Think organic food can’t be diverse and tasty? That a sustainable micro farm is a miniaturized version of agriculture? That CSA is a shadowy government agency? That “artisanal” just means arts and crafts? Then you need to get over to the fantastic FamilyFarmed EXPO, running Thurs to Sat, March 11 to 13, at the UIC Forum, 725 W. Roosevelt Rd.
Celeb chef demos, urban agriculture workshops, CSA sign-ups with local and regional farms. It all goes down easy in our book.
Check out this video promo they created for the 2010 expo:
This is the fifth installment of Oak Park-based FamilyFarmed.org’s annual foodie fest. And it just keeps growing and getting better every year. FamilyFarmed.org’s mission is to “expand the production, marketing and distribution of locally grown and responsibly produced food, in order to enhance the social, economic and environmental health of our communities.”
Local. Green. Sustainable. Healthy. May as well be describing I-GO. Which is why we’ll be at the event on Sat, March 13, from 10am to 6pm, dishing out discount I-GO memberships at $25 a pop. Now that’s deliciously wholesome.
And we’ll sweeten the deal even more: Print out this two-for-one admission coupon and bring a pal:
I-GO donned the green (even more than our usual eco self) in Forest Park’s annual St. Paddy’s Day parade this past Saturday, March 6, piloting a pimped-out Paddy wagon (er, Prius) down Madison Street. The parade is one of the bigger suburban St. Pat’s shindigs, and our Prius is located in the village, thanks to I-GO’s suburban expansion initiative, launched in 2009.
In case you missed it, here’s I-GO’s March newsletter. Lots of fun stuff in this issue: how we’ll be getting greener than usual for St. Pat’s, how to set up text alerts for your reservations, and more.
His proposal was recently greenlighted by the CTA — as reported in Time Out Chicago this week — though Baldwin still faces a long haul, and potentially as many delays as current CTA service, to secure funding and insurance and retool the original design as a greenhouse structure, in order to prevent dislodged debris from causing any problems. Makes sense to us. Only cartoon characters should get thumped on the head with plummeting potted plants.
The other part of the plan — now scheduled for a 2011 launch — was to distribute plants to commuters at various rail stations. Joe told us earlier it would work as a “Bring a Plant to Work Day” sort of deal, but this has apparently changed to CTA workers passing out seed packets aboard the designated Mobile Garden train. Joe has managed to secure the packet donation from a Wisconsin CSA.
What he really needs, though, is seed money. If you’re interested in helping Joe cultivate his dream — sown as a school project and now getting signaled onto a different sort of Green Line — you can pitch in at www.giveforward.org/makeitreal.
Our colleagues at the Center for Neighborhood Technology (I-GO’s parent org) recently blogged on how the U.S. Dept. of Transportation’s TIGER program (the acronym stands for Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) is impacting the Chicago area through the various CREATE projects (Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency). USDOT Secretary Ray LaHood announced last week that — under the aegis of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act — the feds are keepin’ it rail.
That sits well with us at I-GO. Along with CNT, we’ve been advocating for multi-modal sustainable transportation that moves folks and freight while causing the least amount of damage to the environment. In Chicago — which owes its very origins to waterway and rail infrastructure — investing in rail to create jobs and rebuild our communities shows refreshing foresight.
CNT has been at the forefront of tying transportation to housing and business development. I-GO, for its part, works with the CTA to offer a joint transit smartcard that allows users to access both our cars and CTA trains and buses (and suburban Pace buses, too, for that matter).
A very big thanks to Columbia College, Neale, and videographer Trevis Loosbrock for reaching out to us — and for fighting the good fight. Keep it green, guys.
“Essential Chicago” sounds like the worst idea possible for a fragrance that captures the essence of the Windy City. Lucky for us it’s just the cover story feature in this week’s issue of Time Out Chicago. This time around, the mag’s annual feature targets “The New Essentials.”
Take a wild guess which car sharing company they consider essential. Man, we smell good!
Big congrats to Chicago’s own Jeanne Gang and her Studio Gang architecture firm for winning the 2009 Emporis Skyscraper Award global competition! Wow. What a shooting star. And she deserves it — the Aqua tower, located at 225 N. Columbus Dr. in the Lakeshore East development, is a kinetic, organic revelation.
Did we mention that I-GO has a 2010 Suburu Legacy (vehicle #4606) at the Aqua? Besides its swirling, undulating physique, the Aqua is a green building from its green roof (pending come spring, we hear) to the dedicated charging stations in its parking garage. We plan to add a a plug-in hybrid electric car (or two) there this year, in addition to the Legacy, a luxe ride that boasts excellent fuel efficiency in its class.
An I-GO plug-in Prius served as the spotlit demo vehicle for a press conference with Mayor Daley when Magellan, the Aqua’s developer, debuted the charging station technology.
Yes, it’s that time once again, when the annual gearhead juggernaut known as the Chicago Auto Show parks its latest toys at McCormick Place. We checked it out last night. General impression? Despite all the current buzz about green tech, it was pretty much business as usual. Lots of moderate to low fuel-efficient models. Utilitarian ho-hum design. Slick brochures, slicker salesman, and eye-candy models trying to give the status quo a sugar buzz. If this is any indication of middle America’s attitude toward green mobility, seems we’ve got our work cut out for us in playing matchmaker between the mainstream and EVs.
Unlike Detroit’s sprawling “Electric Avenue,” there’s no concentrated effort here to spotlight electric vehicles as the bright, hopeful future of a reenergized auto industry, the cornerstone of a domestic economy built on clean, green tech, and a remedy to curbing our carbon footprint.
Hyundai’s Blue-Will, the automaker’s first plug-in, looks pretty James Bond 2.0 and can run solely on its lithium polymer battery for a range up to 40 miles. The FT-CH takes the Prius notion a step further for youthful urbanites who grew up on a steady diet of video gaming and anime and are more willing to spend less on a smaller, even more fuel-efficient set of wheels. We’re assuming they won’t all be so in-your-face Kermit-the-frog green, but hey, if you want to be a mobile advertisement for environmental progress, we’ll honk when we see you rolling down Michigan Ave.
Good impartial article in the New York Times over the weekend assessing the first cautious steps toward mainstream adoption of electric vehicle technology in the U.S. We’ve all been talking about the design and pricing challenges of the vehicle tech (mainly the batteries), but the bigger picture encompasses so much more if this is going to work. And San Francisco is certainly in the vanguard on this one. We’ll be keeping a close eye on the Bay Area, that’s for sure.
Did we mention I-GO has two plug-in hybrid electric cars? We’re planning to add a whole lot more in the months to come, too.
You may be wondering how Toyota’s highly publicized recalls affect us. Only six I-GO cars were included in two recalls: four Toyota Matrix hatchbacks, which were immediately serviced for accelerator pedal repairs and returned to our fleet, and two 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid hatchbacks, which we removed from service as soon as Toyota issued a safety recall to address possible brake problems. They are being repaired and will be returned to to our fleet today. The safety of our members is I-GO’s number-one responsibility. Our fleet management staff monitors every car in our fleet 365 days a year — not just those involved in recalls — and I-GO takes maintenance and safety concerns very seriously. We will continue to notify members with any future updates on how Toyota’s recalls impact our service.
Are you a fan of the House Theatre, purveyors of pop-culture-infused, kinetic, comic-book stage craft? Does upscale Irish cuisine at Mrs. Murphy & Son’s Irish Bistro sound like the perfect cold-weather comfort food? Rack up the most member referrals in February and win our appetizing dinner-and-a-show package pairing two tickets to the House’s new production, Wilson Wants It All, and a $50 gift certificate for Emerald Isle comfort food in Mrs. Murphy’s cozy, elegant confines.
It’s been tucked away on our website for a long time — and many of our members may not be aware of it — but Chi-Town Rewards just got a whole lot better.
Chi-Town Rewards is a cross-promotional program that entitles I-GO members to discounts at a wide variety of businesses operating in the Chicagoland area. To redeem an offer, members simply show their I-GO smart cards (or, in the instance of online-only businesses, their member ID number). The participating businesses range from restaurants to fitness providers to gift shops to environmental services — and a whole lot more. Lots of them will have a Chi-Town Rewards decal we provide (pictured above) which is displayed in their businesses to indicate they participate in the program.
We’ve just redesigned this section of our website to make it much easier to sift through the offers and find out more about the businesses.
