Posts Tagged ‘green living’
Tuesday, May 26th, 2009
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 StreetEvanston, IL 60202
Tags: chi town rewards, green living, i-go car sharing, i-go members, i-go news, places to go, savings
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Sunday, April 26th, 2009
“The fact is, we already have a zero-emission, efficient, great way to get around and it’s called the bicycle and we just need to start providing for it,”
-Paul Steely White, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives
You’ve heard of car sharing but have you heard of bike sharing? There are already successful bike sharing programs in Paris, Barcelona, London, Stockholm, Milan, Berlin, Munich, Vienna & Copenhagen- to name just a few. Hopefully it is only a matter of time before bike sharing starts spreading throughout the U.S. as well!
Below you can listen to a very interesting interview on last Friday’s Brian Lehrer Show. Paul Steely White, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives, discusses the possibility of introducing a bike sharing program in New York City.
Would you utilize a bike sharing service in Chicago? If not, why not? What would need to change in order to get you biking?
Tags: bike sharing, biking, eco-news, green living, green transportation, public transit, sustainable transportation
Posted in Motormouth | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, April 21st, 2009
2nd Annual Auburn Gresham Earth Day Celebration
Thursday, April 23, 9am-noon
518 W. 79th
The Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation, in association with Alderman Latasha Thomas (17th Ward), and the Winneconna Lakes Improvement Association are hosting their 2nd Annual Earth Day Event to raise environmental awareness. I-GO reps will be there to demonstrate economical and environmental transportation alternatives.
University of Chicago Earth Fest
Friday, April 24, 11am-2pm
Rosenwald Building (Main Quad)
The Sustainability Council of the U of C is providing an opportunity for students and faculty to become acquainted with local business, organizations and other groups in Chicago. I-GO will be there spreading the good word. I-GO does not need any volunteer help for this event, but we’d love to see you if you’re in the area.
North Lake Shore Earth Day
Saturday, April 25, 9am-4:30pm
Loyola (Rogers Park Campus)
Loyola University Chicago and the communities of Andersonville, Edgewater, Ravenswood, Rogers Park, Uptown and West Ridge are hosting the 2nd North Lake Shore Earth day celebration. I-GO has been invited to help inform community members about global and local environmental issues such as clean air and energy alternatives, as well as practical, everday ways to green one’s home and business. I-GO is looking for a few volunteers to help staff this event. If you’d like to help out, please send Lauren an e-mail at lauren@igocars.org.
Tags: chicago car sharing, chicago events, eco-news, green living, i-go car sharing, i-go events
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Monday, March 9th, 2009
Americans took 10.7 billion trips on public transportation in 2008! This is a 4% increase over 2007 levels and also marks the highest level of ridership in 52 years, according to a report released by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).
Ridership on all modes of public transportation increased in every quarter for the second year in a row. Light rail had the highest increase in annual ridership, growing by 8.3% in 2008, followed by commuter rail (4.7%), bus service (3.9%) and heavy rail (3.5%). Streetcars and trolleys are considered ‘light rail’, while subways are categorized as ‘heavily rail’.
Not only are more people taking public transportation, they are also driving less: Total vehicle miles traveled in the U.S. declined by 3.6% from 2007 levels. According to the APTA report, “This ridership record continues a long-term trend of ridership growth. Public transportation use is up 38% since 1995, a figure that is almost triple the growth rate of the population”. Not too shabby, huh?
Tags: eco-news, green living, green transportation, high-speed rail, mass transit, public transit, sustainable transportation; transportation
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Sunday, March 8th, 2009
As car sales continue to fall and gas prices remain above the $2/gallon mark, it seems like more and more people are taking up a common childhood activity – biking. Biking is a great way to get around the city- you don’t have to deal with parking, gas, tickets, insurance, or traffic – AND you get some exercise along the way!
If you’re thinking about buying a bike, check out the bamboo bikes from Calfee Design. Calfee Design claims that their bamboo bikes have the lowest carbon footprint of any bike on the market today. Moreover, Calfee Bamboo bikes have won awards for Best Road Bike, Best Off-Road Bike and Peoples’ Choice Award at the American Handmade Bicycle Show.
Tags: biking, eco-news, environment, green living, green transportation, living simply, sustainable transportation
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Monday, January 19th, 2009
According to a recent article in Japan Today, car sharing is catching on in Japan as well as here in the U.S.. The article claims that, “car sharing is shifting into a higher gear in Japan as people try to save on car maintenance costs and be more environmentally friendly at the same time,”.
While car sharing is growing, car sales are down. Vehicle sales in Japan hit a 28-year low in 2008, according to the figures released by the Japan Automobile Dealers Association (JADA). Annual sales are expected to fall again in 2009. “We never imagined sales would fall this badly,” said JADA Director, Takeshi Fushimi. “This is a bleak situation.”
