With the weather becoming warmer and dryer, Sonoma State University’s Campus Recreation bike rental program is perfect for students who want to enjoy the sun while being environmentally conscious. The Campus Recreation bike rental program helps to offer affordable prices for students if they are looking for a sustainable or cheaper use of transportation at Sonoma State. 

The program started in 2017 with the help of a grant from the California State Student Association’s Greenovation fund. The fund supports student-led sustainability projects at different CSU’s throughout the state. The bike rental program is looking to offer different ways of transportation that will decrease the amount of greenhouse gas emissions to and from the university. 

According to the website People for Bikes, “A reduction in carbon dioxide emissions through an increase in biking and walking for transportation has greater health benefits for a population than from the increased use of lower-emission motor vehicles.” 

Megan Sollenberger, a third year Geography major, said that is is important for students to use these eco-friendly resources to help move towards creating a more sustainable environment. Sollenberger said that these resources could lead to a larger decrease in the school’s carbon footprint in the coming years. 

“I feel like students are motivated to create an eco-friendly environment because we all want to better the university for future generations of students at Sonoma State,” said Sollenberger. She said that the bike rentals are a more efficient mode of transportation than driving and that she would consider it if she lived on campus. 

The rental bikes can be reserved online, along with filling out an agreement form with a credit card and student ID. The rentals cost $35 dollars at the beginning of the semester and can be kept until the last day of finals week. The bikes are single cruiser bikes that come in many colors. The number of bikes is limited, so it is “first-come, first-serve” according to Campus Recreation.

Amy Saduddin, a third year Early Childhood Studies major, said that this is an important resource for students on Sonoma State’s campus. 

“I think it’s a better decision to ride a bike over driving when the weather is nice, it saves gas and is better for the Earth,” said Saduddin. She added that she would recommend this resource to other students since it is a very reasonable price to rent a bike. 

Julia Cioffi, a second year Criminal Justice major, said that the students of Sonoma State have the power to create these sustainable options for the university and the community as well. She said that she has seen our school become more eco-friendly since she has started here. 

“Our Rec Center is almost entirely a self-sustaining building. We have campus clean-ups, and next to almost every trash can there’s also recycling and compost bins,” said Cioffi. She added that our school has done a good job at keeping our carbon footprint below other schools. “I think that is something very unique to our campus and something we should take pride in.”