Now you can search by location or business type, and the resulting posts include short descriptions and photos of the business, website links and other contact info, and, of course, the discount offer. The posts can also be printed out separately in a new window by clicking on the business title. That way, the print-out also functions as a coupon the member can take to the business, along with their smart card, to redeem the offer.
It gets better:
We’ve also initiated a new “Deal of the Month” featured item in this section. It will appear in the left column of the Chi-Town Rewards page. These are special offers or contests that go beyond the standard day-to-day discounts. So we encourage you to check this page regularly for updated Deals of the Month.
And we now have a simple web application form that business owners or managers can fill out to join the program. All you have to do is make an offer you think our members would appreciate. Pretty simple. But we’re also looking to collaborate with businesses in other ways, too, so if you’d like to suggest an event we can pitch in at, or some sort of web promotion, hey, we’re all ears. By all means, give us a shout.
So check it out, I-GO members. It’s just one more way we’re helping you save bucks. (No small consideration in this brutal economy.) Dig in!
“According to a new study by the American Public Transportation Association (which, yes, has an interest in the results), the average public transportation rider can save $9,242 a year by ditching a car.”
The post includes APTA’s news release on how the stats were deduced. And you can check out their online calculator to ascertain how much you’d save personally.
Chicago fares well in the rankings among cities: We’re fourth in savings at averages of $946 monthly and $11,357 annually. New York, Boston, and San Francisco are ranked first, second, and third.
Blanco adds:
“A car-sharing option was not included in the APTA model, but it’s easy enough to see that going by bus and rail most days and using the savings to rent a car when needed certainly puts one ahead financially, if public transit is a viable option.”
That option certainly extends to I-GO, which offers a joint transit smart card with the CTA. We estimate that members who’ve sold a car or shed one in switching to car sharing can save as much as $5,000 a year in reduced transportation expenses.
And in this economy, those savings can mean quite a lot for many of us.
Minneapolis-St. Paul’s Star-Tribune gives some love this week to HOURCAR, our fellow regional non-profit car-sharing pals in the Twin Cities.
HOURCAR is a more modestly scaled endeavor than I-GO, but they’ve quietly been making steady progress in introducing Minnesotans to car sharing. And we share a lot in common with them. HOURCAR was launched by the St. Paul non-profit org Neighborhood Energy Connection (NEC), which pursues many of the same aims as CNT Energy, a division of the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT), the non-profit which launched I-GO in 2002. Both help consumers obtain information and services they need to control energy costs and reduce their carbon footprint.
And if you’re an I-GO member traveling to the Twin Cities, you can join HOURCAR for free!
And then there’s CUB Energy Saver, a multi-pronged initiative of the Illinois non-profit Citizens Utility Board that helps local residents save money on bills, manage energy use, and team up with friends and neighbors to make their communities more energy-efficient. The CUB Energy Saver site is a pretty cool social-media-styled online app that lets you configure and monitor your energy use, join groups, write blog posts, get updates on events, and more. It’s very well designed, we must say. Kudos to CUB on this one. We encourage you to check it out for yourself. When you sign up (for free), they’ll even send you a free compact fluorescent light bulb.
I-GO CEO Sharon Feigon represented I-GO Car Sharing at the Transportation Research Board’s 89th annual meeting this week in Washington, D.C. The event surveys all transportation modes, with more than 3,000 presentations in nearly 600 sessions addressing topics of interest to policy makers, administrators, practitioners, researchers, and representatives of government, industry, and academic institutions.
On Wednesday, Jan. 13, Sharon cochaired the Shared Vehicle Committee. She also emailed us this link to a Megan McConville post on TheCityFix.com, an online resource for sustainable transport news, advocacy and “best practice” solutions from around the world. The blog is produced by EMBARQ – The World Resources Institute Center for Sustainable Transport, a non-profit organization that works with cities in the developing world to catalyze and help implement sustainable solutions to problems of urban mobility.
McConville reports on a session about car sharing and bike sharing. Among the more interesting highlights:
An estimated 9 to 13 vehicles are removed from the road for each car sharing vehicle deployed.
Connectivity to public transit, the age of the transit station, and the average employment rate had a positive impact on car-sharing market share.
There are 100 bike-sharing programs in 125 cities with more than 140,000 bikes, with another 45 planned in 22 countries in 2010. (Pictured at right: Washington D.C.’s SmartBike DC bike-share program.)
The next stage for bike sharing involves flexible/mobile docking stations, smart card integration with other transportation modes, and advanced technologies including GPS, touchscreen kiosks, and e-bikes.
We’d love to see that sort of high-tech integration in Chicago. I-GO, for its part, already has a joint smart card with the CTA, enabling access to both our fleet of cars and CTA buses and trains. But we hope that’s just the start of even more exciting multi-modal systems to come.
Like to eat well? Have we got an incentive for you.
I-GO will award two gift certificates — for savory, veg-a-licious edibles (like the shiitake-stuffed pot stickers pictured at right) at Evanton’s estimable Blind Faith Café and from truffle and caramel specialist Katherine Anne Confections — to the I-GO member who racks up the most referrals this month.
All you have to do is tell your friends, family, and colleagues to join I-GO. For every approved applicant who names you as the referring member on their application form, we’ll add $20 in free driving credit to your account, and if you have the highest tally from now through January 31 you’ll also be the proud, appetite-stoked recipient of a $25 gift certificate for Blind Faith Café and a $30 gift certificate for Katherine Anne Confections.
This is just the start of a monthly contest campaign we’re launching this month. Every month we’ll be giving out prizes from local businesses, so be sure to check our blog and Facebook page for new contests.
This week, our fleet team will be moving vehicles into the following locations:
CHICAGO
1809 E. 71st St.: 2006 silver Scion xB, vehicle #4479
1313 E. 60th St.: 2007 blue Toyota Prius, vehicle #4563
5500 S. Greenwood St.: 2009 gray Honda Fit, vehicle #4588
3201 S. State St.: 2008 red Honda Element, vehicle #4560
800 S. Clark St.: 2009 gray Honda CR-V, vehicle #4604
929 N. Wells St.: 2009 silver Honda CR-V, vehicle #4442
2825 N. Halsted St.: 2007 orange Honda Fit, vehicle #4518
7531 N. Clark St., 2009 silver Honda Odyssey, vehicle #4440
EVANSTON
504 South Blvd.: 2006 red Scion xB, vehicle #4485
Members will be able to search for these vehicles after logging into our reservation system. They will also be added to the map on our Car Locations page.
At our recent holiday party — attended by nearly 500 car-sharing fans — we asked I-GO members why they use our service and what they like most about it. We also took the opportunity to announce some impressive statistics on how much money our members saved and how many metric tons of CO2 they helped reduce this past year. We can all be quite proud of our shrinking carbon footprint.
We’re getting some fun responses to our current Facebook contest: Write the best holiday song parody about I-GO and win $30 in free driving credits.
Stephanie Kollman submitted this catchy, little ditty:
“It’s beginning to look a lot like I-GO
Everywhere I go!
There’s a car near Aunt Bea’s hotel,
At the grocery store as well,
Drive Grandma around and she won’t mind the snow!…
It’s beginning to look a lot like I-GO!
Soon the fun will start,
And the thing that will make you sing
Is the wind that will not sting
Yet you do your part!”
Awww. So cute. Care to try it yourself? If you’re not already a fan of our Facebook page, join the club and give us your best Johnny Mathis impersonation. Those 30 bucks of free driving in an I-GO car sure beat a one-horse open sleigh when it’s this cold outside, that’s for sure.
Nobody out there needs to be told times are tough. And while that’s hardly the marketing slogan of the year, we can say this unequivocally: car sharing saves bucks. Big time. Some folks report saving up to four or five thou a year after selling a car and switching to car sharing and public transit. (Good thing we offer a combo smart card with the CTA.)
Most of us are also hacking our holiday shopping budgets to bits this season. (Sorry, retailers, we feel your pain.) But giving someone an I-GO membership really is that gift that keeps on giving. And, hey, that gift recipient may as well be yourself, too. Treat yourself. You deserve it.
With all this in mind, we’re offering a special holiday discount: Join I-GO for just $25 (covers the first year of membership) and get three free hours of driving. Just use the promo code HOLIDAY2009 on the application form. And we’re also giving $25 in driving credits to every member who refers a new, approved applicant. We also offer gift certificates.
