58 Business View - January 2016
As a signatory to the American College & Univer-
sity Presidents’ Climate Commitment, known as the
ACUPCC, the University is required to complete a
greenhouse gas inventory as well as have a climate
action plan on campus. The ACUPCC’s goal is getting
commitments from its 665 member institutions to re-
duce, and eventually eliminate, their net greenhouse
gas emissions from specified campus operations. Be-
tween 2007 and 2012, ACUPCC institutions reduced
their total greenhouse gas emissions by 10.2 MtCo2e
(metric tons of carbon dioxide).
GVSU’s transportation initiatives have also helped to
lower the school’s carbon footprint. Nearly half of the
school’s students use public transportation, and all
bus routes on The Rapid, operated by the Grand Rap-
ids Metro Area Transit Authority, are free for students,
faculty, and school staff. “We have one of the highest
rates of bus rides – with 2,898,032 rides last year,”
says Christopher. “We’ve been able to save millions of
gallons of fuel each year and reduce our carbon foot-
print. Our transportation program has been very suc-
cessful.” The partnership with ITP Rapid and GVSU’s
Campus Operations has been in place for 15 years.
The school also partners with a rideshare matching
program called GreenRide, which is available to every-
one in the greater Grand Rapids area and surround-
ing counties. It pairs drivers with riders from similar
locales who have similar commute schedules.
GVSU also has an inexpensive bike rental program, as
well as its own bike shop, where tools are available
for self-service maintenance. In addition, trained me-
chanics are on site to assist with any necessary re-
pairs. “Students are renovating and maintaining bikes
through our recreation department. They also provide
rental opportunities for students interested in alterna-
tive transportation,” says Jakobcic.
Grand Valley also has a sustainable agriculture project
that has students growing food right on campus. “We
have a farm manager and four student interns and
tons of student volunteers,” says Jakobcic. The Sus-
tainable Agriculture Project recently passed the Michi-
gan Food Safety Risk Assessment which now allows it
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