Thursday, October 13, 2011

The University of North Carolina Wilmington is one of only 26 universities in the nation to be designated as a Bicycle Friendly University at the bronze level by the League of American Bicyclists. Only one other higher education institution in North Carolina, UNC Greensboro, has received this honor.

After careful review of an application and consultation with campus cyclists, the award was granted to UNC Wilmington for encouraging students, faculty and staff to partake in non-motorized forms of travel including commuting to campus on bicycles. This year, UNCW was one of six universities to receive the prestigious honor.

The option to buy bicycles and skateboards and have them custom detailed is one of the numerous reasons UNCW was singled out for its commitment to sustainable transportation. Since August, several students, including studio art major Chris Bowen, have custom painted bicycles, skateboards, flip-flops and more for UNCW ECOteal, a unique campus store focused on environmentally friendly retail.

"Although the award is simply a 'designation,' it does have powerful implications in terms of developing a more bicycle friendly campus," said Tamlyn Shields, the Obesity Prevention Initiative Coordinator at UNCW. "A 'bike friendly' campus aligns with the university's mission to promote health and develop a more sustainable campus."

"This award is presented only to campuses with remarkable commitments to bicycling," said the director of Bicycle Friendly America program, Bill Nesper.

The City of Wilmington held an award ceremony for their own designation as a Bicycle Friendly Community on the bronze level in July 2011. The city and university's unified commitment to alternate transportation will shine at the grand opening of the Gary Shell Cross-City Trail at 2:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14 in front of Trask Coliseum on Wagoner Drive. The city received $2 million in federal stimulus funding for this section of the trail.

UNCW's designation is current for four years and will be up for renewal in 2015. The grant that accompanies the honor will help fund bicycle-related projects on campus. The League nationally publicized the announcement on Oct. 10 at the Association of Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education Conference in Pittsburg, Pa.

UNCW and community groups that have been involved through the process include UNCW Parking and Transportation, Cape Fear Cyclists, City of Wilmington Transportation Planning, UNCW Student Cycling Club, UNCW Employee Wellness Committee and the UNCW Police Department.

For more information:

Bicycle Friendly Communities – League of American Cyclists
www.bikeleague.org/programs/bicyclefriendlyamerica/communities/
Gary Shell Cross-City Trail
www.wilmingtonnc.gov/Home/News/tabid/429/ItemID/535/View/Details/Default.aspx
ECOteal Custom Detailed Bikes and Boards
http://uncw-admissions.blogspot.com/2011/08/uncw-eco-teal.html

Media contact:
Joy Davis, UNCW media relations, 910.632.3903 or davisjc@uncw.edu