Emma Armendariz has been hired as the U of A's active transportation coordinator within the Office for Sustainability.

In response to campus transportation trends, the active transportation coordinator assists with the infrastructure and programming needs of people commuting by bicycle, foot, e-scooter, skateboard, wheelchair and other human-powered transportation. This position will continue to eliminate impediments and increase transportation options for students, faculty and staff. The active transportation coordinator is partly funded by the e-scooter permitting system.

Emma Armendariz

Armendariz grew up in Fayetteville and graduated from the U of A with a Bachelor of Science in environmental, soil and water science with minors in sustainability and natural resources management. Her commitment to the community can be seen throughout her academic and professional career path.

Armendariz spent the fall of 2019 with the City of Fayetteville as their trash and recycling intern, where she conducted community outreach. She, along with the environmental educator and the waste reduction coordinator, implemented waste diversion initiatives. During her time, she determined recycling potentials for 14 different apartment complexes, implemented elementary school sustainable lunch packing, educated parents and students about low-waste alternatives for packing lunches and held an assembly for the Fayetteville Public Schools on low-waste lunch with composting.

For the past two years, Armendariz was the Fayetteville Public Schools' sustainability and bike education coordinator. She managed projects like reestablishing curbside recycling programs in 13 district buildings after COVID, supported student-led food waste initiatives, successfully received $43,000 in grant funds for bike education for the 2022-2023 school year, developed education courses for bike safety and established community partnerships to support low-income families to recycle and donate bikes to families. "I am passionate about advocating for communities where people can safely pursue active lifestyles," Armendariz stated.

It is apparent that the citizens of Northwest Arkansas are turning toward active transportation for physical, mental and financial health; however, the availability, safety and ease still limit the transportation options for many people. "I believe now is the time to educate people about living a reduced carbon lifestyle," Armendariz said. "This position would be an opportunity to show how living an active lifestyle can provide a more fulfilling means of living than traditional methods of transportation." Armendariz's commitment to Fayetteville and passion for active transportation will help her excel in this very important role for the U of A campus.

The U of A's Transportation Plan can be viewed or downloaded as a PDF. To learn more about cycling at the U of A, visit bike.uark.edu.

About the Office for Sustainability: The mission of the University of Arkansas Office for Sustainability (OFS) is to motivate, facilitate, and coordinate responsible practices through partnerships with students, faculty, and staff across all campus departments. The OFS uses the campus as a living laboratory by overseeing the implementation of the University of Arkansas environmental goals. These programs are part of the UA Resiliency Center, hosted by the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design, and are supported by UA Facilities Management.