuel efficiency? When exactly is it going to hit them? What could possibly be going on in their minds? Everyone else has figured it out:

The large number of ailing firms in Michigan means better bargains than in many other states...Michigan companies are selling at more than a 40% discount from the national average. (Detroit Free Press, July 1, 2007)

If left unaddressed, this projected shortfall for 2008 will profoundly change Michigan as a place to live and work. Class sizes will increase. Schools will close. Library services will be curtailed. College educations will become more expensive. The environment will degrade as cleanups are postponed or canceled. Roads will go unrepaired. Health care for the uninsured will be curtailed at the very moment that our citizens are losing health care coverage at work. The list of impacts is long and growing longer.(Muskegon Chronicle [Michigan]July 1, 2007)

Empty bleacher seats, lots of parking and flat sales at local businesses have people wondering why the turnout at this year's Buick Open was lower than usual, despite nearly perfect weather. There's the obvious reason: New father Tiger Woods and injured Vijay Singh skipped the tournament. But others blame the sluggish local economy.(Flint Journal, July 3, 2007)

Housing Crisis Knocks Loudly in Michigan;
Foreclosures Hit Record Numbers as Region Continues to Lose Jobs (Headline Washington Post, March 31, 2007)

Even those who are "trying" to make it better are going in what I think is the wrong direction, just like the lemmings so many people are.....Michigan is growing more corn this year, and has built all these ethanol plants (I think we are up to 5) when corn is NOT the right crop for increased fuel efficiency (at least not now--much work needs to be done to increase efficiency). But somehow, people just aren't getting it. Miscanthus is better, and several other alternatives can be tried, and are more efficient than corn. I guess it is just that the farmers know corn, and are tired of being beat up. Corn prices are high right now, so it looks good to them. Of course, the consumer is going to have to pay more now for all foods because of the lopsided crops this year.

Gasoline prices over $3 a gallon have grabbed consumers' attention, but dairy products and other corn-dependent foods are expected to rise at an even faster rate.
This is happening because of an explosion in the production of ethanol, a gasoline additive touted by the president, automakers and farmers as a way to reduce America's dependence on foreign oil.
Up to 20% of the nation's corn crop -- 18% in Michigan -- is now being channeled to ethanol production. That increased demand means the price of corn used to feed cattle and pigs and to make cereals and sweeteners is going up -- 61% between September and May.(Detroit Free Press, June 24, 2007)

What is weird about the state of the economy here is that while the West and Southeast is drying up (driest year in Ca on record this year) we are surrounded by water. We have the resource that everyone else is missing, and one that people can't live without. But we can't ship it from here (no, no, no) and we can't capitalize on it (even boat sales are down this year. We are now number 3, when we have traditionally been number 1). We haven't even protected it, whereas the other states and Ontario have protected against large scale diversions.

But we have so many fish to fry. Our geography is wrong. As a peninsula we prospered when water was the main means of transport, but now, it is trucking and we are out of the main flow of national traffic because of our peninsula status. The reason we grew before was first our forest, and then the genius of Ford, but now. Now we are sorely missing the type of chutzpah necessary to make a brave move into a new bright future. Guess that will have to be the next blog.

Meanwhile, I guess I will do my yoga at home. And pray for better days for the beleaguered citizens of the mitten state.

Is this Woman on Drugs?

Jennifer Granholm is the Governor of Michigan. She thinks that Michigan has a commitment to education. I disagree.

I would rather get on with the healthy and positive direction of our school, but it is almost impossible until I discuss the dreadful happenings in education that are - right now - ubiquitous if you are at EMU, or have anything to do with it or higher education in Michigan.

We have been asked to take more cuts. Taking the bone from the skeleton is what I call it.

• We at EMU teach more classes than any school in the state, with less resources.
  
• The size of classes keeps increasing and now they are cutting an already meager graduate assistant allowance so that the emails between members of my department are filled with why they need the few assistants we still have.
  
• There is hardly talk of equipment cuts, because we have had no new equipment in years now. The high schools have better equipment than we. Our computers are almost useless because they are the cheapest of the cheap and have no RAM to speak of and can't run the newer programs and software.
  

Everyone of the programs is hurting, and badly. Everyone is stressed. Everyone is sniping. Everyone is fearful that we will be the next ones to be cut - period.

