Mapping/Audio Story
I.D.E.A.S. is a nationwide student organization that promotes environmental sustainability on college campuses. On Monday, the UCF chapter will host their 4th bike rally to raise awareness about alternate, clean forms of transportation.
Bikes save consequences
The UCF chapter of I.D.E.A.S. is putting together their 4th bike rally on Monday at 4p.m. The rally is to give people more knowledge about alternate forms of transportation. It’s also to make drivers aware of these alternate travelers.
I.D.E.A.S. came up with the name “bikes save consequence” from the national campaign called the Consequence campaign. It raises awareness about CO2 emissions and promoting alernative energy to transport a person through the community.
“We came up with the idea of bikes save consequences, which are the consequences are the emissions or the consequences the emissions will have on the world later on, or in the next couple of years,” said Hank Harding, co-founder and vice president of the UCF I.D.E.A.S. chapter.
They hold these bike rallies on the first Monday of every month. Along with bikes, they also allow skateboarders and runners, and any other alternate forms of transportation.
“Our incentive for people to come out are free t-shirts,” Harding said.
“I.D.E.A.S. and the consequenses bike ride is a great opportunity to raise awareness of alternative methods of transportation and raise driver awareness of cyclist on the road,” said Erica Duboff who has participated in one other bike rally held by I.D.E.A.S.
The rally begins at Lake Claire, and they will circle around UCF on Gemini Boulevard. They will then turn onto Central Florida Parkway, turn right at Alafaya, and come full circle back onto Gemini Boulevard and return to Lake Claire.
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About I.D.E.A.S.
I.D.E.A.S. stands for intellectual decisions on environmental awareness solutions. The UCF chapter started because the co-founders thought the organizations on campus weren’t doing anything “effective or proactive”.
“There were certain organizations that we kind of wanted to join but they didn’t have what we wanted,” Harding said.
They began doing different activities around campus, including the Adopt-A-Lake program, which eventually led to other clean-ups such as beach, road, and forest clean-ups.
I.D.E.A.S. is structured based on three-tier’s; action, awareness, and research and development. They are a science based organization and they focus on bettering the environment by doing certain small things at a time.
Students can recieve service learning and volunteer hours from joining this organization.
“It’s a great way to hang out with your friends and do good things for the campus,” said Jimmy Hays, who sometimes participates in different I.D.E.A.S. activities.
What else do they do
One of the main thing I.D.E.A.S. stresses, according to Harding, is their networking. They have to have good contacts in order to continue doing the things that they do around campus.
“The other day, for instance, this required us to network with some of the offices on campus here, a kid suggested to us to clean up the cypress dome behind the student union,” Harding said. “We obviously can’t just go in there and do it so we had to contact people. We contacted UCF Landscape and Natural Resources, they gave us some grabbers, some gloves, and the go-ahead to actually jump down there and go clean that place up.”
“I think it’s fantiastic what they’re doing, but it is also very important due to the great amount of people that are under educated on environmental issues,” Duboff said.
According to the I.D.E.A.S. Facebook page, I.D.E.A.S. “also advocates and performs scientific research and experimentation in advanced biofuels, energy efficiency and renewable sources of energy.”
Click here to listen to audio from Hank Harding, co-founder and vice president of I.D.E.A.S.
