The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

Celebrating a whole Earth

World+of+Bikes+staff+member+Bryan+Wenszel+provides+a+free+tune+up+as+part+of+Spring+Bike+Tune-up+Day+on+the+Pentacrest+at+The+University+of+Iowa+on+Friday%2C+April+1%2C+2016.+Staff+from+the+World+of+Bikes+offered+free+tune+ups+to+riders+in+celebration+of+Earth+Month.+%28The+Daily+Iowan%2FAnthony+Vazquez%29
(The Daily Iowan/Anthony Vazquez
World of Bikes staff member Bryan Wenszel provides a free tune up as part of Spring Bike Tune-up Day on the Pentacrest at The University of Iowa on Friday, April 1, 2016. Staff from the World of Bikes offered free tune ups to riders in celebration of Earth Month. (The Daily Iowan/Anthony Vazquez)

Earth month will bring about several environmentally-focused events, including a campus-wide bike challenge.

By Katelyn Weisbrod
[email protected]

With April comes showers and a month dedicated to environmental protection.

The UI Office of Sustainability kicked off Earth Month with a bike tune-up day, followed by the start of a month-long bike challenge. On April 1, the office paired up with local bike shop World of Bikes and provided around 30 free bike tune-ups outside Jessup Hall and offered to sign up people for the Earth Month Bike Challenge.

The bike challenge, which is still open for those still wishing to participate, brings together faculty, students, and community members to encourage people to ride their bikes to work or class.

“The goal is just to get more people on bicycles; it’s a feasible mode of transport,” Office of Sustainability intern Willy Tan said. “We have team challenges where people can motivate each other to ride their bikes, and there’s individual challenges to motivate people to compete with each other.”

“The purpose is really just to encourage people to bike and commute to work, and it gives them a little incentive to do so,” Office of Sustainability communications specialist George McCrory said. “This may be the first time you take your bike out in the spring.”

Office of Sustainability intern Andrew Hirst said he hopes this challenge can have a lasting impact for biking on campus.

“We hope to increase ridership to have people be cycling on campus and have a fun time doing this,” Hirst said. “It really encourages people to continue biking.”

In addition to the bike challenge, several other organizations will hold events during Earth Month.

The UI Environmental Coalition will hold a Reusable Bag exchange on April 6 on the Ped Mall, in which people can bring their plastic bags as a donation to the North Liberty community pantry in exchange for a free reusable bag.

On April 21, the UI Environmental Coalition will host a Treasure Trade on the T. Anne Cleary Walkway, where people can bring unwanted clothes and exchange them for someone else’s unwanted clothes, and on April 24, the UI Student Gardeners will have an open house at the Student Garden on Hawkeye Park Road, near the intramural sports fields.

The final presentation of the Climate Narrative Project will be on April 28 in the Adler Journalism Building. Students from various areas of studies are putting together artistic, multimedia presentations to communicate an issue related to climate change.

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