Not unusual in this state. It is a recipe for disaster. How are we supposed to teach our students about the world they will be stepping into if we have little or no access to current trends or happenings? If we can no longer afford to go to conferences, to keep up with our colleagues? Personally, I am tired of going to workshops, conferences, retreats, and find out that not only must I teach more classes (4/4), but they are larger, and with fewer resources or GAs (I have none, and my classes average 40 students per -- other professors are in shock when they hear this). How can you give your students the help they need, they require, they are paying for, when you are barely treading water - never swimming? And yet we are having to cut again. AGAIN.

Our department head is trying to maintain some semblance of integrity, and I know he is under extreme stress, but it has become squeezing blood from a turnip. There is nothing there. his position is thankless, not faculty, lowest of the low in administration.


And now, I read the newspaper and it is just plain bad news. - across the board in MI. Here is a sample:

• Across the state K-12 teachers are being told they will be charged for plugging in a fan or heater into their office. I don't know about every school, but I know at EMU our HVAC system is so antiquated that we have no a/c in summer and no heat in winter. We are either sweating or freezing. The only way to maintain some health (or our office hours) is to plug in. I have had students working on the computer in my office during the winter who are wearing hats and fingerless gloves it is so cold. (Free Press, June 30, 2007)
  
• Our governor still thinks we are working toward a better education for our students:

  I am going to go across the country. I am going to take some international trips to be able to say: Michigan, with the business tax that we have now, with the 21st Century Jobs Fund, and with the commitment we are making to education and investing in the Michigan Promise as well as the standards for high school, we are laying the groundwork for what needs to happen to turn Michigan around. (Free Press, June 30, 2007)
  

• Others see it differently:"It seems to me the message of the value of higher education has been diminished even further," Reid said. "How do you ask a part of society to help pull out of a declining economy, to re-educate a diminishing workforce, and then give the most severe cut to that entity? It's illogical."

  "This is disinvestment, when you're talking about sending a signal that Michigan is positioning itself for an economic comeback," he [Terry Denbow, MSU] said. (Free Press, May 27, 2007)

• "In a state that already ranks fifth highest in college costs and dead last in increasing support for higher education, hefty tuition hikes are being predicted across Michigan's 15 public universities for the academic year ahead. The first to announce was Michigan Tech at 9.5%." (Free Press, June 29, 2007)
  

The Legislators, Republican majority - when Granholm is Democrat (Yes, I know there is really so little difference between the two today) are holding Michigan and its people hostage. Though they ask higher education to take the brunt of the cuts for education, they have not rescinded THEIR 36% increase in salary between 2000 and 2001 (To be fair, the governor has volunteered a 5% cut from her $177,000 salary). The legislators also got a 20% increase in expenses. (We fought for a year to get a 3% increase and the administration is still shoving that in our faces. We have only had what few "expenses" equipment and travel cut to almost nothing - not enough to pay the registration fees for a conference let alone the flight or hotels.).

Michigan legislators begin at $79,650. They are the second highest paid legislators in the nation!!! (after California). They also receive lifetime benefits, but they can't make the budget work without taking away from the future of the state.

As mentioned above, already the first college, Michigan Tech, has announced a 9.5% increase in tuition. Michigan tuition is so high (5th highest in the nation) that it is actually less expensive to send my child to California's schools than here.

How can I talk about sustainability when we are in such a sorry state? Simple: It is another way to approach the problems. By being sustainable one can address both long term and short term goals, but the goals have changed. Certainly what has been happening is not working. And more of the same will give us more of the same. We have already seen this.

We have to think in a new manner. We have to do things differently. We need a new paradigm. I suggest sustainable program emphasizing what our students will be living in the future economy. Educate them for their future, not only our past.

Here come the cuts

This is the look we have to attract good students to Michigan higher ed.

The cuts are among us again. They are giving us less than a week to decide how to cut about 10% more of our budget again. How do you take the skin off a skeleton? Take away the bones, and that is what the administrations (state and school) are up to.

Welcome to Michigan, a state in the lower half of the nation for educational attainment (21.8% with a bachelors degree, versus 24.4% average in the US) and determined to keep it that way. Oh, and BTW also the state with a consistently worsening economy, and accelerating job loss.

So the good news? Not really much, except a few people (Rebecca Solnit, Harper's July 2007) are beginning to see that a greening, a greening that is NOT based on the current trend of the affluent getting "off the grid" may be taking place in our forlorn state. There is more we can do to become healthy, but first we have to fix our perceptions and our poor, poor administrative base.

