Aggie Blue Bikes host first sustainability fest

Utah State University had an eventful day on Wednesday, Sept. 4 with its first-ever Sustainability Fest. This festival followed the traditional Aggie Blue Bikes’ Bike to Breakfast event, making the day all about sustainability.  

 Both events took place on the same day: the Bike to Breakfast ran from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the Aggie Blue Bikes office, while the Sustainability Fest was held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The day was filled with lots of activities and helped encourage students to make more sustainable choices in their everyday lives. 

 The Bike to Breakfast event aimed to increase awareness and recognition for the Aggie Blue Bikes program on campus. The program strives to encourage students to use sustainable modes of transportation through fun activities and events. The Bike to Breakfast event has grown exponentially throughout the years, gaining more and more traction every semester. 

Later that day, Sustainability Fest took over the TSC plaza. It was a new event designed to bring the concept of sustainability to students in a fun, relevant and accessible way. The festival aimed to connect students and build a community around sustainability, emphasizing there are many ways for students to get involved.  

 The event featured a variety of interactive activities, including a raffle for zero waste prizes, a farmer’s market, zero waste stations and a bike valet provided by Aggie Blue Bikes to promote environment-friendly transportation. 

 According to the Aggie Blue Bikes website, the program first began with just a few bikes and the intent to improve the Cache Valley air quality. Aggie Blue Bikes has since grown to have over 250 bikes available for free to students. Utah State University holds the record for the largest free bicycle fleet at any university in the United States.  

 “The bikes that we have here were all donated by the community, and they were completely torn down and refurbished and painted here in-house, which is pretty unique,” said Avery Cronyn, the sustainable transportation manager. 

 Over its lifetime, the program has kept over 400 bicycles out of landfills by repurposing them into the fleet or donating them to local community organizations. 

 According to the Christensen Office of Social Action and Sustainability website, sustainability is one of Utah State University’s top priorities. Cache Valley experiences frequent inversions during the winter season, leading to poor air quality, making it important for students to do their part in preserving the land and maintaining clean air. 

“Because we’re a land-grant university, it’s our job to make sure that we’re sort of exemplifying our stewardship of our resources but also teaching sort of everybody in Utah how to do that as well and opening the door for that to happen,” said Caitlin McLennan, director of sustainability. “Part of that land-grant promise is that it’s accessible education for everybody, and I think sustainability works really well within that.” 

 USU students have a lot of opportunities to integrate sustainable practices into their daily lives. Rather than driving to school, students can use alternative transportation options to improve air quality in Cache Valley, including biking, walking, using the bus system or trying out more unconventional options such as skateboarding, rollerblading or even unicycling.  

 Close to campus, there are several thrift shops offering affordable secondhand clothing options, providing both an eco-friendly choice and financial relief for students.  

 There are several sustainability-focused events scheduled for this year. Aggie Blue Bikes will be hosting “Cranksgiving” on Nov. 23. This bike race involves participants biking to different local grocery stores to gather food items for donation to the local food pantry. 

 Additionally, students have the opportunity to volunteer at all upcoming football games to assist in promoting recycling. As an incentive, students who volunteer will receive complimentary admission and a free concession meal.