Catering Cuts Carbon Footprint with Cargo Cycle

Thanks to a new pedal-powered catering vehicle designed by student engineers, the catering department will add another dimension to its efforts in reducing the college’s carbon footprint.

Catering staff will use the cart—which is equipped with a large box with shelves for storage—to transport supplies to functions on campus, reducing the need to drive a delivery truck on those occasions. The “cargo cycle” is the culmination of a project by the student organization Engineers for a Sustainable World. Staff members took the vehicle for a test spin this week outside Ford Hall.

Ann Finley, area manager in dining services, who oversees catering deliveries on campus, was among the first to try out the cargo cycle earlier this week, taking the vehicle for a spin on Green Street in front of Ford Hall.

The cycle was the “dream and vision of our student worker, Peace Young ’12,” noted Kathy Zieja, director of dining services. Young and other students worked with Finley and catering staff members in designing the cart. “Our goal is to be more sustainable for small functions,” said Zieja, “while providing some exercise opportunities for the catering staff.”