What is a bleak situation for auto dealers is great news for Japanese car sharing organizations. According to a survey done by the Eco-Mo Foundation, there were 19 car sharing organizations in Japan, with a total of 522 cars being shared by 3,875 members, as of August 2008. The numbers of cars and car stations more than doubled and the number of registered car sharing members increased by half since the same survey was done in January of 2007. Below is a photo of a car sharing site at a condominium in Japan.
Tags: car sharing, cars, eco-news, gas prices, green living, living simply, transportation
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Monday, January 5th, 2009
Don’t add your beautiful Christmas tree to an area landfill – give it new life by having it recycled. The City of Chicago is offering free recycling at parks all over the city through January 16, so load up your ole tennenbaum in an I-GO truck or SUV and drop it off – these sites are taking trees 24 hours a day:
Bessemer Park
8930 S. Muskegon Ave.
Clark Park
3400 N. Rockwell
Forestry Site
900 E. 103rd St.
Garfield Park
100 N. Central Park Ave.
Grant Park
900 S. Columbus
Humboldt Park Boathouse
1369 N. Sacramento
Jackson Park
6300 S. Cornell
Kennedy Park
11320 S. Western
Kelvyn Park
4438 W. Wrightwood
Lake Meadows Park
3117 S. Rhodes
Lincoln Park
Cannon Dr. at Fullerton Ave.
(Parking lot east of Cannon Dr.)
Margate Park
4921 N. Marine Dr.
Marquette Park
6700 S. Kedzie
McKinley Park
2210 W. Pershing Rd.
Mt. Greenwood Park
3721 W. 111th St.
North Park Village
5801 N. Pulaski Rd.
Norwood Park
5801 N. Natoma
Portage Park
4100 N. Long
Riis Park
6100 W. Fullerton
Rowan Park
11546 S. Avenue L
Sheridan Park
910 S. Aberdeen St.
Warren Park
6601 N. Western Ave.
Wentworth Park
5625 S. Mobile
Tags: green living, ideas, tips
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Tuesday, December 30th, 2008
Having a soiree this New Year’s Eve? I have some fun useful tips for you to make it green and eco-friendly. You can find the full list here, but here are a few fun ideas.
1 . Cut down on paper and use technology. Email invitations or call people to invite them to your party.
2. Get organized with your transportation. Encourage friends coming to the party to use public transportation or car pool to cut down on their driving.
3. Avoid the paper products and instead use real cutlery, glasses and dishes for the party. You will have dishes to wash but think of the garbage you’ll reduce. If you don’t have enough glasses borrow from a neighbor or check with local caterers who will rent out glassware at a reasonable cost.
And here’s another green tip for you…use I-GO to get all your New Year’s Eve goodies. Reserve your car today so you can load up on food and libations at your favorite haunts like Target, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and Costco.
Happy New Year!
Tags: eco-news, green living, i-go car sharing, living simply, local food, tips
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Sunday, December 28th, 2008
Burbank Bus announced that they will be the first to put a plug-in hybrid fuel cell bus, the Proterra HFC35, into service. The Proterra can fully recharge in only 6 minutes (!) and can travel up to 250 miles before needing to be recharged. The bus has double the fuel economy of a diesel bus and releases nothing but water from the fuel exhaust. Moreover, the Proterra was created in this country (designed by Colorado-based Proterra) and uses power that is 100% derived from U.S. sources- meaning more energy independence for us. Burbank Bus plans to have the Proterra in operation within various routes by spring. Check out the full press release here. Wouldn’t it be cool to see these type of buses come to Chicago?
Tags: eco-news, green living, neat stuff, transportation
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Monday, December 22nd, 2008
Are you a last minute holiday shopper? Get in line.
But seriously, one of the easiest and most practical, yet unique and green gifts you can give this holiday season is an I-GO gift certificate for I-GO Car Sharing driving credits. Friends and family will love a gift of $25, $50, $75 or whatever you can spend, so they can get where they need to go in the New Year.
So stop procrastinating, and get those I-GO driving credits today!
Tags: green living, i-go car sharing, i-go news, neat stuff, tips
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Monday, December 22nd, 2008
Not sure how to keep the little tykes busy this holiday season? Check out Green Parent Chicago’s helpful list of ideas on ways to keep the kids entertained- away from the tube. Ever think you’d go snowshoeing in the city? Well, there’s a first time for everything!
Tags: chicago events, green living, green site, ideas, kids, links, living simply, neat stuff, tips
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Sunday, December 21st, 2008
The I-GO member holiday party was a smashing success last week! Thank you to all who came out and rang in the start of the holiday season with us! We welcomed over 200 I-GO members into our LEED Platinum Certified building for food, raffle prizes and drinks.
