No Cars at Drake

On Friday afternoon, there were plenty of empty parking spots at . But, there wasn’t the regular line of cars waiting to get into the parking lot.

It was the first-ever No Cars on Campus Day, hosted by the Green Routes club at the school.

“It’s to make a statement about the power of walking and biking,” said Anna Garfink, co-President of Green Routes, who along with Carlea Winkler, Eve Penberthy, and Kayla Ruggiero, organized the event.

The front, main lot of the campus was closed off to cars and students and staff were encouraged to walk or bike to school. A satellite parking lot was offered at the empty Alberton’s lot in Fairfax for the 120 cars that usually fill the main lot. 

Additionally, the empty lot gave the Engineering Academy a chance to show off a project they’d been working on all semester: their own human-powered vehicles.

The students in the Engineering Academy built all the three- and four-wheeled vehicles themselves, by hand, and attempted to complete a number of race courses that had been set up in the parking lot, including a speed course and an agility course. The video at right shows off some of the creations.

Those who walked or biked to school received prizes from the energizer stations in the morning. Throughout the lunch period, as the engineering students showed off their vehicles, additional activities attempted to raise awareness about walking and biking, including a bike-power-smoothie machine, student bands, trivia and a bake sale.

Garfink said the goal was to try and get at least 10 percent more of the people who regularly drive to walk or bike “and we did that,” she said.

“If every school had one day a year like this, the positive effect on the environment would be significant,” said Assistant Principal Eric Saibel in a statement.