More of those sad times

Just received an email regarding the meeting of the Board of Regents and their lack of action. (However, in my opinion, this is like the pot calling the kettle black). Highlights of the email are:

If it is discovered that the University violated federal law in this matter, then the President should not be allowed to continue to lead Eastern Michigan University. We cannot have leaders of this university who mislead students, faculty, and community about vital safety and security issues. Nor can we accept top leadership that knows nothing about an issue of such importance.”

Professor Mark Higbee presented a very powerful speech to the Board, where a letter that was signed by several faculty members was presented. The most relevant passage of the letter is: “Poor leadership at the top of the Administration has needlessly,
repeatedly, and seriously harmed EMU in recent years. Events of the last six months and new disclosures convince us that Dr. John Fallon is ill suited to run the University. He should be removed for cause immediately.”

The situation demands action, and the AAUP is now developing a survey on the leadership of John Fallon and other top administration officials. We also await the final report from the Department of Education, which is due out in the very near future.

What is very important to note is that the events surrounding this murder has become a true national story, and it puts the university in a terrible light. If you watch the video of today’s Good Morning America broadcast, you will get a sense of how EMU is currently viewed:

To see the news story go to:
http://www.abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3297153&page=1

To see the video, go to:
http://www.abcnews.go.com/gma
Click on top stories
Scroll down to:
Campus Murder Cover-up? School Blamed
On the right is a little link for the video.
Click on it and you will see it.

EMU needs to clean up more than its image. It need to "get clean" by adopting what hundreds of schools across America have already seen: to become sustainable and teach our students about how they will live healthy lives in their future. It is time to get rid of the old and bring in a new and forward thinking administration and Board of Regents to give the students, faculty, and staff a new lease on life in a school devoid of its past corruption. We can begin with an environmental audit. (See May 10 post)

Sad Times at EMU

The University house was built for $6 million. The budget was $3 million and we were promised that no general or student funds would be used. They lied. Though the President did resign (with a full compensation package) we still have appointed regents, who "good old boy'd" the building, much to the chagrin of the university community.


Eastern Michigan University has had more than its share of problems. From the over priced and illegal use of funds for the President's house, resigning administrators and regents, unrepresented administrative appointments, lack of accountability, cuts, cuts, cuts to our budget, and now a cover up about a student's death on campus. Last December Laura Dickinson was brutally raped and killed in her dorm room, and the administrators chose to cover up rather than reveal the ugly truth.

School officials will not say why they kept silent. But some parents and people in the community believe administrators endangered students in an effort to protect the university's image.

And exactly what image is that?


This is unfortunately, run of the mill at EMU. It isn't because of the students or the faculty, but very poor choices of administrators and regents. Unfortunately again, we have no choice in the matter - the regents are political appointees, and the administrators are chosen by them. Something has been rotten in Ypsi for wayyyyyy too long.

If you can't tell by now, it is time for a change on many levels, and certainly the way our school has been run. The students at the very least (who pay about $7,000 annually for old buildings, poor technology, and overworked faculty) deserve much more than they are getting.

What is ticking me off about this today? The sad story of the murder has gone from local, to Grand Rapids, to the Chronicle of Higher Education to the LA Times- the front page of the LA Times today. Great. Just what we need.

Jennifer, Jennifer, Jennifer. I have written you before, and now I ask again. Can we choose our own Regents? Can we have a say in our own destiny? Can we make a University where we are proud? Can we have accountability? Too many of my colleagues are so unhappy with what has happened at our school. But I for one, will sign my name to a demand for accountability and justice at EMU.

If we spent our money in a sustainable and, dare I say, honest fashion, instead of the skullduggery we have experienced, we could be a model of hope, instead of a model of desperation. I suppose our students are learning from these errors, but why not go toward the new paradigm, and support education, and a sustainable quality of life? Why not teach our students about the way we should be going, about the hope and joy of attaining your ideals, instead of teaching them the about a lack of care, broken promises, and corruption?

Let's end the wretched unsustainable model we have been tied to, one dedicated to ignoring students, faculty, and spending money without accountability - and move on to a sustainable healthy, happy, and honest life.

Local Food or "Artificial, Plastified, Genetically Modified"

Growing your own garden annually, and freezing or canning your produce for use throughout the year is healthy in more ways than one.

