Leadership Jumpstart (EDTHP 234H) sure is rolling out some ambitious ideas this semester. Just last Sunday the Sound Garden Music Festival, an LJS brain-child, celebrated PSU’s new arboretum. With much respect to the organizers of the festival, another group of LJS students have concocted an idea that might be of a little more interest to your average campus commuter.

This idea is called Operation Trading Wheels, a bike sharing/renting program that will allow PSU students to have ID-access to a bike for use on campus. The creators plan to start with a low number of bikes in a trial period, but have high hopes for the system; they have a vision of their bike sharing  system integrated as a Penn State living option. As of right now, they plan to run their Operation out of Atherton Hall and hope that students will be excited enough about the idea to partake.

Personally, I think that this could really work for campus, if the creators take their time in making sure that all the potential liabilities are accounted for and the cost is low enough. After all, not everyone wants to take the time or effort to lug their bike up to University Park from all corners of the country. If planned out well, I could see this becoming as regular as taking the blue loop to class, with the obvious benefits of being healthier and better for the environment. PSU is looking to become more environmentally conscious; this could be a great way to start walking the walk…or, um, biking the bike.

Check out Kaitlyn Knopp’s article in the Collegian for more info, and let us know what you think.

[Photo courtesy of flickr.com]