VeeV was kind enough to sponsor the drinks at our holiday party and it was an exciting new liquor to try out. VeeV has created the world’s first acai (pronounced: ah-sigh-EE) berry spirit. Acai berries are grown only in Brazil and are considered to be a “superfood”- they have 57% more antioxidants than pomegranates or blueberries and 30 times more heart-healthy anthocyanins than red wine! Check out what Lenette, an I-GO member and raw foodist, had to say about the exciting new drink on her blog GO Raw: Chicago.
Have you heard of this new drink?
Tags: blogs, green living, green site, i-go car sharing, i-go events, i-go members, i-go stories, neat stuff
Posted in Motormouth | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, December 9th, 2008
Are you suffering from grinchitis? Are you hating December, with its wetness, coldness, manufactured nostalgia and hyperconsumerism?
Maybe you need to grab a friend or two, hop in your I-GO car, and head to Ben’s Tree Farm in Harvard, Illinois for some corny old-time fun. You can take a horse-drawn carriage ride to pick out an organically-grown Christmas tree that is fun to decorate and will make your apartment smell better. While you wait for Ben’s staff to bail your selection for free, you can hang out in the Warming Barn and enjoy free hot cho.
A road trip out to the country to escape the ads and icy sidewalks for a while and do some old-school holiday stuff might help bring you out of a Winter Funk – just be sure to drive safely.
Trees start at $19.95 and are totally Green as well as green – Ben’s has some tips for keeping it nice. The farm is open Weekends from 9 am-4:30pm, and Thursdays & Fridays from 11:00am-4:30pm until Sunday, December 21st. Here are some directions.
Tags: green living, ideas, neat stuff, places to go
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Friday, December 5th, 2008
Will Barack Obama’s childhood island state become the first in the nation to fully support a transition to electric vehicles? The President-Elect has made it clear he plans to make sustainability and green-collar jobs top priorities during his administration. Now, Hawaii is attempting to lead the country in adopting use of all-electric vehicles. It’s a refreshing change of pace from the greed and lack of vision we’ve been witnessing on Capitol Hill as the Big Three automakers beg for a bail-out.
This past Tuesday, Hawaii announced plans to become the first state in the U.S. to create a statewide electric recharging network for electric cars. The Hawaiian state government has joined forces with Better Place, an ambitious start-up that I posted about earlier this year, in an effort to make all-electric vehicles a reality by building car charging and battery swapping stations around the islands and purchasing renewable energy from Hawaiian Electric Co., the state’s largest utility.
They plan to have the recharging stations up and running by 2011, and to have built 50,000 to 100,000 charging spots across the state by early 2012. Shai Agassi, Better Place’s founder and CEO, claims the electric cars will cost the same as gas powered cars — at first. However, over time, electric cars will be less expensive to make because they use far less parts than cars with internal combustion engines.
In late November, San Francisco and the surrounding Bay Area cities also announced plans to join forces with Better Place to create an electric recharging network by 2012. However, Better Place chose Hawaii as the first statewide rollout for several reasons: the size of the state, the contained environment and consistent climate the island offers, and the abundance of renewable energy resources, such as wind, solar, geothermal and wave power.
Here are two short clips: one of Agassi and Hawaiian Governor Linda Lingle driving one of the Better Place electric vehicles (hopefully, we’ll be seeing more of these cars in the near future), and one of Agassi answering a reporter’s questions about Better Place’s agenda for the Bay Area.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LH-FyvwsrEg&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGD9aRC4Y5M&hl=en&fs=1]
Tags: cars, eco-news, gas prices, green living, green site, living simply, neat stuff, transportation
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Monday, November 24th, 2008
Dudes. Been thinking about how environmental stuff is really mainstream these days. There are as many “green” products and services out there as there are “lite,” “premium,” and “improved.” This is great on some level, but I wonder how much making all the crap we buy and things we do slightly less awful for the planet does for the larger cause. Wouldn’t consuming less crap be much better?
For example, sharing cars (with I-GO, obvs) to get your people and groceries around seems to make a lot more sense than schlepping around town in a Cadillac Escalade Hybrid. What do you think? Are there some “green” things you’ve come across that don’t make much sense?
(Image from Earthfirst)
Tags: green living, living simply
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Thursday, November 20th, 2008
I just found this list of Top 10 Ecolodges and Green Hotels at the website Independent Traveler. Back In The Day, an “ecolodge” would sound like some sort of hippie hostel in a log cabin where you sing songs about how great dirt is. Not now – check out Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, North Carolina:
Much of the hot water for the hotel and its restaurant is heated by 4,000 square feet of solar panels on the roof, and water-saving fixtures are used throughout the guestrooms and other facilities. Bikes are available for guests to ride on a nearby five-mile greenway.