I have been on a fact finding trip across the mid-Atlantic states and into the interior plateau (Kentucky and Tennessee) over the past few weeks. The reason behind the trip was to enhance my knowledge of sustainable living in the area. Over the next week the blog will reflect on what I learned, but for now, let me start with an article I found in one of the newspapers I am just now reading. My boyfriend saves his newspapers when I am gone and I go thru them catching up on local and regional news. On June 11, last Monday, the editorial page provided me with the first reflection on the trip.

The author of the piece, Kami Pothokuchi, teaches Urban Planning at Wayne State, and it seems that she is on the same track I am - we need to change how we manage our food and food dollars. We are out of balance.

"One problem with the farm bill has been its historical lack of balance. Only 39% of all U.S. farmers and ranchers received crop subsidies in 2005, very few of which were fruit and vegetable farmers. Also left out are African-American, Hispanic and Native American farmers whose mistreatment by federal programs over the years has prevented them from obtaining financial credit and conservation assistance. This has led to the loss of 97% of black-owned farms.

These extraordinary imbalances have consequences for eaters as well. Between 1985 and 2000, the real price of fruits and vegetables increased by 40%, while soft drinks and other sugary and high-fat foods declined in cost by as much as 20%."

Somehow people still don't seem to "get it," that our food is being manipulated in ways that are harming our health and our economy. The fruit and vegetable farm market in the US and Canada have taken multiple hits because of their lack of subsidies which make it hard for them to compete within the global market. Imported fruits and vegetables travel even farther to reach our tables. All this travel of our food interferes with its taste (there is no comparison of fresh fruit and the traveled varieties) and our energy consumption. Food production also burns about one-sixth (17%) of our fossil fuels, and that is not counting the amount of petroleum products used in fertilizers.

Worst of all the food that is receiving most of the subsidies (you'll have to take a class to understand our plight in the subsidies question) are the foods that we don't need more of - they provide calories, but empty calories, and nutrition is absent. They are the foods that are most used in food processing - wheat, corn, soy and, of course, sugar. I am not against any of these products, but the way we use them, and abuse them to "feed" that overweight populace that is America.

If we focused on how we eat, and favored more local foods over processed foods, many of our health issues would evaporate along with our waistlines.

Across America and Canada schools are making the choice to eat local, to buy their produce from CSA's (Community Supported Agriculture), to not have their food transported the average of 1500 miles to reach their tummies. Even food service corporations are joining in the belief for a healthy America.

Some of the schools and corporations that are beginning the switch are:

• University of Northern Iowa
• University of Pennsylvania
  
• University of Wisconsin
• Hendrix College
  
• University of California system
• Drake University
• University of Toronto
• Washington State University
• University of Kentucky
• University of Connecticut
• University of Montana
• Oberlin College
• Berea College
• University of Vermont
• University of Minnesota
• University of Massachusetts Amherst
• Columbia University
• Cornell University
• University of Nebraska
• Denison University
• University of Virginia
• University of Kansas
• University of Illinois Extension
• University of Illinois
  
• University of Maine
  
• Sodexho
• Aramark, BAMCO, Sodexho
  

Interestingly, Michigan has not done so well in this area, though we have no reason to be so slow, especially since we are often in the top states for our overweight population.

• University of Michigan
• Michigan State University

We have plenty of problems in Michigan these days, but one way to create a healthy attitude and can do spirit is to eat right. Universities can lead the way, educating our students and faculty into the light.

Gardens

At Appalachian State University in North Carolina they have strong sustainable development and interdisciplinary programs, AND, they have a garden maintained by students.

When I first arrived at EMU in 1999 there was a beautiful greenhouse that was being dismantled in favor of I don't know what, but it sure wasn't in favor of a garden. I was dismayed to hear this happening at the time and still don't understand the decision. Growing a greenhouse garden at EMU would help cut down on transportation costs, fossil fuel burning, and of course, provide students, faculty and administrators with healthy food, something in short supply.

Gardens have many advantages at a school. They are a ready source for food and landscape compost, gets students involved with nature, improves nutrition, just tastes good, and teaches students about where their food comes from! I have experienced having students over to my home for dinner and they have told me they never had a meal cooked from scratch before. It seems unbelievable to me, but true. There is so much to learn. Our health costs are going up, up, up and still people don't eat healthy - such an easy beginning to a more healthy life.