This month we are in the process of adding I-PASS transponders to lots of I-GO cars. All suburban vehicles will be equipped with I-PASS transponders, and our fleet team has carefully selected vehicles across Chicago to ensure at least one vehicle in each neighborhood is similarly equipped.
To find the cars with I-PASS in our fleet, members can search for them in the Amenities section of our online reservation system after logging in. We have placed a bright orange sticker in each I-PASS-equipped vehicle, notifying members not to use their own I-PASS or pay the tolls themselves.
The I-PASS charges will be added to the member’s invoice at the end of the month. It’s a great deal for all: using our I-PASS is significantly cheaper than paying tolls with cash. No vehicle registered with the Illinois Tollway will receive a violation, so you can enjoy open road tolling with peace of mind.
I-GO threw a holiday bash for its members and their guests Thurs., Dec. 3, at the Merchandise Mart. Perched on the 15th floor, in a sleek space with a dramatic, panoramic view of the Chicago River below, the merrymakers—at least 500 by our count—got their fill of holiday cheer, I-GO style.
A sumptious buffet was provided by an eclectic variety of local culinary faves, including Soul Vegetarian East, Hannah’s Bretzel, Bistro Campagne, Fruit Flowers, Raw Creations, Provenance Food & Wine, and Piece Brewery & Pizzeria. Lucky winners also scooped up fab raffle prizes furnished by Patagonia, the Joffrey Ballet, Lookingglass Theatre, Random House Audio, and Salon Moka.
I-GO CEO Sharon Feigon spoke about the organization’s past year of accomplishments and gave a preview of highlights to come in 2010—most tantalizingly: making the Chicago Card Plus/I-GO Card available to I-GO’s entire membership. The joint smartcard was a pilot program created by the CTA and I-GO in early 2009.
I-GO presented its Volunteers of the Year Award to Taica Shariee and Carl Westburg, who helped us spread the word on I-GO and car sharing at numerous community events in 2009. Thank you, Taica and Carl!
Guests left with gift bags made from recycled material provided by Green Depot. Many continued their night by browsing at the Merchandise Mart’s One of a Kind Show & Sale, courtesy of free passes provided by the Mart.
Thanks to all who came and made the night such a success!
SkokieNet.org, a great community website run by the Skokie Public Library, just created a fantastic video on I-GO Car Sharing coming to Skokie. Frances Roehm, a triple-threat librarian who edits the site and helped shoot the video, worked with 16-year-old videographer whiz kid Erica Mui, who shot footage, edited it, and served as on-camera interviewer. Check out the carefully composed shots, fades, and soundtrack. Hard to believe this was edited by a high schooler. Impressive, Erica! Look out, Sofia Coppola.
I-GO uses two village-donated spaces in a parking lot behind Memorial Park at Oakton Street and Lincoln Avenue. They’re near the library and Skokie Village Hall.
Illinois Fifth District Congressman Mike Quigley’s Chicago office now has an I-GO business member account. It makes sense when you check out the local pol’s environment and energy policy statement on his website, which talks about combating carbon emissions and promoting renewable energy. Car sharing, of course, fits well within that agenda.
We contacted his office to find out why he decided to go with I-GO. Here’s what Congressman Quigley had to say:
“Protecting the environment was the reason I first got involved in politics. I’m a lifelong Sierra Club member, taught environmental policy at Loyola University, and I ride my bike to meetings all over Washington—including the White House. Developing renewable energy, improving green technologies, and reducing carbon emissions are at the heart of both my legislative agenda and personal beliefs. Taking public transit and enrolling our office in a car-sharing program like I-GO that features hybrid vehicles are ways for me to practice what I preach and continue to do whatever I can to help preserve our planet.”—Congressman Mike Quigley
Curious to learn how an I-GO business account can help your organization save money and the environment? Read more here ››.
Earlier this week we emailed our holiday party invite to I-GO members. We’ll send it out again in a few days, with some additional details. But if you didn’t see it yet, and would like to attend our annual bash, we’ve posted the invitation on our site. Check it out, and then just email us at greenparty@igocars.org with the names of those attending and their email addresses (so we can contact everyone with any updates or reminders).
It’s gonna be a great one this year. Merchandise Mart Properties has generously provided us with a killer space, and several other business supporters are pitching in with food and drink, prizes, and more. We’ll be updating folks as the attractions expand! The one thing that won’t expand: your waistline. We’re dishing up healthy holiday fare with organic flair. Mmmm. Now that’s a green holiday party.
Cecil Adams gives Reader fans the lowdown on car sharing, how it works, and how members contribute to the program in the Straight Dope, the Reader’s venerable, plucky column. Looks good to us. Thanks for spreading the word, Cecil!
CMAP is asking residents of Cook, DuPage, Will, Kane, McHenry, Lake, and Kendall counties to pull out their cameras and capture what they value about the region. CMAP’s “2009 Images of Northeastern Illinois Photo Contest” runs through the end of November.
Two winners (a first prize and runner-up) will be selected in each of the following categories, along with one overall contest winner and runner-up:
Diversity (people, places, art, culture, food)
Community Vitality (walkable, vibrant places; retail; neighborhood pride)
Awards will include prizes donated by local businesses and a showcase of the winners’ photos at a location to be announced. Submissions to the contest may also be featured on CMAP’s web site and in print publications (with prior consent only).
More details and full contest rules are posted online. You can also contact Lindsay Banks with questions: (312) 386-8826 or email photo@cmap.illinois.gov.
Need inspiration? Take a peek at some pix shot by previous winners, like Tom Rand’s stark depiction of Calumet Beach in winter:
Enjoy parties? Making new, likeminded friends? Networking in a sleek setting that swaps seminars for DJ beats, festive libations, and raffle prizes? Then SAVE THE DATE: I-GO is throwing a holiday party for members and their friends Thursday evening, December 3, at the Merchandise Mart. (Just wait until you see the view from our sweet digs.) Admission? Gratis. Bonus prize: It takes place in conjunction with the Mart’s “One of a Kind Show and Sale,” easily one of Chicago’s best holiday shopping bazaars, featuring unique gifts from more than 500 artists, artisans, and designers. And if you come to the party, you get into the show for free. Can’t beat that one with a candy cane. Stayed tuned for future posts with more details and RSVP info.
On October 24, people in 181 countries came together for the most widespread day of environmental action in the planet’s history. At more than 5,200 events—organized by 350.org, an international campaign dedicated to building a movement to unite the world around solutions to the climate crisis—people gathered to call for action on the crisis.
I-GO took part in one, Oak Park’s “Halfway to Earth Day” event at 833 S. Euclid, where we just added two cars: a Honda Civic and a new 2010 Honda Insight hybrid.
The hybrid car was a fitting backdrop visual for participants, which included students from Oak Park & River Forest High School, Village President David Pope, and State Senator Don Harmon.
I-GO participates in green events year-round. Check our upcoming events calendar to find out where we’ll be next.
Must be something in the air. We’re revamping our site, and just noticed that so, too, has Metra. If you were familiar with their old one, man, are you gonna love Metra’s new, improved version. Sooo much better.
You may have noticed our web site looks a lot different today. That’s because we’ve spent a lot of time reorganizing it, editing and updating content, and tweaking the design a bit here and there. We’re not done with it just yet, but we think it’s an improvment, and we hope our members and visitors to our site agree.
The member log-in is now located in the upper right corner of every page on the site, including, of course, the home page.
The News page on the site now features our blog, media coverage, and various social media interaction (Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and Vimeo). We’ve also add a new business membership online application program that lets companies and their employees sign up directly on our site. (Formerly, this was a person-to-person offline process.)
The Discount Cars program is a real bargain: $1 off an array of cars we designate at the beginning of every month. Car sharing is all about saving you money, and we hope this benefits your bank account even more.
Hope that you like the site’s new look, and it’s easier to find what you’re looking for.
Big thanks to Chicago’s Mid City Suburu for generously providing I-GO with a beautiful, new, 2010 Suburu Legacy mid-size sedan. Great to see them supporting car sharing in Chicago. Car was dropped off at our office last week and will be located at Lakeshore East’s awesome Aqua tower, 225 N. Columbus Dr. Need to show a business client around town? Got a date to impress? This’ll do.
We will be continuing with our suburban expansion by adding two cars in Des Plaines in November. A Toyota Prius hybrid and Honda Insight hybrid will be going into City Parking Lot 9 on the south side of Miner Street, between Lee and Graceland Streets.
