Did you ever hear of car sharing, or a car co-op? This is a deal where you register as a member, pick up a car or have one delivered at an appointed place, drive it to where you are going, bring it back and you are done. All you do is pay for the trip, and that’s it.
This is one of those golden eco ideas that works better than expected. It saves gas, it cuts down on pollution, it helps the carbon imprint, and you have zero hassles with owning or maintaining an automobile! And truthfully, 75 percent of all the people live in a big city, and what with parking fees, congestion and just plain aggravation, it may not be worth it to own a car.
That’s where car sharing comes in, and it’s probably the best idea since organic chocolate milk, without the calories!
Car sharing or car co-ops are targeted directly at city dwellers who don’t really need a car to get to work. It has been calculated that if you drive less than 7,500 miles per year, you will save money and the environment by getting into a car-share program.
It really is as easy as I have outlined above. You register, call or go online to reserve a car, run your errand, and pay the fee. Car insurance is covered by your fee, and you have the choice between hybrids, pick-ups, even cool BMWs!
Of course, this isn’t for everyone. Those that live out in the burbs are not particularly suited for car shares since distance traveled adds to availability or should I say, non-availability of cars. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be done.
If you are taking a day trip to the city and get there by public transportation, say a bus or a train, you can still reserve a co-op car to travel around and about, while leaving your real car at home. Just by doing that, you save wear and tear on your own vehicle from all the stop and go driving. Plus, it’s just kind of fun to be driving around in another car.
There are many cities around the country to that offer car share programs, and I’ll list a few of them just to give you a head start on your travels. For a more comprehensive list, type "car sharing" into your search engine and hit the “go” button to see what’s available near you.
- Zipcar is located in places like New York, Boston, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Chicago, Atlanta and Baltimore, as well as a host of others.
- U Car Share located in Portland Oregon, Portland Maine, and Madison Wisconsin
- City Car Share in Oakland and Berkeley California
- Roaring Fork Valley Vehicles in Aspen, Colorado
- City Wheels in Cleveland, Ohio
- Dancing Rabbit Vehicle Co-Op is in Rutledge, Missouri. (My personal favorite, of course. Anyone that can think of a name like Dancing Rabbit has my vote!)
Car sharing works, and it is the green way to use a car, so check out car sharing in your city and see what’s available, Because-car sharing-Action speaks louder than words!
Source: BecauseAction.com
