Lincoln Hall is old, run down, and terribly inefficient. It’s the reason that it is receiving the well-deserved $66 million in renovations and it’s what excites Oliver Bock of the Green Riders.

Lincoln Hall is old, run down, and terribly inefficient. It’s the reason that it is receiving the well-deserved $66 million in renovations and it’s what excites Oliver Bock of the Green Riders.

The Green Riders, made up of Oliver and his sister Catherine Bock, are a two-person group that is traveling across the country promoting sustainability on electric bicycles. Their mission is to show that these bikes can be an effective and fun way of transportation and the pair also updates their blog to share stories about the people and places they encountered.

The idea started when Oliver was talking with his brother, Michael, about electric bikes and how fun it would be to ride one across the country. Due to health issues, Michael decided not to participate in the riding, but their sister thought it was such a great idea that she decided to move from Sweden to participate.

“I was doing a bunch of work over the last three or four years of non-profit organizations, especially around business and sustainability,” Oliver said. “The goal of this organization was to build a community of people who supported a sustainable vision for business. Through that I became inspired to do this trip.”

The siblings left their home in Paolo Alto and are in the middle of a two month-long trip that will eventually lead them to Washington D.C.

Along the way, they have already met with Colorado Governor Bill Ritter and traveled to a Native American reservation.

Oliver said he was particularly touched by a man that returned to the Navajo reservation, thanks mostly to their warm hospitality and was impressed by their sustainability, despite being rather poor.

On June 9, the duo will be on campus to see Lincoln Hall and meet with architect Ron Harrison.

“I’m not really interested in new green buildings, though they are important, but I really like retrofit green buildings,” Oliver said. “It’s a way to reinvigorate our cities and our communities that are already existing rather than building new communities, which requires more resources.”

The new Lincoln Hall is expected to have low-flow water fixtures, a new ventilation system, and use recycled materials in construction among other measures.

The Green Riders also meet with sustainability leaders from the areas they visit to showcase what they are doing, while allowing other people from the community experience what they are doing.

“The whole electric bicycle thing adds to the fun,” Oliver said. “We let people tool with them in the parking lot and they come back with these huge grins on their face and they want one.”

After the trip is over, Oliver is not sure what will be next for the Green Riders.

“We’re throwing around a bunch of ideas,” he said. “The idea we had is that we’d create a monthly or bimonthly ride that would be sustainability focused. With our area we would have the option of business and municipalities to visit as a group.”