Our 13,000-plus members have 24/7 access to more than 200 hybrid and low-emission vehicles in Chicago, Oak Park, Evanston, Skokie, Forest Park, and now Des Plaines as well.
On Saturday, Oct. 10, I-GO Car Sharing was prominently featured in a high-profile press conference and exhibition hosted by Magellan Development Group at its new, high-profile Aqua tower in Chicago’s Lakeshore East community. The Aqua, an 82-story mixed-use structure designed by architect Jeanne Gang with many environmentally beneficial elements, includes the Midwest’s first electric vehicle charging station open to the public.
Mayor Richard Daley participated in the charging station demonstration of a plug-in electric Prius provided by I-GO. The new station adds to the progressive efforts of newly created Carbon Day Automotives, a Chicago firm employing the Coulomb Technologies ChargePoint Network of electric charging stations. A new infrastructure for electric electric vehicles is being created to deal with the fact that virtually every auto manufacturer has announced plans to produce plug-in vehicles in the next one to three years in response to concerns over high gas prices, oil dependence, and the impact of climate change on the environment.
The six-charger station at Aqua will accommodate up to 24 plug-in vehicles. To access it, and others in the ChargePoint/Carbon Day Automotive network, drivers of plug-in vehicles will be required to subscribe to a plan that will provide convenient and affordable access to all public charging stations.
All plug-in stations are connected by computer network to provide drivers with best access to outlets. Drivers can access locations based on the navigation system in their vehicles, computers, telephones, or smartphones. The system no only identifies the closest stations but tells subscribers which are idle and which are occupied.
The event was significant for another reason as well. It provides an impressive prototype for the kind of sustainable-energy infrastructure Chicago will be building with funds awarded via the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2009 Clean Cities Petroleum Reduction Technologies grant program. Recently, Mayor Daley announced, Chicago was the recipient of $15 million in stimulus funding allocated toward this purpose. I-GO is among the partners committed to transforming Chicago’s sustainable transportation, along with ComEd, Carbon Day, Magellan, the City of Chicago’s Department of the Environment, and Yellow Cab, all of whom also took part in the Aqua event.
I-GO has two plug-in electric vehicles in its metro-wide fleet, which is entirely comprised of highly fuel-efficient, low-emission vehicles. Hybrid gas-electric vehicles account for nearly half of the organization’s fleet. The non-profit plans to add many more plug-ins in the near future and work in tandem with the imminent solar-panel-powered electric charging station network to help lead the way toward greener mobility in the Chicago area.
This video includes both the press conference proceedings as well as interviews with I-GO CEO Sharon Feigon and Carbon Day Automotive’s business development manager, Brian Levin, recorded earlier at the latter org’s Carbon Day Festival in Lincoln Park on Sept. 15.
Uptown I-GOers will dig this: We recently added a Honda CR-V compact SUV at the Bridgeview Bank location, 4753 N. Broadway, next to the Prius and Civic already there. Once that new Target opens down the street, you can really go nuts loading up this baby. Book it now while it’s still got that new-car smell.
Tanya Killian, the dynamic entrepreneur behind the local green-friendly cleaning service I-GO uses, was featured on Chicago Tonight yesterday in a segment on microcredit loans. Killian’s company, WashMe-EnviGreen, handles our entire fleet. I-GO makes a cameo appearance. If microcredit can help such hard-working, passionate folks like Tanya, we think it’s a concept worth extending and building upon.
Curious to hear how the I-GO Car Sharing braintrust views car sharing? The Great Lakes Urban Exchange—an org dedicated to the revitalization of the Great Lakes region through positive social change and environmental progress—recently interviewed I-GO’s CEO Sharon Feigon and included the discussion as a podcast in a blog post.
Sharon talks about the impetus for I-GO, its mission to reduce car ownership and greenhouse gas emissions, partner on sustainable transportation for the benefit of all communities, and much more.
You won’t find a Beemer in I-GO’s fleet. But you will find a bona fide, earnest desire to improve our world for the better.
Cara Dillon is a honey-toned folk singer from Ireland who’s just one of many great acts playing this year’s World Music Festival. The fest gigs happen all over Chicago from today through next Thursday. Dillon’s on the bill tomorrow with Kusun Ensemble from Ghana and our hometown’s own Chicago Afrobeat Project at the Edgewater GRalley, a cool new event that takes place in and around the alleys off Granville in the Edgewater ‘hood. I-GO will be getting folks to tune into car sharing by offering $25 membership sign-ups at the event. We hope saving big bucks on car expenses is music to your ears, though it’ll be tough competing with these dulcet pipes from the Emerald Isle.
We love all press coverage, but most articles and posts on I-GO don’t go the distance.
This one does. It really does a nice job hitting on all aspects of our org, from the member benefits to our green tech initiatives.
Blue Planet Green Living is an interesting green-biz site worth checking out. Excerpted from their bio page:
We’re on a quest to find organic, green, and natural products as well as services that support a healthy environment. As BPGL grows, we’ll be building a road map to guide you through the maze of websites and introduce you to earth-friendly businesses and people that we believe in. Our focus is helping what we call ecopreneurs, the folks who launch start-up companies that are focused on helping the planet. We also like to showcase the undiscovered (or little-known) individuals or families who are trying to help in their own unique ways. But, big or small, we’ll lend our support to anyone who is working to sustain the earth, keeping it blue and green (and every lovely color in between), just like it’s supposed to be.
While most of us are happy to have the day off for Labor Day, it’s a bit bittersweet- seeing as Labor Day signals the end to summer. But don’t fret! Instead, grab an I-GO car and jet off to one of the Chicago Tribune’s many ideas for Labor Day fun:
African Festival of the Arts:Experience African and African-American culture through music, fine arts and cuisine at this annual festival. 10 a.m.-10 p.m. in Washington Park, 51st Street and Cottage Grove Avenue. $10-$15, $5 for seniors and children younger than 12; 773-955-2787, africanfestivalchicago.org
Bike Obama tour:See the sights President Barack Obama frequented in the Chicago area, including his Hyde Park neighborhood. The two-hour, 6-mile bike tour begins at 10 a.m. at the Hyde Park Art Center, 5020 S. Cornell Ave. $32, $18 for children younger than 12 (bike and helmet available). An extended Stimulus Package tour is 22 miles in four hours (departs at 9 a.m., $43) and includes the Museum Campus and Grant Park. A 10 percent discount is offered for online reservations, R.S.V.P. required; 312-915-0995, bobbysbikehike.com
Summer Tropical Flower Show:Maybe your garden didn’t turn out as planned (rain is good, no?), but this display of tropical plants, including begonias and hibiscus, should brighten your day. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at Lincoln Park Conservatory, 2391 N. Stockton Drive. Free; 312-742-7736; and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at Garfield Park Conservatory, 300 N. Central Park Ave. Free; 312-746-5100
Dinosaurs Alive!:A display of animatronic dinosaurs — including a 60-foot-long and 30-foot-high replica of the Ruyang Yellow River dinosaur — at Brookfield Zoo has got the awesomeness. And there are all the other wonderful animal habitats to check out too. 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m. at Brookfield Zoo, 3300 Golf Rd., Brookfield. $17, $11 for seniors and children ages 3-11 (includes regular zoo admission), $8 for parking; 708-485-0263, czs.org
The Last Fling:Here’s how to send summer off with a bang: a spaghetti-eating contest, Big Wheel races, car show, parade and more. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. at Naperville Riverwalk, 100 W. Jackson Ave., Naperville. Free (main stage free Monday); 630-961-4143, lastfling.org
Bristol Renaissance Faire:It’s the last chance to get all medieval, as Bristol closes its season with a juggling/comedy/fire show, street theater and more. 10 a.m.-7 p.m. at Bristol Renaissance Faire, 12550 120th Ave., Kenosha, Wis. $16.95, $7.50 for children 5-12, children younger than 5 free; 847-395-7773, renfair.com
Arlington Park:A day of thoroughbred racing will include a Pucker Up Stakes for 3-year-old fillies and a Stars and Stripes handicap for older horses. There’s more than racing going on, with The Brave performing on the Miller Lite Band Stage. Gates open at 11:15 a.m. at Arlington Park, 2200 W. Euclid, Arlington Heights. $6-$7 general admission, children younger than 17 free when accompanied by an adult; 847-385-7427, arlingtonpark.com
Chicago Premium Outlets: Kids — according to kids — can never have enough back-to-school clothes. And if you’re looking for outfits for the ones who have grown a size over the summer, already-discounted merchandise at the 120 outlet stores will have additional reductions of 25 percent to 65 percent. 9 a.m.-9 p.m. at Chicago Premium Outlets, 1650 Premium Outlets Blvd., Aurora; 630-585-2200, premiumoutlets.com
If you have a minute to spare after booking your I-GO reservation, you should check out this great website, Chicago Gas Prices. Not only can you find the cheapest spots to refuel around the city, but you also have the chance to win prizes (like $250 in prepaid gas!) if you join in the effort by reporting fuel prices you see while out and about in your I-GO vehicle.
