Posts Tagged ‘neat stuff’
Tuesday, May 12th, 2009
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
Tags: chi town rewards, chicago, chicago car sharing, i-go news, neat stuff, places to go
Posted in Motormouth | No Comments »
Monday, April 20th, 2009
I’m happy to announce that we’ve added 2 new, local businesses to our Chi-Town Rewards program this month! As I-GO members, you can now receive a discount when you visit the Adler Planetarium in Chicago’s Museum Campus or the Green Grocer Chicago in West Town- pretty cool, huh?
Adler Planetarium
1300 S. Lake Shore Drive
www.adlerplanetarium.org
OFFER: 2 for 1 general admission
Green Grocer Chicago
1402 W. Grand Ave
www.greengrocerchicago.com
OFFER: 10% off total order
Tags: chi town rewards, chicago car sharing, chicago news, i-go car sharing, neat stuff, places to go, savings
Posted in Motormouth | No Comments »
Saturday, January 24th, 2009
Treehugger has a post about this excellent USB lunchwarmer from Japan, which could not only help you save money and cut down on waste, but could also be a warm hat for those in hyper-air conditioned offices.
The manufacturer sums it up (through a Google translation):
Fun fun time for your lunch, dinner is cold but we do not. Lunch not only beloved wife, can heat up your lunch bought at convenience stores.
Indeed. I want so bad. Wonder if it works on pop tarts…
Tags: items, neat stuff
Posted in Motormouth | No Comments »
Friday, January 16th, 2009
This is pretty sweet – this gadget lets you take a bike lane with you.
The lasers help drivers see you and give them a clear boundary to avoid you, making biking safer at night.
Do you have any tips for safe biking, running, or walking at night?
(via GOOD)
Tags: neat stuff, transportation
Posted in Motormouth | No Comments »
Friday, January 16th, 2009
Oh man. Want.
Some images like this leaked of the Aeolus Airship – a sleek, people-powered blimp that can fly up to two weeks. It was designed by someone named Christopher Ottersbach. I can’t find much of anything about him or where to find out more about this vehicle, so it might be some hoaxy thing or a movie promo. I don’t care if it is imaginary – I want to pedal through the sky:
So when is Chicago finally gonna get a blimp-sharing service?
(via Treehugger)
Tags: green technology, neat stuff, transportation
Posted in Motormouth | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 14th, 2009
Aside from the occasional I-GO trip, I rely on the CTA and my own two feet to get around. I spend a lot of time outdoors, even in these freezing temperatures. But sub-zero conditions can leave my face flaky, cracked and red. Here are some tips to keep your skin healthy while braving the elements.
1. Prevent flaky skin.First, avoid products that contain alcohol, which is drying. Instead, use a gentle cleanser and switch to a richer moisturizer. Neutrogena products are my personal favorite.
2. Stop a red nose. Unless you’re guiding Santa’s sleigh, no one wants a red nose (which, by the way, is caused by dilated blood vessels). Since sun exposure can also cause redness, wear plenty of SPF 30 sunblock, even in the dead of winter. Kiehl’s makes a good one. And a warm — not hot — compress to the skin for a few minutes should also reduce redness.
3. Keep lips moist and crack-free. There’s no such thing as too much lip balm. It’s your first line of defense against chapped lips. Also avoid licking lips which dries them out even more.
For more tips to keep your skin healthy this winter, check out this post from Real Simple.
Tags: living simply, neat stuff, tips
Posted in Motormouth | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 13th, 2009
You see this? The Times of London did a story exploring how much greenhouse gasses are created from doing a Google search and other web activities. Apparently two searches release the same amount of gas as it takes to boil a kettle of water. Servers and big computer machines apparently need a lot of power.
Unsurprisingly, Google took issue with the story, pointing out the apparent efficiency of their servers and claiming a search uses as much energy as a human body does in ten seconds, much less than boiling a half kettle of water.
I think a persuasive point they could have expanded on is that doing the amount of research a Google search does in pre-Google times would have taken many car trips to many libraries to look through stacks of paper.
Of course, back then, we didn’t have to update our status to the world every second, which probably could make a few kettles worth of tea.
Tags: links, neat stuff
Posted in Motormouth | No Comments »
Saturday, January 10th, 2009
Are you taking full advantage of our Chi Town Rewards program? All you have to do is flash your I-GO card at participating businesses and you’ll receive a discount simply for being an I-GO member! We added 3 new Chi-Town Rewards businesses this month:
Green Dream Group
www.greendreamgroup.com
OFFER: 15% off home energy audit
*Home Energy Audits increase comfort and resale value, lower utility costs, and preserve the environment. Services: Blower Door, Infrared Thermographics, Utility Analysis, Energy Star Homes.
Lake Claremont Press
www.lakeclaremont.com
OFFER: Buy 2 books, get 1 free; buy 4 books, get 2 free; buy 5 books, get 3 free.
*A locally-owned publisher, specializing in books about Chicago and Chicago history, by Chicago authors with a passion and Chicago organizations with a mission.
