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Saturday, November 16, 2024

Freshman Xavier Hanson didn't break a sweat during his bike ride outside the Reitz Union on Wednesday morning.

He said he felt like he was doing half the work.

The battery helping to propel the bicycle did the rest.

This Sanyo Eneloop bicycle was the newest display at the third annual Alternative Transportation Fair hosted by the UF Office of Sustainability.

Organizations such as Gators for a Sustainable Campus, Sustainable UF and the American Solar Energy Society set up tables at the fair to hand out brochures and help promote energy-efficient transportation alternatives.

The fair was held to help promote the One Less Car Challenge, which encourages students and faculty to use alternative transportation through Nov. 19.

Ashley Pennington, outreach coordinator for the Office of Sustainability, said she hoped the fair helped students and faculty become more aware of the many benefits of alternative transportation, such as riding the bus, biking or walking to school.

"By not taking a car to places, people don't have to pay for gas money and struggle to find parking spaces. They can also help the environment by helping to reduce pollution in the air," Pennington said.

The One Less Car Challenge is also directed toward making people more physically active.

UF Senior Veronica Urdaneta said riding her bike to school is a simple form of exercise for her.

"I'm not only helping out the environment, but I'm also doing good to my body by riding my bike around on campus," she said.

Students who visited the fair walked away with T-shirts, alligator-shaped erasers and other goodies from the different displays, in addition to being able to test drive the bikes.

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The American Solar Energy Society showcased Photon, a solar-powered tricycle.

"There are so many options to get around campus besides driving a car, and Photon is proof that getting around can be interesting," said UF senior Sammy Shams.

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