The website also provides other handy tools such as: fuel price maps (both local and national), fuel logbooks, fuel tax info, mobile widgets and more.
Who’s got the cheapest gas in the Chicagoland area today? As of this blog post, that honor belongs to the Sam’s Club in Northlake on 141 W. North Ave & Railroad Ave., offering $2.61 per gallon. As you can see in the local price snapshot below, gas was much more expensive this time last year.
Established in 2002, the Chicago Innovation Awards shine a bright light on the creative spirit of Chicago by focusing attention on the most significant new products and services introduced in the region. The ten winners each year are innovations that uniquely fill unmet needs, spark a competitive response in the marketplace, exceed market expectations, achieve financial success, and improve people’s lives. They emerge from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Most importantly, the Chicago Innovation Awards remind is that innovation is thriving in America’s heartland.
There are 75 nominees covering a wide array of innovators—big and small, public and private. Sifting through the list is an eye-opener: It’s encouraging to see how many enterprising innovators are on the cusp of great ideas in Chicago. Eat your tech-nerd heart out, Silicon Valley.
Best of all: You can vote for I-GO to win! Not that we’d twist your arm on the way to the virtual ballot box. But, c’mon, our particular take on car sharing—partnering with mass transit; extending alternative, sustainable transportation to ALL neighborhoods; only using low-emission, fuel-efficient vehicles (including dozens of hybrids and two bona fide plug-ins)—is worth a spot atop the podium, eh?
Reserve an I-GO Prius in the last two weeks of August and you could find a pair of free tickets to Chicago’s hit rock ‘n’ roll musical, Million Dollar Quartet, in the glovebox! Or you may discover free cast-recording CDs and other prizes stashed in the dash!
Not only that: They want to start off with thousands of electric cars and a network of charging stations.
Isn’t the sort of bold strategy Chicago ought to be implementing if it wants to demonstrate how green it is to the international Olympic committee? Especially since the city is banking on its environmental initiatives to win the 2016 Summer Games.
That said, the Chicago 2016 committee’s “Blue-Green Games” agenda is still quite laudable—if they can pull it off.
Not taking sides on that bid—there are pros and cons to it in so many ways. Just noting that Paris seems more progressive in this regard at the moment.
According to a new study by researchers at the University of Michigan: “The average fuel efficiency of the US vehicle fleet has risen by just 3 miles per gallon since the days of the Ford Model T, and has barely shifted at all since 1991.”
At least we stopped wearing bowler hats and bustles, though.
I-GO Car Sharing recently got two nice shoutouts on blogs. Here’s one from a member who’s intent on living a car-free life (with us as the exception). And we’re also mentioned in a post on car sharing on Allstate Insurance’s blog Vehicle Vibes.
I-GO just added four brand-new Honda Insights to the fleet. Pictured here: the Insight at 2350 N. Racine (at Fullerton). Took it out for a bit today. Really nice ride. Sooo clean. (Let’s keep it that way!) Liked the “Eco Assist” button function, which lets you tweak the electric-to-gas ratio even more. This car sits next to a Prius and guess what? I couldn’t tell the diff until I got within five feet.
Cash for Clunkers addendum: the Dept of Transportation estimates an average increased fuel efficiency of 15.8mpg to 25.4mpg so far. See sidebar figures in today’s NY Times coverage. Forget about the funding debate for a sec. How about “cash for car sharing”?
Or really push the envelope and require folks to buy plug-ins, hybrids and, when feasible, EVs like the Nissan Leaf or Chevy Volt. 25mpg? Meh. It’s anemic compared to the new Prius and InSight, excellent vehicles that double that figure and are already mass produced.
Good news for I-GO members– five new local businesses have joined our Chi-Town Rewards Program! You can now save some dough simply by flashing your I-GO Smartcard at the following businesses:
Green Home Experts www.GHExperts.com 708.660.1443 OFFER: 10% off all in-stock items up to $100
To follow up on our previous post: Here’s the skinny on Nissan’s new EV, a four-door hatchback called the Leaf that boasts a 100-mile range on a full charge, charges to 80% in 30 minutes, and exceeds 90mph.
Nissan’s biz model is a smart ecosystem approach: partnering with battery-charging network entrepreneurs (Better Place) and green government initiatives.
Nissan’s planning to unveil its new zero-emissions electric vehicle at its HQ on Aug. 2. Check out the performance stats overview on its site. The car is counting down to lift-off in 2010.
Don’t know if it’s just opportunistic green brand marketing or earnest enviro stewardship, but I’m liking the mission statement here:
Nissan has been addressing a wide range of actions under “Blue Citizenship” which represents the company’s desire to protect the blue planet and to be a corporate citizen that can live symbiotically with people and society. These efforts range from such global issues as the environmental protection to contribution to communities, promoting diversity and making personal mobility available to as many people as possible. Nissan continues promoting the development of zero-emission vehicles based on the “Blue Citizenship” spirit by introducing effective technologies, products and services into the market.
Have some free time this Saturday, August 1st? (August already? Where did the summer go?!) The Active Transportation Alliance, formally the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation, is holding a free, 8-mile “Open Streets” event stretching from Logan Square to Little Village.
The event will run from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and feature a variety of activities, including music, art activities, children’s games, workout classes and much more. Even better: It’s a free event and there’s no registration, so you can join in at any point along the route! For more info, you can also call them at (312) 377-5727.
Check out this interesting video on the Open Streets initiative:
I-GO provided the only two pace/SAG (support and gear) cars in the Chicago Criterium bike race this past Sunday, July 26. What a spectacle this race is! For those who missed it, it’s an annual event in Grant Park, so you’ll get another chance next year.
The automaker’s partners include Nissan and—more intriguingly—Bay Area-based Better Place, with which it intends to partner on battery-charging stations.
And Renault wants to produce a range of 100% electric vehicles, rejecting the current business model of playing up one marquee flagship car (i.e. Prius, Insight, Volt). Their Z.E. (as in “zero emissions”) concept car is greener than green, far beyond the electric motor. We’re digging the acid-green, neon windows, which help provide insulation and save energy, and temperature-regulating solar panels.
Voiture électrique? We say, toss in a baguette and bottle of Bordeaux, and we’ll give it a shot. Seriously, though: It’s fascinating to see the electric vehicle market begin to take shape internationally.
One of I-GO’s hippest business members, home energy auditors Green Dream Group (we wrote about them in our May newsletter), called to say they’re going entirely with I-GO cars for their client calls.
Reason: Car sharing complements their business model and mission and, they say, impresses clients when one of their tech team members makes a house call.
We say: You rock, Green Dream Group! Thanks for the support!
Check out this vid clip to learn more about how this young, entrepreneurial, local firm can save you big-time on home energy costs:
How to spin this one? We’ll be dodging discs this weekend at the Ultimate Chicago Sandblast co-ed ultimate Frisbee tourney at Montrose Beach. Stop by and say hi, bring a friend, and we’ll give you a break on an I-GO membership sign-up: just $25 (50 bones off the normal price). The Frisbees may be plastic, but we’re serving our deal up on a silver platter.
We have officially kicked off our suburban expansion program with the addition of two new cars in Oak Park and Evanston. We also added two new cars in Chicago: one in Streeterville and one in Pilsen. Three of these four cars are brand spankin’ new 2010 Honda Insights. Haven’t seen one yet? Make sure to check it out!
Evanston: 1800 Maple Ave 2010 Red Honda Insight; Car #4427
When do diversity, equality, and conscientious green mobility go together? When I-GO Car Sharing dives headlong into the Chicago Pride Parade festivities. We rode in the parade (once again) and handed out (once again) T-shirts reading “I-GO for Guys” and “I-GO for Girls.” Whatever your speed or inclination, all agreed: Unity ruled the day.
