When an anonymous group placed bikes on campus nearly a year ago, students had no idea who was behind the project.

The group, called Green Bikes, is now trying to become Student Union sanctioned but still protect its anonymity, according to an e-mail sent out to its members.

“This year, the GBP has decided that it is in the best interest of our project, the bikes and of course all of you, for GBP to become an official, SU-sanctioned student group,” the e-mail reads.

Green Bikes anonymously provides free bikes around campus for student use. The organization hopes that by becoming a recognized group, it will be able to gain funds that will allow it to become bigger than it was last year.

“By uniting ourselves with the University, we hope to receive funding for our endeavors, as well as other support from the school, that will allow us to continue providing our free services to the Washington University community,” the e-mail said.

While other organizations at Wash. U., such as Bears’ Bikes, allow students to rent bicycles for the year, Green Bikes is a free service intended for short-term use. The bikes originally appeared outside the Danforth University Center last October as an anonymous effort to “increase environmental awareness among the student body.” The organization’s original goal was to cut down on short car rides taken to class from either dorms or off-campus houses and apartments.

Student Union President Jeff Nelson supports Green Bikes’ cause and expects that the group will eventually apply to be an official SU group.

“I think it’s an interesting concept,” said Nelson. “Some of our senators are looking into a bike-sharing program, and I think that Green Bikes is something that fits into that concept really well. I am confident that they will submit an application and look for other ways to make Green Bikes a sustainable program.”

Although Green Bikes sent the e-mail on Aug. 18, the group has not yet applied to be an official Student Union group. Nelson believes that this delay is due to the general difficulty of the process as well as the members’ anonymity.

“I think they are trying to apply and are figuring out exactly what the process is,” said Nelson. “I think they are trying to respect the anonymity of their group. They’re a special case and are figuring out how to go about applying.”

Many campus groups, most notably SARAH, have their members remain anonymous, according to Nelson. These groups, however, are required to have a public president and treasurer so that SU can contact them when necessary. Green Bikes requested anyone devoted to their cause to join the executive board of the organization.

“A student group needs an executive board and for this, we turn to you. If you are a rising sophomore, junior or senior and are passionate about our cause, we ask you to step forward and take the helm,” the e-mail said. “If you have enjoyed the presence of GBP on campus, please help ensure the project’s success.”

Other students are excited about the concept of free, short-term bikes.

“Having free bikes is a really good idea,” sophomore Sheri Balogun said. “A lot of people would like to have an alternative for Bears’ Bikes. Not everybody needs a bike all the time, so if Green Bikes could get it together and become an actual student group and have lots of bikes around campus, then it would be beneficial for people who just need bikes for short-term use.”
Others, however, are worried about the possibility of bike theft, a main reason why the group had troubles last year.

“I think that their idea is really nice, but there are a lot of bikes that get stolen,” junior Suyeon Koo said. “I don’t think that most people know how to lock up their bikes properly. I think that if they were to work formally, it would be worth it to make the users sign a short waiver and inform them about how to take care of the bike, so that we don’t end up wasting the budget.”

Despite these problems, Green Bikes is optimistic about the future of the organization.

“Over the past year we grew; now is our chance to grow stronger,” the e-mail said.

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Tags: Green Bikes, Student Union

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