Lillstreet Art Center
www.lillstreet.com
OFFER: 10% off class registration fees & gallery purchases
*A largy community of artists, open to all ages and skill levels. Lillstreet features 19 classrooms, over 50 studios, a gallery, story, cafe and more!
Check out the full list of participating businesses here.
Tags: chi town rewards, chicago car sharing, i-go car sharing, i-go news, neat stuff
Posted in Motormouth | No Comments »
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
Posted in Motormouth | No Comments »
Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008
I-GO pals HOURCAR, a car sharing service in Minneapolis/St. Paul, posted on their Hubcap blog about their members informally sharing shades:
Pretty cool. We’ve heard of I-GO members sharing mixed CDs, and we’ve talked about having reusable grocery bags to share in our cars.
Have you shared objects through I-GO?
Tags: blogs, car sharing, neat stuff
Posted in Motormouth | No Comments »
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
Posted in Motormouth | No Comments »
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
Posted in Motormouth | No Comments »
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 »
Thursday, December 18th, 2008
There’s a very cool article about WPA posters at ReadyMade. You can even download and print them out for your very own. My favorite:
You know what… pop this guy in a frame and you got a great looking yet affordable last-minute gift for a friend or colleague who has all the Go Bucks he or she can use…
Tags: ideas, neat stuff
Posted in Motormouth | No Comments »
Tuesday, December 9th, 2008
An electric car charging station was unveiled today in Tel Aviv – the system will be expanded and tested in Israel before coming to other countries like Denmark and Australia. Think these guys will come to Chicago any time soon?
Tags: eco-news, neat stuff
Posted in Motormouth | No 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
Posted in Motormouth | No Comments »
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
Posted in Motormouth | No Comments »
Friday, November 28th, 2008
In my family, our annual tradition on the Friday after Thanksgiving is to 1) eat leftovers and 2) make our Christmas wish lists. With the economy in the tanker, this holiday my list is not only pared down, but it only include things I actually need. Like an I-GO gift certificate for more I-GO Car Sharing driving credits. What could be better (for me) and easier (for my family) than that? My family can just click here, and their shopping for me is done. It’s not only a great gift to get, but it’s also a great one to give, so add it to your shopping list today!
Tags: i-go car sharing, living simply, neat stuff
Posted in Motormouth | No Comments »
Wednesday, November 26th, 2008
Procrastinating cooks throughout the city might want to know where to go for last minute turkeys and fixings for the holiday. I checked it out – here are Thanksgiving Day hours for Chicago grocery stores:
- Whole Foods: Chicago stores are open 7am-3pm, Evanston’s Chicago Avenue store is open until 5pm
- Dominick’s: Most locations, including South Canal and Halsted, are open 24 hours – Streeterville location is open 6am-9pm. Check here for all locations.
- Jewel: Most close at 6pm – you can check your location here.
- Trader Joes: All stores are closed on Thanksgiving, so get a move on if mango hot dogs and organic pop tarts are on the menu.
I pretty much looked at websites and talked to some store managers, so double-checking is advised.
As always, I-GO cars are available throughout the day all over Chicago for lugging around turkeys and cranberries and sweet potatoes (or going out to the suburbs to eat your mom’s or grandma’s…). I’m gonna jump in one to go get my own sweet potatoes for some Thanksgiving hashbrowns:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xShyedT9Ny4&hl=en&fs=1]
Merry Turkey Day everyone.
(photo from Google’s sweet LIFE photo archive)
Tags: links, local food, neat stuff, tips
Posted in Motormouth | No Comments »
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
Posted in Motormouth | No Comments »
Wednesday, November 5th, 2008
Some big news, apparently – America picked a new president, a rather popular guy from Chicago, in fact. There was some party or something in over in Grant Park.
Kidding aside, among the many bits of historic and exciting news that came out of our TVs and computers last night was that first time voters were a huge factor in the outcome, especially the young and elderly.
A few of these folks from the South Side got to the polls in I-GO cars.
I-GO partnered with Rock The Vote and K.L.E.O. Community Center to help people vote and threw a “Party at the Polls” featuring performances by Robert Jones, The Youth for Christ, and the insanely talented Jessie White Tumblers, who would make terrific ninjas if anyone is hiring:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iQyPB89i_M&hl=en&fs=1]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-STyyecD2X4&hl=en&fs=1]
These guys rocked the vote – how did you?
Tags: i-go car sharing, i-go events, i-go news, neat stuff, neighborhoods
Posted in Motormouth | No Comments »
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
Posted in Motormouth | No Comments »
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 »
Friday, October 10th, 2008
With the economy looking weaker each day, I thought now would be a good time to remind I-GO members of our Chi-Town Rewards program.
Our Chi-Town Rewards program offers I-GO members a chance to save some dough at local businesses around the Chicago area.
Tags: chi town rewards, chicago car sharing, i-go news, neat stuff
Posted in Motormouth | No Comments »
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
Posted in Motormouth | No Comments »