Check out a vid we shot of the day’s upbeat action:
Here’s a nice little plug for I-GO by a transplanted-Chicagoan blogging in Minneapolis. Maybe she can avail herself of Hour Car, a St. Paul-based car-sharing service that’s remarkably similar to I-GO’s business model. They were also launched by a non-profit green org, Neighborhood Energy Connections, that, like I-GO’s parent org Center for Neighborhood Technology (man, even the names sound alike), is invested in energy conservation initiatives and policy work.
One of Hour Car’s staff stopped by our Wicker Park office this week since he was visiting Chicago. Smart guy. They’ve got two full-time staffers and are growing their biz and fleet steadily. They’re also focused on low-emission vehicles.
And FYI to all I-GO members: If you’re visiting the Twin Cities, you can use Hour Car’s fleet without having to pay a membership sign-up fee. That benefit also applies to our non-profit car-sharing sister companies in Philadelphia (PhillyCarShare) and San Francisco (City CarShare).
Curious about the Chevy Volt’s prospects? Check out this YouTube vid posted by a tech fan. GM’s battery lab manager gives a demo of the latest battery pack they’ve designed. Toyota and Honda are still the hares to GM’s tortoise, but this battery – custom-designed and to be built in Michigan at a new GM lab – is impressive. Not to mention HUGE.
Question is: How much will the Volt cost? The guy who shot that vid thinks it’s possible that, with gov’t incentives, the Volt could compete with a fully loaded 2010 Prius. If that were the case, would more of us be inclined to buy an American electric car to help support our ailing domestic industry?
I-GO has been looking at vehicles like the Ford Fusion hybrid, a mid-size sedan, and if the Volt were cost-efficient enough for our membership organization, we’d consider that one, too, and be able to help on two fronts: advocating for clean cars and American automakers.
I recently discovered a helpful new website- www.carfreechicago.com. Carfree Chicago is a community-built resource that aims to take the guess work out of carfree living while promoting responsible transportation choices. The site is structured as a community blog; it is written by carfree Chicagoans for other carfree Chicagoans.
It’s a great site for the both the carfree and for drivers who drive out of necessity but prefer not to when possible. The site is a great resouce that covers such topics as alternative transit options (car sharing, bikes, Amtrak, Metra, Pace, etc…), carfree excursions, how to deal with going carfree with a family or when grocery shopping and many other relevant topics related to carfree living. Check it out and let us know what you think!
The rain hasn’t put a damper on I-GO & CNT’s Bike to Work Week efforts. We were champs in our small biz category last year in this citywide challenge promoted by our pals at the Active Transportation Alliance (formerly the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation). New this year: We’ve got a tandem “taxi bike” in our office atrium to shuttle employees who don’t have bikes of their own. Tomorrow, we’ll be at the culminating rally in Daley Plaza. Pedal on over and give us a honk.
Above, from left to right: CNT Vice President of Policy Jacky Grimshaw, I-GO Car Sharing CEO Sharon Feigon, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, and CNT CEO Kathryn Tholin at the Union League Club in Chicago, where LaHood spoke in May.
The Wall Street Journal’s “Cranky Consumer” columnist reviewed four car sharing companies in today’s paper. The column is a Consumer Reports-type deal that makes apples-to-apples comparisons, hopefully enabling consumers to make better choices. I-GO Car Sharing was the only local, nonprofit service included; the others are Zipcar, Connect by Hertz (the rental car company recently launched a car-sharing service in select markets), and Mint, a recent start-up based in New York.
We’re happy to report that, with the exception of a half-eaten French fry left on the floor by the member who had our car before the reporter’s reservation, I-GO came out smelling more or less like roses.
The Zipcar was “filthy,” apparently, and while we’re inclined to gloat, it must be said that all car-sharing companies can commiserate with that. We all have cleaning services. I-GO’s cleaning service is the ultra-green-friendly WashMe-EnviGreen, a Matteson-based progressive service run by dynamic entrepreneur Tanya Killian. Every car in our fleet is cleaned like clock-work, inside and out, at least every two weeks. But in a national culture that’s so used to service-oriented business models that don’t necessitate customer responsibility, it’s easy to point a finger at us—or the other companies reviewed in this piece—and not realize that a communal business model is at work here.
We’ve got 12,000 members. And we love ‘em all. We just launched a new mobile reservations site that’s the latest, greatest member benefit at I-GO. But we need members to alert us to dirty cars, too, so that we can pinpoint recurring problems and address the situation with members whose trash is the next person’s annoyance. It’s not like we want our members to be ratting each other out, but, well, that’s sort of the nature of the beast when you’ve got 12,000 people sharing 200 vehicles. We do our best to keep up with the cleaning, but we absolutely need to function as a community that works together for the betterment of the whole.
The analysts can’t agree on the cause, but here’s an ugly fact: Americans are now pumping out a billion bucks a day to refuel their cars according to an article today in the New York Times.
All the more reason to choose car sharing as your go-to transportation option—especially in Illinois, where the price tags at the pump are among the highest in the nation.
Automotively speaking, sometimes all you can do is cry about it—over a slice of the Onion:
I-GO has always been about mobile convenience. But now we’re really on the move.
Smartphone fans, take a deep breath, tilt your touch screens and flex those thumbs: I-GO now has an online reservation site configured for iPhone, BlackBerry, and other web-enabled mobile devices.
Keep in mind it’s designed for phones, not your desktop monitor, though you can get a basic idea of its functions on the latter. (It just won’t look half as cool.) iPhone users can also try out a desktop demo here.
Sweet, huh? We’re calling it “I-GO on the go.”
Now it’s exceptionally easy to log in to your online account any time, anywhere. The mobile site is a distilled, highly intuitive version of our online reservation system, customized with larger search buttons and easy-to-read drop-down menus. Search for cars by date and time, location preferences, vehicle type, and amenities just as you would on your desktop computer.
Needless to say, grabbing an I-GO car in one of the 30-plus neighborhoods we serve is now literally in the palm of your hand.
The mobile site also makes the Chicago Card Plus/I-GO Card—I-GO’s joint smartcard initiative with CTA—that much more convenient. Reserve an I-GO car within seconds that’s located at or near an upcoming stop on a CTA rail line or bus route. Next stop: I-GO.
Please note: There is a $2.99 charge the first time I-GO members use the mobile site to make, extend, cancel, or release a reservation. This will help us offset the cost of building, maintaining, and adding future enhancements to to this special feature. The fee will appear on your next month’s invoice, and all further use of the mobile site is entirely free.
I-GO on the go. Now the city’s your car-sharing oyster.
We’re pulling for GM, the American auto industry, and its future green machines. But that has to be coupled with investment in efficient, sustainable public transportation (i.e., high-speed rail, hydrogen fuel-cell buses like the CTA uses), alternative energy sources (wind & solar power), advanced lithium-ion battery research, natural gas if your name is T. Boone Pickens, and, um, car sharing. Though, at I-GO, we’ll settle for less than $20 billion. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge.
Interesting new website from GM in the wake of its ignominious Chapter 11 1,000 car pileup. We’re crossing our fingers for the Chevy Volt—and all those laid-off workers who hopefully get retrained in the “leaner, greener, faster, smarter” GM promised in the slick vid posted on the site.
At first glance, cities may appear to be a big source of the greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. But new research by the nonprofit Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT), which compares greenhouse gas emissions of city and suburban households, yields some surprising results.
CNT, which launched I-GO Car Sharing in 2002, looked at emissions of carbon dioxide, a key greenhouse gas, stemming from household vehicle travel in 55 metropolitan areas across the U.S. When measured on a per household basis, it found that the transportation-related emissions of people living in cities and compact neighborhoods can be nearly 70% less than those living in suburbs. See how this compares in your region. (Click on “Household Auto Greenhouse Gas Emissions.”)
“Cities are more location-efficient—meaning key destinations are closer to where people live and work,” said Scott Bernstein, CNT’s President. “They require less time, money, fuel and greenhouse gas emissions for residents to meet their everyday travel needs. People can walk, bike, car-share, take public transit. So residents of cities and compact communities generate less CO2 per household than people who live in more dispersed communities, like many suburbs and outlying areas.
“If you’re deciding where to live, consider moving to an urban area. You’ll help fight global warming by emitting less CO2. And you’re likely to drive less, so you’ll spend less on transportation, saving up to $5,000 annually.”