Guestrooms may be green but they’re also luxurious, featuring 32-inch flat-panel TV’s, original artwork, complimentary Wi-Fi, large windows that allow plenty of natural light, and many other amenities.
No communing with your inner dirt diety there. Have you ever been to one of these eco-green-all-natural hotels or lodges? What was it like?
Tags: eco-news, green living, green site, neat stuff, places to go
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Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008
I-GO Membership Drive
Tues., Oct. 28, 5-7pm
6301 N. Sheridan Rd.
Hello, Edgewater! We recently added a new car at 6301 N. Sheridan Rd. (vehicle I.D. #4404), and I-GO staff will be there to answer all your questions about our service and to sign you up! Come for the membership sign-up discount (just $25 – a savings of $50 off the standard rate!), stay for the wine and cheese. Get a friend or family member to join, and we’ll give you $20 worth of driving credits!
[googlemaps http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=6301+N.+Sheridan+Rd+chicago+IL&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=27.919765,56.601563&ie=UTF8&ll=42.006639,-87.651329&spn=0.006379,0.013819&z=14&g=6301+N.+Sheridan+Rd+chicago+IL&iwloc=addr&output=embed&s=AARTsJru21Ne2trqFTO3vEKH1_pl6vgQrQ&w=425&h=350]
Tags: chicago car sharing, chicago events, green living, i-go events, i-go members, i-go news, living simply
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Thursday, October 16th, 2008
The Illinois Clean Cars Act is an important piece of legislation that will soon be voted on in Springfield. The act would require new cars sold in Illinois to have higher fuel efficiency standards, thus improving air quality and public health, while also reducing global warming pollution. This is Illinois’ opportunity to lead the Midwest in adopting standards that will require auto manufacturers to build cleaner cars. How will this benefit Illinois residents? Check out this interview with Joe Shacter, senior policy advocate at the Environmental Law & Policy Center.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQOV6tHU8Lc&hl=en&fs=1]
To learn more about or take action on this bill, visit the Environmental Law & Policy Center’s website.
Tags: cars, eco-news, gas prices, green living
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Tuesday, October 14th, 2008
Part of I-GO’s mission is to get cars off the street and reduce urban congestion. But if you made it out to the 31st annual Chicago Marathon this past Sunday, you might have caught a glimpse of I-GO’s very own Sheena McNeal taking that ideal one step further. Or, rather, thousands of steps further. People power is about as low-emission as it gets.
Sheena has been our Outreach Coordinator for the past two years. This was her first marathon; although, judging from the glow on her face afterward, it won’t be her last. Congratulations to Sheena and all the other runners who participated and epitomize the most environmentally friendly mode of transportation of all.
Tags: chicago events, green living, i-go members, i-go stories, neat stuff
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Friday, October 10th, 2008
I-GO Car Sharing and the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) announced today the launch of a joint smart card program that will allow individuals to use one card for both riding the CTA and accessing I-GO vehicles. There are currently 10 CTA locations with I-GO vehicles and plans to add 8 more. I-GO has 200 cars in 32 Chicago neighborhoods. The combined smart card program is expected to launch by the end of the year.
Tags: car sharing, chicago car sharing, chicago events, eco-news, gas prices, green living, i-go news, neat stuff
Posted in Motormouth | 3 Comments »
Monday, September 29th, 2008
An article in today’s Chicago Sun-Times highlights the green strides being made at Chicago’s tallest building, the Sears Tower. The Sears Tower now has an I-GO Car Sharing vehicle (a Honda Civic hybrid) in its garage, available for both tenants and businesses. Additionally, they’ve also made three “courtesy bikes” available to tenants through an online reservation system, and quadrupled their indoor bike storage program—although, admittedly, that only brings the indoor storage count up to 49 bikes, a rather small allocation considering the building’s tenant population. Tom Dempsey, Sears Tower vice president and general manager, says they plan to add more courtesy bikes, along with bike locks and helmets.
Tags: car sharing, chicago car sharing, eco-news, green living, living simply
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Friday, September 26th, 2008
Check out this Canadian news report on car sharing in Canada. Car sharing is booming in Canada, just as it is in the U.S. and the rest of the world. In fact, the city of Tel Aviv also recently jumped on board with the car sharing concept.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXIHqHYUT_Q&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&fs=1]
I-GO is already partners with 2 car sharing organizations in Canada- AutoShare, in Toronto and Co-operative Auto, in Vancouver. This means that as an I-GO Car Sharing member, you can also drive AutoShare and Co-operative Auto’s cars when you’re in their respective cities- cool, huh?
Tags: car sharing, cars, eco-news, gas prices, green living, living simply, neat stuff
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