Donation will be used towards the purchase of new equipment.
Spokane, WA. May 2012–In honor of National Bike Month, Zag Dining by Sodexo, the dining solutions forGonzagaUniversity, has donated $5,200 to the Gonzaga University Outdoors Green Bike Program in order to help support the growing program.
The Green Bike Program, which allows students to rent bikes for a semester at a low cost, was first proposed in the fall 2007 as a subproject for AASHE (Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education). In the spring of 2008, the first rough proposal drafted and Gonzaga’s Campus Security donated the first bicycles. The idea became so popular that an official program was started in 2010. The first 4 bikes were distributed to students to rent for the semester at an affordable cost ranging from $20-$30, including a helmet and a U-Lock. By fall 2011, the fleet had increased to 14 bikes.
In order to keep up with the rising demands and need for storage, the Green Bike Program proposed that for the 2012/2013 academic school year they increase their fleet from 14 bikes to 36 bikes. The proposal also included new helmets and new U-shaped bike locks for each bike, a well-organized on campus hanging storage for the bikes, and adding two staff hours per week for rental and shop coordination and repairs. With the $5,200 that Zag Dining by Sodexo is donating, all of these costs will be covered.
Zag Dining, a champion and leader for sustainability on Gonzaga’s campus, was able to secure the funds through a Go Green Meal Plan, which was first available for purchase in the fall of 2011. This voluntary meal plan, commonly called “The Sinto”, pledges that with each purchase of the plan, Zag Dining will donate $50 towards a sustainability project on campus. Chuck Faulkinberry, Zag Dining’s Resident District Manager, was instrumental in starting the new voluntary meal plan. “We know that dining plays a significant role in the campuses sustainability efforts and we wanted to do something where our customer’s could feel they we were contributing to a greater cause,” stated Faulkinberry.
The Green Bike program and Zag Dining also envisions that the increased use of bicycles will be one of the strategies in the campus climate action plan to reduce carbon emissions. The ACSS helped Zag Dining choose this program to donate the funds, and Faulkinberry thought it was ideal for Zag Dining and Sodexo’s initiatives in sustainability. “We saw this program as a great fit for some our Better Tomorrow commitments in helping our environment by reducing our carbon footprint, increasing healthy habits and taking care our community by giving back, ” said Faulkinberry.
The Green Bike program has worked with many clubs on and off campus including Gonzaga Outdoors and Adventure Guides, Cycling Club, GEO Club, Pedals to People (Spokane Area Non-Profit), CCASL, Campus Security and ACSS (Transpiration Subcommittee). For more information on the program, please contact GU Outdoors.
About Sodexo
Sodexo in North America
Sodexo, Inc. (www.sodexoUSA.com), leading Quality of Daily Life Solutions company in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, delivers On Site Service Solutions in Corporate, Education, Health Care, Government, and Remote Site segments, as well as Motivation Solutions such as Esteem Pass. Sodexo, Inc., headquartered inGaithersburg,Md., funds all administrative costs for the Sodexo Foundation (www.SodexoFoundation.org), an independent charitable organization that, since its founding in 1999, has made more than $15 million in grants to fight hunger inAmerica. Visit the corporate blog at http://www.sodexoUSA.com/blog.
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Quality of Life plays an important role in the progress of individuals and the performance of organizations. Based on this conviction, Sodexo acts as the strategic partner for companies and institutions that place a premium on performance and employee well-being, as it has since Pierre Bellon founded the company in 1966. Sharing the same passion for service, Sodexo’s 380,000 employees in 80 countries design, manage and deliver an unrivaled array of On-site Service Solutions and Motivation Solutions. Sodexo has created a new form of service business that contributes to the fulfillment of its employees and the economic, social and environmental development of the communities, regions and countries in which it operates.
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sarah.clifford@sodexo.com
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