A welcoming bus stop and bird-safe windows are among 2024 Green Grant initiatives

Deirdre Stires

Stories by Deirdre Stires

APPROVED, Alan Wang ’24 on College Street in front to Parker Hall where covered bus stop will be built on lawn behind him. 11/13/2023 16:25:54 Transportation for Bates awang3@bates.edu 5075817683 Student Better Bus Stop for Bates The MaineDOT is planning on implementing a commuter bus line between Lewiston and Portland. The bus line is set to terminate at Bates near Underhill Arena. However, the bus stop might not be pleasant and intuitive to use. Study from University of Minnesota show that bus stop amenities have a direct relationship with rider's perceived waiting time; having a bench can reduce the perceived waiting time by half compared to a stop without a bench. A well-equipped bus stop can entice more people to use it, thus reducing Bates' carbon footprint. "A bus shelter costs around $5,500. I want to apply for the full $2,000 grant to ultimately put this money back in the school's pocket, in the form of a well-designed bus shelter. This green fund can be a part of a larger funding package, I'm assuming that MaineDOT and the operator of this bus line will both pitch in to fund this shelter. The bus shelter should protect riders from weather elements, display proper signage and maps, equip with lighting and seating. MaineDOT also recommends installing bike racks and trash cans. The green grant can be used to achieve aspect(s) of the above objectives. " Increase comfort level when using public transportation. Reduce perceived waiting time. Encourage faculties and staff to commute using public transportation, thus reducing GHG emissions and free up parking spots.

A welcoming bus stop and bird-safe windows are among 2024 Green Grant initiatives

Friday, May 31, 2024 1:18 pm

This spring, three of four $2,000 Green Innovation Grants — totalling $8,000 — helped fund or start three new sustainability initiatives at Bates: a bus stop, bird-safe window treatment and recycling signs for residence-hall rooms.

Try not to let the success treadmill ‘obscure the actual living of life,’ Bates seniors told at 158th Commencement

Sunday, May 26, 2024 2:32 pm

One of the nation’s foremost journalists, NPR's Mary Louise Kelly, offered three pieces of life advice to the Class of 2024: Be wary of when success becomes a non-stop treadmill, remember much of life depends on what we choose to see, and hold tight to those lifelong friendships forged at Bates.

Make way for ducklings and the Bates Class of 2024 ivy stone

Thursday, May 23, 2024 4:00 pm

Amelia Hawkins ’24 wants her Bates classmates to graduate with a sense of hope, so she created an ivy stone design everyone can rally around: the ducks at Lake Andrews.

Professor of Politics Áslaug Ásgeirsdóttir returns to her Icelandic homeland to lead the University of Akureyri

Wednesday, May 22, 2024 4:00 am

After 23 years helping Bates students on their educational journeys, Ásgeirsdóttir will become rector (or president) of the University of Akureyri in Iceland on July 1, 2024.

Bates College installs Garry W. Jenkins as ninth president

Saturday, May 4, 2024 1:17 pm

Installed as the ninth president in Bates College history on Saturday, Garry W. Jenkins used his inaugural address to offer four cornerstones to guide the work of the college. Keeping the college strong and vibrant benefits not only Bates students but U.S. democracy, he said. “They rise together.”

Emily Scarrow ’25, a Bates student who ‘doesn’t see any limits,’ earns Goldwater Scholarship

Thursday, May 2, 2024 10:43 am

Scarrow, who overcame a major health scare at Bates, will use the scholarship award to fund her research aspirations in medicine.

Bates professor Sonja Pieck authors award-winning book about German conservation, memory, and wounded land

Friday, April 19, 2024 4:30 pm

Sonja Pieck’s book "Mnemonic Ecologies," about the once-militarized inner German border becoming a Green Belt, tells a story of how "something healing could come out of the pain."

What It Took: Love led Anthony Phillips ’10 to ask, ‘How can we make other people’s lives better?’

Thursday, April 4, 2024 10:00 am

For Anthony Phillips, what it took to find a life journey worth pursuing was the love, resolve, and faith his mother and grandmother passed on to him. Their example led him to the community-focused work he’s now doing as an elected member of the Philadelphia City Council.

Refusing to let the killers have the last word, survivors of the genocide in Rwanda share their story with Bates students

Friday, March 29, 2024 5:00 am

Three survivors of the 1994 Rwandan genocide visited with Bates students this week, sharing how their stories of survival and reconciliation ensure that the killers do not "have the last word.”

Solidarity, empathy, and political agendas: Bates professor explains how and why Irish famine relief ‘went viral’

Friday, March 15, 2024 1:00 pm

Anelise Hanson Shrout's new book about Ireland’s Great Famine documents the first instance of large-scale international philanthropy — and the reasons behind it.