Lights On

I visited my office yesterday afternoon. A Sunday. Memorial Day weekend. No one around. The lights were on. I turned them off. I don't know who is leaving the lights on like this on a holiday weekend, but with the economy and the budget the way it is we do not have to leave electricity on during the weekend, on holidays, or in areas that do not require it. All the hall lights were on too, even though it was broad daylight. Even if they HAVE to leave them on for safety, all they have to do is install some motion sensors and they can save a lot of money.

This is the light switch in one of the rooms that were lit. All the lights switches have these stickers on them, but obviously they are not respected.

When I left the building all the lights were off in the interior offices and classrooms that I have access to. I turned off several of the hall lights as well, though I did leave the stairwells lit (they could also use light sensors [http://www.wattstopper.com/ for example]). This is an easy and cost effective way toward sustainability.

Reasons that Michigan is Not Sustainable

State of the art education at EMU

The papers are full of articles about the inability of the state to reach a balanced budget. They say the $800 million shortfall will mean whacking about $8 million per day until the new fiscal year begins (September) in order to find that balance. The legislator's — the 2nd highest paid in the nation — ineptitude and the sad results are deplorable. Michigan bonds have been downgraded (costs more to borrow), and threats made to many state employees who have been given 30-day layoff notices, K-12 schools who could be cut one more time. What else will be cut? Can EMU stand any more cuts? Are we open to getting some recent successes cut? Stay tuned.

So, as I am writing this they say they have come up with a budget. And what is getting cut? Guess what? The universities. Let me see: no jobs, low rated education, brain drain = cut university spending.

A key initial piece of the agreement, outlining delayed payments and spending cuts for universities among other cost-cutting moves, passed the House by a 69-37 vote and the Senate by a 26-10 vote Friday night.

I have no idea yet what exactly they have cut, but I know that it has been a disaster at EMU already. We don't need any more of the legislators using us as their scapegoat.

Of course, there are plenty of other reasons that the state is in this poor shape and has not emerged into the black. The automobile industry MUST get over its hubris---Unions, poor auto construction, low fuel mileage, SUVs, but there is also, the sprawled out way Americans live in our cities, and of course, overpaid legislators who receive absurd lifetime benefits after they have "served" while everyone else is being cut (there is a proposed bill that would end this).

We might attract more of the Creative class if we were more creative. We might have people MOVING here rather than leaving in droves.

The key to economic growth lies not just in the ability to attract the creative class, but to translate that underlying advantage into creative economic outcomes in the form of new ideas, new high-tech businesses and regional growth.

And getting back to the whole idea of this blog, why not be creative with renewable energy and our own sustainability?

Michigan can be part of the renewable energy job creation, and become far more sustainable if it would just get a grip on the reality of today and stop living in the past.

Nearly 43,000 firms throughout the United States operate in industries related to the manufacturing of components that go into renewable energy systems. If the 185,000 MW of renewable energy assumed in this model were to be developed, these companies have the potential to fill the demand for new components that would be generated. This national development would represent nearly $160 billion dollars of manufacturing investment, and would result in more than 850,000 new jobs. Michigan is particularly well positioned to benefit from such a national development. As shown in the tables below, Michigan stands to receive nearly 34,777 new jobs and $5.53 billion dollars of investment in manufacturing components to supply this national development of renewables. Michigan is ranked ninth among states in terms of job gain, and seventh for potential investment. http://www.crest.org/Domestic_Manufac_State_Mich.htm

And as long as we play political games and hold the residents hostage, as long as we continue to decimate the education system, as long as we close our eyes to what is happening right here, right now - we will be getting nowhere.

Sustainable Actions by Universities

Exit signs using incandescent lamps as seen here consume about 20 to 40 watts of electricity. Energy Star-labeled exit signs – many of which are LED – consume less than 5 watts per face, potentially yielding a 75- to 88-percent savings of energy. According to the Department of Energy, if all U.S. companies switched to ENERGY STAR qualified exit signs, they would save $75 million in electricity costs.

For several years now, I have been watching as schools become aware of sustainability. I have tried to do some things at EMU to make it sustainable: the Energy Awareness Week was a success, but trying to get something other than the very slight sustainable items in the new Student Union was unsuccessful. So we have a brand new building and it has nothing sustainable. It is embarrassing to me.

