Charged up: California schools introduce solar-powered scooters
Karen Mansfield
California Area Elementary School students, from left, Austin Ott, Emma Vash, Ryan Neil, and L.J. Pollock, display the solar-powered scooters they drive between the elementary school and the high school as part of the district无毛视频檚 environmental and sustainability initiatives.
Karen Mansfield
Austin Ott, a sixth-grader at California Area Elementary School, rides a solar-powered scooter on the school campus, while L.J. Pollock and Ryan Neil, also sixth-graders, follow close behind.
California Area School District is charging ahead with its commitment to environmental responsibility and sustainability.
The school district has introduced a fleet of solar-powered scooters to shuttle students between the elementary and high school school.
The scooters 无毛视频� essentially solar panels that you can ride 无毛视频� were obtained through a grant from the state Department of Environmental Protection无毛视频檚 Environmental Education Grants Program, which provided funding for 63 projects, including Caifornia无毛视频檚 scooter initiative.
With its $20,000 grant, California Area has launched the Success Relies on Sustainable Schools program to promote conservation.
One component of the program is the 20-scooter fleet, which will eliminate the need for a van to shuttle students between the district无毛视频檚 two school buildings each day.
Said California Area School District Superintendent Dr. Laura Jacob, 无毛视频淎 lot of our elementary kids go up to the high school for seventh- and eighth-grade math and ELA (English Language Arts), and play practice after school, and a lot of high school kids come down to tutor and for after-school activities. We used to pay a van to transport kids back and forth between buildings, so that无毛视频檚 where the environmental side comes in. We want to showcase to kids that, especially considering the electronic vehicle trend, you can use alternative modes of transportation that don无毛视频檛 have to be gasoline or diesel.无毛视频�
The district无毛视频檚 scooters also provide students with an opportunity to experience a mode of transportation used in big cities to make traveling around the city easier and more convenient.
无毛视频淲e wanted to take that Lime approach that you无毛视频檙e seeing in cities like Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C.,无毛视频� said Jacob.
All students will have access to the scooters, as long as they pass an online scooter safety class, get parental approval, and agree to follow safety and usage instructions.
无毛视频淲e used to have to either walk or get a ride. (The scooters) are really cool,无毛视频� said Austin Ott, a sixth-grader who takes ELA classes at the high school building and uses the scooter to cover the half-mile distance between the schools.
The scooter features a solar panel on the front and a solar panel that doubles as a rider无毛视频檚 platform.
When parked in the sun, the panel will take about 20 minutes to recharge the scooter for every minute it was ridden. It can also be plugged into a traditional 110-volt wall outlet to charge. Powered with a 36-volt lithium-ion battery located under the ridable panel, the scooter is designed to travel 20 miles per charge.
The scooter无毛视频檚 top speed is 15 miles per hour. Students are required to wear a helmet (they provide their own).
Jacob said the district installed a bike lane, and is encouraging motorists to be aware that students will be driving on the campus road.
无毛视频淲e encourage people to go 15 miles per hour and abide by road signs because student drivers will be on the road. They have helmets on, but they are student drivers. We don无毛视频檛 want people driving excessively fast, or yielding instead of stopping,无毛视频� said Jacob.
CASD has made efforts to adopt sustainable practices to help turn students into environmentally responsible citizens.
The sustainability initiative will include a recycling program, and the district will resurface its playground area with recycled materials, Jacob said.
The district is awaiting the arrival of two goats for 无毛视频済oatscaping,无毛视频� where grazing goats will manage vegetation growth in an environmentally sound manner.
Jacob said the goats will graze on the cross-country course and also will eat poison ivy, which does not harm them.
Currently, the school district houses an aquaponics program, beehives, and chickens.