The Mission Green Student Association wanted to do something that would help out both the environment and students. So, they organized a program for students to borrow bikes, which would help reduce harmful emissions in the air. That was, until all of the bikes were stolen.

Six lime-green bikes were left unlocked near different dormitories around campus. Although one by one they each disappeared, Mission Green has high hopes that their bike program will be successful the next time around. 
“It was a simple mistake to allow such easy access to the bikes,” says Alex van Mecl, president and founder of Mission Green. “But it was definitely a lesson learned, and we can move forward to ensure a better, more effective program in the future.”

A police report wasn’t filed for the stolen bikes because they were never registered.  

The bike program started in 2008 when Jinji Donato, a sustainability assistant in the Department of Housing and Residential Life, came up with the idea. She believed the program would be a great benefit to the environment because students could ride bikes to class as an alternative to fume-releasing vehicles. 

Van Mecl, who was a co-worker of Donato, later adopted the idea and put the plan into motion.

Mission Green collected six bikes, which were either donated or abandoned and placed outside residence halls.

According to Mission Green, the bike program will live on and work better next time around. They will once again receive donated bikes from students who no longer need them. They hope to have about seven or eight bikes per residence hall. Mission Green will also create more strict rules and restrictions on the usage of the bikes, including time limits, rental/checking-out procedures, and penalties for missing bikes. 
“I hope this plan works,” says Jaime Perez, a sophomore film major. “I would love to ride a free bike from class to class. It’s more convenient than walking in the hot sun to class or driving to your next class. Hopefully, [the bikes] don’t get stolen again.”

In order to prevent theft from occurring again, van Mecl hopes to get assistance from FAU Police and the the Department of Housing and Residential Life. Funding from these departments could be used to purchase better locking mechanisms for the bikes.
Mission Green also expects to get Donato involved with their new plans. They believe she could provide helpful insight to improve the program when it becomes activated again.

Once everything is in order, Mission Green and the Campus Sustainability Committee will work hand-in-hand to ensure the proper promotion of the program.
“I am absolutely confident that FAU students will see another Mission Green bike program,” says van Mecl. “One way or another, students [can] look forward to utilizing these bikes in fall 2010.”