Advancements in Sustainability: Jessica Bilecki on E-Bikes and the Future of Sustainability

There’s a new way to get around Pacific and the surrounding Stockton community that can be accessed from a hub in our very own William Knox Holt library: e-bikes. A collaboration between Pacific Sustainability and Bike Stockton, there is an e-bike hub at the main campus library. Other e-bike hubs exist throughout Stockton, the locations of which are found on the Bike Stockton app. 

The entirety of service from Bike Stockton are app based. To utilize the e-bikes, the Bike Stockton app must be downloaded, as the bikes can only be unlocked through the app. Users will see two options: become a member for a year and pay a $40 membership fee, or pay a by the minute fee, which is $0.15 per minute and a $1 fee to unlock the bike. 

The addition of e-bikes to UOP and the Stockton community are an amazing stride in efforts to be more conscious of emissions from more heavy machinery. Pacific’s Sustainability Director, Jessica Bilecki, comments on the impact of e-bikes to sustainability: “[While] nothing is a perfect solution given that the e-bike is electric and has batteries… we are taking cars off the road, reducing emissions, and barriers.” 

In terms of emissions specifically, Bilecki states, “Electric is great health wise, especially for this region. Emissions are easier to control from one source versus tailpipe emissions – it is easier to control particulates that are known to cause asthma… in the valley, the air that we breathe is notoriously not great.”

While reducing emissions are of certainly of critical importance, Bilecki mentions reducing barriers to transportation, which are also just as important to sustainability efforts. 

“In sustainability, it’s low income, underrepresented folks who are most impacted by the negative effects of climate change. We want to make sure that people have equal access to opportunities and resources, and at the same levels,” says Bilecki. 

Another way to increase access to transportation is car-sharing through Miocar, Bilecki cites. For reference, Miocar rates start at $4 an hour, and is also app based through the Miocar networks app.

Other ways to partake in sustainability efforts across campus and to the broader community can look like engaging in other opportunities that Pacific sustainability has to offer: clothing swaps, donating to the food bank (now in the communications department), and joining the green team. 

Be sure to engage in sustainability efforts, no matter how small, to keep Pacific, the Stockton community, and the world more green!

For more information, visit the Bike Stockton Website:  https://bikestockton.org/#footer and the Pacific Sustainability Website: https://www.pacific.edu/about/sustainability