Students trickled through the North Lawn on Wednesday morning before rain ended the UF Office of Sustainability’s transportation fair.
The event served to educate about 60 students on how to make a more sustainable future by using eco-friendly transportation, like walking, biking and busing, said Allison Vitt, the UF Office of Sustainability outreach and communications coordinator.
The event ended an hour early when the rain rolled in.
Before it poured, students milled around the annual transportation fair, which featured interactive displays and exhibits from organizations, like Student Government Bike Repair, Gator Gears and Regional Transit System.
The groups showed students the types of environmentally sustainable services they offer, from fixing bicycles to encouraging students to bring reusable cups to the Library West Starbucks.
Office of Sustainability intern Sky Button, 19, said the event shows how different campus organizations have a common commitment to sustainability.
He said the main objective of the fair is to encourage students to reduce their fossil-fuel use by driving less.
"The main takeaway is to try to drive less and take the bus or more walk more often," the wildlife and ecology conservation sophomore said.
Vitt said students want to know how they can get around without a car so they don’t have to find parking or deal with traffic hassles.
"I think it really speaks to the campus community as a whole that they’re looking for this kind of information," Vitt said.
Former UF President Bernie Machen (left) converses with Matthew Williams, UF Office of Sustainability & Energy Integration director, about his electric bike at the Sustainable Transportation Fair on the Reitz Union Lawn on Oct. 21, 2015. Williams said e-biking is "the fastest, easiest and most pleasant way to get around campus."