CNT’s research shows that average transportation costs vary greatly depending on location, from a low of 14% of area household median income in transit-rich, compact communities, to highs of 28% or more in exurban areas where employment, retail, and other amenities are more dispersed.
CNT focused on vehicle travel as a source of emissions, since research shows that transportation accounts for 28% of all greenhouse gases in the U.S. Its work compares the conventional per-acre analysis of greenhouse gas emissions due to vehicle travel with a new per-household view in each metropolitan area it studied. The results suggest that, due to their density and transportation alternatives, cities are a central part of the climate change solution.
The research is an outgrowth of CNT’s Housing + Transportation Affordability Index, which examines several aspects of location efficiency. One is the true cost of housing when household transportation costs are factored in, which vary widely by location. Together, transportation and housing can account for more than 60% of annual household expenses for some working families living in outlying areas—significantly impacting their cost of living and quality of life. The site also illuminates the environmental cost of housing location, which includes impacts like household carbon dioxide emissions.
Since its launch a year ago, the H+T Affordability Index has been expanded to show current CO2 maps, as well as the impact of location and gasoline costs on household budgets between the years 2000 and 2008. It has also been redesigned and enhanced for ease of use and data access.
With generous funding from the Rockefeller Foundation, the index will be expanded to cover more than 330 metropolitan areas in the U.S. later this year.
Founded in 1978, CNT is a Chicago-based nonprofit organization that works nationally to advance urban sustainability by researching, inventing and testing strategies that use resources more efficiently and equitably. Its programs focus on climate, energy, natural resources, transportation, and community development. CNT is one of eight nonprofits selected from around the world to be recognized by a 2009 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions, from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
If you ever find yourself with some time to kill in Evanston, you should check out Healthy Green Goods, the most recent local business to offer I-GO members a discount by joining our Chi-Town Rewards program.
It’s simple! All you have to do is flash your I-GO smartcard and you’ll receive 10% off your entire purchase! Healthy Green Goods carries a wide array of truly safe and organic products. Need help finding toxin-free, eco-friendly products for everyday living? Healthy Green Goods can help. Swing by their store in Evanston or check them out online.
Healthy Green Goods: 702 Main Street Evanston, IL 60202
Want to stay connected to all that’s going on here at I-GO Car Sharing? Join our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter! You’ll be the first to hear about new car locations, member benefit updates, event invites, calls for volunteers and a whole lot more!
Whole Foods Market opened its jaw-dropping new Lincoln Park store on Wed., May 20, and I-GO was there for the ribbon-cutting ceremony with Mayor Daley and the Whole Foods Market brass. I-GO is one of WFM’s community partners, and the store has graciously provided us with a spectacular reserved parking space in its front lot. Needless to say, given both companies’ green missions, we put a Prius there.
The new store is insane — and we mean that in the best possible way. Huge, yes. The third biggest WFM store worldwide. But that’s not what’s impressive. Sushi bar, wine and cheese tasting bar, a healthy grill bar, a spacious bodycare and wellness area, rows and rows of reusable earth-friendly shopping bags…and a whole halibut in the seafood section that was so ginormous we thought it might wriggle free of its display case and jump in the Chicago River, which runs right past the store. One of our fave features: an automated, temperature-controlled wine machine by a California-based vendor called Napa Technology that serves different sized pours in cups. This ain’t your grandparents’ supermarket, that’s for sure.
The I-GO parking location here couldn’t be more fitting. We now have cars at five WFM stores, and besides the fact that we’re both eco-oriented and support local community initiatives, it’s important to note that grocery shopping remains the number-one reason people use I-GO cars. That’s synergy you can bottle and serve again and again and again.
I-GO has the only car-sharing vehicle at the new Whole Foods opening tomorrow at 1550 N. Kingsbury. Appropriately enough, it’s a Prius. I-GO is a community partner of Whole Foods, and that’s appropriate in more ways than one: Grocery shopping is the number one reason our members use I-GO cars, and both companies are eco-conscious and care about supporting local communities.
I-GO Car Sharing waded into the eco throng with elan at this year’s Green Festival at Navy Pier this past weekend. Among the vegans, home energy auditors, eco apparel purveyors, climate action advocates and plenty more, our car sharing booth held plenty of interest. As did the three-wheeled electric Zap cars and scooters parked next to us, which were George Jetson cool.
Slinging sales pitches at the I-GO booth was fun work at Green Fest. Car sharing’s cost-saving, convenient virtues sell themselves. (In the background of the photo above right you can catch a glimpse of the all-electric Zap three-wheelers, street-legal eco-lectable rides made by a California-based company. We question whether former Conan the Barbarian Gov. Arnold could shoehorn himself into one, though.)
At left, pictured, was one of our fave installations at the fest: Chicago-based Working Bikes‘ demo of how their donated wheels help villagers in Africa and Central America do everything from power blenders to irrigate gardens. (We’re not so sure about the functional application of the armillary-sphere-looking thing here with the toy bike circumnavigating its globe. But it sure is cool.)
Green Festival Saturday & Sunday May 16th & 17th, 10am-7pm (Sat.) & 11am-6pm (Sun.) Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand This is the big one, folks: the annual nationally touring environmental juggernaut known as Green Fest. The fest’s Chicago stop will include the works and then some: 125 renowned authors, leaders, and educators; 350 eco-friendly businesses comprising a unique marketplace; workshops, green films, kids’ activities, live music; and delicious, organic, vegetarian cuisine.
I-GO will again have a booth (#1328) at the fest, and we encourage you to drop by. It’s always an enlightening event – and should be even more so this year with our nation’s and the world’s belated embrace of progressive environmental industry and economic incentives.
I-GO will be offering a special discount on memberships: just $25—a savings of $50 off the normal price! Current members can also earn $25 in driving credits for every new member that names them as a referral on their application form.
We saw it last summer when gas prices soared into the stratosphere, and we may see it again: a huge increase in I-GO applicants attracted by one undeniably attractive benefit: Car sharing members don’t pay for gas. Ever.
Good piece in the Chicago Tribune yesterday analyzing the prospects for a repeat of last year’s rocketing fuel prices at the pump.
We’re not rooting for the oil robber barons of the world, mind you, or the speculators hoping to ride their coattails. But whatever the reasons, fossil fuels are environmentally disastrous no matter how you slice and dice their economic impact.
A Today Show segment that aired today was originally pitched to I-GO as a wide-ranging piece on automotive cost-saving tactics—including, prominently, car sharing. But it morphed into something else: a piece on small, fuel-efficient cars, and how that represents a major psychological shift for Americans away from our beloved gas-guzzling muscle cars.
Stop the presses. There’s breaking news for you.
I think the Today Show’s NYC producers need to get out more. The shift to Priuses and other small, fuel-efficient and hybrid cars is old news. Though certainly we champion this trend, and hope it will continue. Car sharing: That’s a fresh, new story with real teeth.
I-GO gets a shot of a Prius in Logan Square and a sign. Bob and Kennon, the I-GO members who took the time to be interviewed, ended up on the cutting-room floor. Bet they’re bummed. Sorry, guys. Maybe the Today Show can reuse that footage in another piece. Not likely, but one can hope.
Last segment I saw before turning off the TV: Matt Lauer interviewing a 5-year-old chef making quesadillas.
Important stuff, folks.
Maybe next time we should come up with a kindergartner who fries Mexican food on the hood of an I-GO Honda Element.
Be sure to tune in to NBC’s Today Show tomorrow morning (5/14/09) between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. to watch the feature on I-GO Car Sharing! If you miss it, you will be able to check it out by mid-morning here.
Have you ever heard of Vauban, a small suburb in Germany? I hadn’t until recently, but after reading an article in yesterday’s New York Times—“In German Suburb, Life Goes On Without Cars”—I’m ready to pack my bags and hop on the next plane there.
Vauban, completed in 2006, sits on the outskirts of Freiburg, near the French and Swiss borders. Street parking, driveways and home garages are generally forbidden, and Vauban’s streets are completely car-free, except for the main thoroughfare and a few streets on the outskirts of the suburb.
You may be asking yourself, How is this working out for the 5,500 residents of Vauban? Quite well, it seems. From the article:
The town is long and relatively narrow, so that the tram into Freiburg is an easy walk from every home. Stores, restaurants, banks and schools are more interspersed among homes than they are in a typical suburb. Most residents…have carts that they haul behind bicycles for shopping trips or children’s play dates. For trips to stores like IKEA or the ski slopes, families buy cars together or use communal cars rented out by Vauban’s car-sharing club.