Here are a few things other schools did in April 2007:
1. Middlebury College (VT) committed to becoming a carbon neutral institution by 2016. Fifteen US schools have made this commitment, and 253 have signed the Presidents Climate Commitment— modeling ways to eliminate global warming emission and educating their students about climate neutrality and sustainability.
2. Stanford created a department of sustainability and energy management
3. Pacific Lutheran launched a pilot composting program. All paper and food waste from dining services will be composted. They have already been composing coffee grounds and yard waste clippings.
4. Washington University proclaimed that "energy and environmental issues represent the greatest challenges of this century," and called for universities to marshal their resources for a global effort for a sustainable future.
5. University of Main at Presque Isle announced plans to complete a $1.5 million campus wind turbine project in the next 18 months.
6. Duke University will offer full-time food service employees at least $10 per hour and basic health care coverage. All university employees are to receive at least $10 per hour.
7. University of New Mexico cut greenhouse gas emissions. Nitrous oxide was cut 86%, and carbon dioxide was cut 15% from 2000 and 2006. Many reductions were accomplished by replacing old and inefficient boilers and chillers.
8. Brock University announced a series of energy and water conservation initiatives.
9. Oberlin planned a”green commencement,” by cutting waste, replacing plastic ware with bioware. Twenty to 35% of food will be from local farmers and producers.
10. Furman “got trashed.” Students collected and sorted trash for recycling. Sorted trash and recyclables were put on display for students to see. About 40% of the trash was recyclable.
11. Cornell released its Green Report, which outlined the schools impact on the environment and its efforts to reduce that impact.
12. Several schools are hiring sustainable directors and directors of environmental studies.

Crisis at EMU

I can hear it now, people telling me that Michigan is in a crisis and we cannot afford to be sustainable. I say….well, let’s not go there and keep this PG. Sustainability is something that reaches beyond economics as we have known them. There are other forms of capital and those we have yet to invest, most especially, of course, environmental capital.

The now well-known analogy of the Chinese logographs (above)

wei ji

Crisis = danger + opportunity

has been used by Al Gore for a while. His is a simplified western interpretation that is really about the moment of truth. Crisis is not so much about "opportunity" until the choices are made that will alter our lives. After we have passed the “crucial point” (the ji that is often interpreted as opportunity), THEN, we have that opportunity, but first we must accept our crisis, get past the fear, and move into the light. The crisis is about the fall of our disposable and wasteful lifestyle. We are at that crisis point at EMU, and of course, as a nation, but let’s just focus on EMU. What if we adopted environmental policies that promoted sustainability? If we accepted the "crisis" and believed in it, then the opportunity comes. We could make a name for ourselves (a positive one) of peace and profit in the maelstrom.

For example, I know there are at least a few professors who would love to pursue a more environmental education for our students, one that stresses the relationship with nature, conservation, environmental justice and of course, sustainable development. Yet, these things are barely on the table because so many are trying to hold on to what they have rather than look beyond to the near future. In the middle of our “crisis” we are creating a general education program that is based on the past and not the undeniable future. Let it go! Move into the future and take that chance of walking off a cliff, sort of like Indiana Jones going for the chalice. If "you choose wisely," if you believe. It doesn't take money, just a vision and the belief.

Some of the sustainable ideas are already time worn (if not entirely practiced) such as turn off the lights, computers etc. ideas that have been around for ages, but many more are shifts in belief and can be implemented for relatively little money. Some are:

• Establishing local food connections, which both save energy (lessen x-country travel) and supports our local economy.
  
• Replace incandescent fixtures with energy efficient fluorescent
• Recycle, recycle, recycle. Michigan's recycling rate is only 20%, one of the lowest in the country. And while we are at it, recycle so that it goes somewhere that it actually IS recycled.
• Create food composting program.
• Compost yard waste.
• Establish a sustainability fund grant.
  
• Create “student funded” programs for solar photo voltaic panels to reduce energy costs.
• Reduce toxic solvents. Buy green. Cleaning agents, outside maintenance, Use an Integrated Pest Management Program.
• Save rainwater for irrigation systems to reduce water use and runoff.
• Use land to grow biomass energy plants. Even if we can’t use it (our ancient dilapidated HVAC systems) others will be interested. Grow miscanthus or bamboo. We can also grow gardens.
• Have some vegetarian days. One does not have to go cold turkey (pun) to eat Green, but you don’t have to eat the average 200 pounds of flesh that American’s eat. I will go into the dynamics of eating meat in a future blog.
• Exercise programs (maybe even rewards to get people out there) to lower our health care costs, and our prescription intake. (I actually have seen a little of this on campus)
  
• Put filtering devices (inexpensive) on our drinking fountains. (Saves money on overpriced water, and the ever present disposable plastic water bottles.
• Do we use recycled water in our coatings industry projects?
• Put flow regulators in bathrooms. Use recycled paper towels.
• Use recycled paper
  
• Plant native plants.
• LED exit signs.
• Use energy efficient vending machines.
  