Moreover, parents in Vauban rave about the safety that goes along with having no cars on the streets. Children can run free without their parents fearing for their safety as they would if their kids were playing on a busy street corner. Check out this interesting slideshow of Vauban.
Vauban is part of a growing suburban trend many are referring to as “smart planning.” In the U.S., the EPA is beginning to promote “car reduced” communities and experts expect public transport serving suburbs to play a much larger role in a new six-year federal transportation bill to be approved this year. Currently, most zoning laws in the U.S. still require two parking spaces per residential unit. Hopefully, Vauban’s success will lead to many more car-reduced cities and suburbs.
Adler Planetarium is the most recent organization to join our great member benefit program Chi-Town Rewards! As an I-GO member, you can simply flash your I-GO smartcard and receive two-for-one admission to the Planetarium. Not a bad deal, eh?
Adler Planetarium 1300 S. Lake Shore Dr. 312.922.7827 www.adlerplanetarium.org OFFER: 2-for-1 general admission
Grist recently released their list of “15 Green-Leaning Mayors”, and Chicago’s very own, Richard M. Daley, nabbed the fifth spot. They cite Daley’s green-roof program (the most extensive in the country), sustainable redevelopment & landscaping projects, and his emphasis on renewable energy as his strong points. The article also mentioned Chicago’s bid for the 2016 summer Olympics, stating that it “hinges on the event being the greenest Olympics in history.”
The four mayors that topped Daley are: Michael Bloomberg (New York City), Greg Nickels (Seattle), Gavin Newsom (San Francisco), and Ed Malloy (Fairfield, Indiana). While the list is hardly complete, it does give a good indication of the vast geographical diversity in local climate leadership today.
What do you think? Did Mayor Daley deserve the #5 spot?
Car Sharing has become the key to success for a condo development currently under way in Winnipeg, Canada. In fact, the City of Winnipeg is insisting that Stonebridge Development Corp. Ltd. incorporate a car sharing program into the development, something that has never before been required in Winnipeg, and Stonebridge Development has agreed.
Michael Robinson, a senior city planner, has said that if this car sharing proposal is successful, more will likely follow. Robinson also noted that the incorporation of car sharing programs into condo developments has already happened in Vancouver, Canada and Edinburgh, Scotland. It’s clear to see which side of the fence the city of Winnipeg falls on in regards to the growing debate on owning vs. sharing a vehicle! Hopefully, this will soon become the trend rather than an exception.
Ian Sacs, of Planetizen, recently reported on the effects of car sharing versus car ownership, and what do you know: the outcomes all seem to have positive ramifications! According to Sacs, “Surveys of members, data from existing programs, and empirical evidence from several developments have shown that when a car share vehicle is available in a convenient location, and usually combined with transit access, a significant number of people make a decision that it is no longer necessary to own a car.” He goes on to conclude that the ratio of car sharing vehicles to households that voluntarily give up a personal car is roughly six to 23. However, Sacs is quick to note that as car sharing becomes more widespread, this ratio could double.
Moreover, adding car sharing vehicles to a development can significantly reduce demand for parking and, in turn, reduce construction costs. Although, Sacs also points out that simply “sprinkling car share vehicles nearby or even on-site is typically not enough to realize an appreciable reduction in private vehicle ownership. Rather, the developer must market car sharing as a feature” and include incentives to join—such as reduced membership costs, driving credits and so forth.
One of the less studied, yet equally important, effects of car sharing versus car ownership is the effect it has on the total number of trips a person takes each year. If you own your own car, the more you drive it, the more value you get out of it. Whereas when sharing a car, and paying per use, you are more likely to consider the true cost of taking a car versus public transportation, biking or walking.
While Sacs does not ignore the fact that car sharing is currently only found in, and seems to be most applicable in, urban areas, he does appear hopeful for expansion of the industry into suburban areas as well. To illustrate this point, he highlights the number of suburban families that own a second or third car that they rarely use and insists that adding a car sharing vehicle in these suburban areas may “significantly reduce the total number of vehicles needed in that community.”
Has the availability of car sharing in Chicago convinced you to ditch your wheels? To drive less? Let us know your car sharing experience!
It’s a bird, it’s a plane…no, it’s SuperEco, a green blog that breaks down complex environmental topics into bite-size user-friendly advice.
We appreciate SuperEco’s plug for I-GO’s plug-ins as part of a post on the benefits of car sharing. Lisa Poisso notes: “Chicago’s non-profit I-GO service even offers Prius electric hybrids.”
Yep, we do. I-GO’s Prius electric hybrids located at Millenium Park’s north garage and at 900 S. Clark St. in the South Loop, and on a full charge they’re more fuel-efficient than Ben Gordon lacing up another three-point shot over a leaping defender.
Hybrid electric plug-ins may represent the future of personal transportation. By combining that with a car-sharing organization model, it’s a win-win situation on many levels.
I-GO Car Sharing and the Chicago Park District have partnered to bring four I-GO Car Sharing low-emission vehicles to four different park locations in the city. Beginning Friday, May 1, an I-GO car will be available at Horner Park, 2741 W. Montrose Ave. in Albany Park; Independence Park, 3945 N. Springfield Ave. in Old Irving Park; Margate Park, 4921 N. Marine Dr. in Uptown; and Ridge Park, 1817 W. 96th St. in Beverly. The cars herald a new relationship between I-GO and the CPD, with reserved parking spots generously provided by the latter.
“Car sharing makes a lot of sense for municipal agencies because it can reduce their fleet costs while providing a community benefit,” said Sharon Feigon, CEO of I-GO Car Sharing. “We are delighted to partner with the Park District so that Chicagoans can combine use of an I-GO vehicle with a visit to a park facility.”
The I-GO vehicles are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to any residents or Park District employees who become members of I-GO Car Sharing. They include: a silver Honda Fit (Horner Park); a red Toyota Prius hybrid (Independence Park); a silver Honda Civic hybrid (Margate Park); and a silver Toyota Scion xB (Ridge Park). I-GO members can search for these and any other I-GO car on I-GO’s website by address, neighborhood or vehicle type.
The city of Glasgow is striving to become ‘Electric Motor City’ under an ambitious $250 million dollar plan to create, encourage and spread sustainable transportation options throughout Scotland. Glasgow has been selected as one of five urban areas in the UK to pilot the use of electric vehicles over the next two years. A plan to test 30 electric vehicles in Glasgow has just been given the go-ahead and the government also plans to give drivers who buy new all-electric vehicles a substantial tax break.
Electric vehicles are powered by battery-driven motors and therefore produce none of the polluting emissions that traditional cars produce. They also operate much more quietly than traditional vehicles. However, their range is limited without being recharged.
Environmental and transportation groups have applauded the plan, although they highlight the importance of using renewable and clean energy sources for the charging of the vehicles. Duncan McLaren, chief executive of Friends of the Earth Scotland, warns against using coal or nuclear sources of energy, and instead argues that, “We can use renewable power from the wind and tides.” Seeing as Irfan Rabbani, executive member for the environment, has publicly announced the City Council’s goal to make Glasgow “one of the most sustainable cities in Europe,” this just may happen!
Want to check out an all-electric car for yourself? Check out this video on the new Chevy Volt, which will debut to the public in 2010.
The other part of the plan — now scheduled for a 2011 launch — was to distribute plants to commuters at various rail stations. Joe told us earlier it would work as a “Bring a Plant to Work Day” sort of deal, but this has apparently changed to CTA workers passing out seed packets aboard the designated Mobile Garden train. Joe has managed to secure the packet donation from a Wisconsin CSA.
You may be wondering how Toyota’s highly publicized recalls affect us. Only six I-GO cars were included in two recalls: four Toyota Matrix hatchbacks, which were immediately serviced for accelerator pedal repairs and returned to our fleet, and two 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid hatchbacks, which we removed from service as soon as Toyota issued a safety recall to address possible brake problems. They are being repaired and will be returned to to our fleet today. The safety of our members is I-GO’s number-one responsibility. Our fleet management staff monitors every car in our fleet 365 days a year — not just those involved in recalls — and I-GO takes maintenance and safety concerns very seriously. We will continue to notify members with any future updates on how Toyota’s recalls impact our service.