• A campus wide bicycle program
• A bicycle workshop to learn about and fix old bikes and give them to students.

None of these ideas are the type of costs that a new building requires (It goes without saying that our future buildings MUST be sustainable - and an excellent recycling program is to recycle those historic buildings), and can all be incorporated if people believe in the ideas and act. A few of the ideas have appeared at EMU at least briefly, but if they do exist at all today, they are not the center of our plans, but ancillary. This plan should be a major paradigm shift (ok, ok, so I am an academic) so that our focus is on the future our students will be living, and meanwhile providing for a better campus and a positive oriented now for faculty and students.

Sustainable is the future of America and the world. Why not teach our students by example and save money in the process? Do we have to do the same thing over and over (achieving the same results) or try out new ideas?

How bicycles can help EMU and its parking situation.

The industrialized world is riding bicycles. Here we see a typical street
in Berlin, which has more than 800 km (500 miles) of bike lanes to
encourage biking. Notice also that few wear helmets. There is no
need because everyone rides blikes and respects them.

Biking is big in Europe (Denmark, Germany, Netherlands where I have checked it out) and in some parts of the US (Portland, Seattle, SF, Philadelphia, Chicago and more!) but it sure hasn't caught on here at EMU in Ypsilanti (but it should. Many of the cities that have high rates of bicycle riders are noted to have a flat topography.). Riding on the streets here is taking your life in your hands. People just don't look for bikes and you MUST wear a helmet and still be very careful. I ride on the sidewalks because it is safer.

Chris on a bike trip in Germany.

I have been riding my bike to school now for 8 years. I am one of the very few. But it makes so much sense, an easy way to get some exercise, have fun, and MUCH better than trying to find a parking space at school.

Parking is a big problem at EMU. You have to come before 8 or after 3 to be guaranteed a space. But there are ways around this, if we just think creatively. For example, students like T-Th classes. The parking lots are always full then. Why not have MW classes too? We still have MWF classes, and students do not like them as much as T-Th classes. On Friday the parking lots are basically empty. You can come almost any time of day and get a space. So set up the schedule to accomodate both the parking and the preference for classes — T-Th, and M-W. Fridays can be used for those who have 5 day classes, and for once a week 3 hour classes, just like evening classes. That would help even out the parking situation where students and professors alike have to line up at the gates to find a space.

People will park anywhere. A reason to have a Jeep.

Another idea that would help and encourage bicycling would be to have limited parking passes, say, 20 times a semester. That would allow for when you need a car (heavy loads or really bad weather) and still have some parking. The cost could be a deal, and everyone who rides will have the advantages of a healthier lifestyle and the freedom of riding a bike. If you live too far then you can bike to a bus stop and put your bike on the bus and ride to the school.

And, of course, preferred passes could be given to people who drive cars that get more than 30 mpg, or drive smaller cars (more spaces per 1000 sq. ft.). currently with the size of cars a 1000 square feet yields only 3.6 spaces. (Maybe after enough people start riding bikes we can convert the extra spaces into a bike "station" with lockers and showers. Chicago has adopted these. ) With smaller cars the amount could be almost tripled. But not having a car is the best answer. Maybe a reduction in tuition for those who ride bikes (and a reduction in health care costs for professors and staff.)

I have to say that when I riding my bike to school is the fastest and easiest method of transport. No waiting for a parking space and saving the walk to the class. Now if we can only get some bike lanes and maybe even some of the special traffic signals for bicycles!

"Americans drive cars and taxis more than 1.5 trillion miles each year," said Gary Gardner, author of "When Cities Take Bicycles Seriously," an article in the September/October issue of World-Watch magazine. "Shifting just 5 percent of those miles to bicycles would save at least $100 billion. Much of urban travel is already "bike-sized": 40 percent of all trips in the United States, and 50 percent in Britain, are two miles in length or shorter. More than 25 percent of all trips in the U.S. are less than one mile.

"Cycling could eliminate some of these short, air-polluting trips," Gardner said, citing estimates that in a seven-mile car trip, 90 percent of emissions are generated in the first mile before the engine warms up.

From http://apta.com/services/intnatl/intfocus/bicycles.cfm