City CarShare Newsletter

Special Earth Day Issue - April 2007


Earth Day is celebrated each year all over the world on April 22.  As a City CarShare member we recommend that you take a moment this Earth Day and pat yourself on the back.  Why?  Because most of our members walk, bike, take transit and use a car only when they need one.  Collectively, City CarShare members make a difference.  We save:
  • 10-15 million pounds of CO2 emissions per year
  • 1,370 gallons of gas per day
  • Over 20,000 daily car miles driven

Each City CarShare member saves 1.2 tons of CO2 emissions each year1.  That means fewer Spare the Air days for everyone in the Bay Area.

So, feel good this Earth Day because you're a City CarShare member.  If you want to do a little more, read on.

Five Easy Eco-Tips

1: Eat Local, Fresh And Organic
When you eat organic produce, you'll be healthier, and so will the planet!  And when you eat local, less energy is used to transport the food.  Plus, we have a special offer for members:

Farm Fresh To You organic farm delivery service is thanking City Car Share customers for their commitment to a cleaner earth.   Receive a $10.00 discount on a delivery of organic fruits and vegetables grown on a family farm delivered directly to your home or office.   Sign up at www.farmfreshtoyou.com and mention CityCarShare1 in the comment section. Or call 1 (800)-796-6009.

For more easy eco-tips keep reading below.

New Pods!

You might know someone who lives near these pods.  So don't forget about the free driving credits when you get a friend to sign up.
  • Hickory and Webster (SF, Lower Haight/Western Addition)
  • Second and Howard (SF, SOMA)
  • 15th and Dolores (SF, Castro)
  • 12th Avenue and Clement (SF, Richmond)
  • 24th and Utah (SF General Hospital)
We're always looking for new spaces. We even have a dedicated staff position to find and follow up on every lead we have. And the position is open! Click here for more information, and stay tuned for more position openings soon.

Earth Day in the Bay Area

Here's where City CarShare will be sharing the word this Earth Day season.  Join us at our booth or just show up and say hello.
  • Earth Day Oakland Zoo, April 15
  • Sustainable Transportation Event, UC, Berkeley, April 19
  • City College San Francisco, April 19th
  • San Francisco Golden Gate Park, Cal. State Parks Foundation, April 21, clean up and restoration. To sign up, click here and fill out the form from the link at the top of the page. Please post City CarShare in the organization field.
Interested in volunteering?
  • Join us at a booth
  • Be a guerilla marketer: wear a City CarShare t-shirt or hat and hand out CCS information at any event you attend.
  • Free tickets! Volunteer for City CarShare and get 2 tickets to the Ashkenaz Earth Day celebration on Friday April 20, featuring high energy West African funk by Albino! and The Flux.  (You'll need to set up a table and share the word to participate)
Email us at marketing@citycarshare.org.

For a complete list of fun and free events, go to Earth Day Network.

Your Fob Can Secure Your Bike

We love it when our members bike.  It's better for your health and the air we all breathe.  And now you can get 24/7 access to secured parking at Embarcadero BART.  At the end of the Bike Station signup process, enter your 4 or 5 digit City CarShare fob number in the special notes box.  The number is printed on your fob, but it's small, so if you can't read it, call us.

Driving Tip of the Month - Please Turn the Radio Down

Please be considerate of neighbors and the next driver by keeping the radio down when you return the car. We not only share the car, but we also share the space with neighbors. Therefore it is especially important to keep it down in residential neighborhoods.

Every month we will include a driving tip in the newsletter and post them to our website.  We get many of these suggestions for tips from members, so feel free to let us know if you have any ideas for this feature. Email memberservices@citycarshare.org.

Mythbusters: Back by Popular Demand

Last month the March Mythbusters were so well received, we're giving you another one. 
  • Myth: Some car share organizations charge more for gas and insurance
  • Fact: Car sharing organizations, by definition, include insurance and gas. We want to protect you, so you're covered by our $1 million per incident ($5M umbrella) for all your trips.   No other Bay Area provider offers this much coverage. And, as far as gas is concerned, car sharing is not car rental.  A gas card is available in every City CarShare vehicle so your gas is always included with every trip you take.
City CarShare Member Directory:
Reservations:
www.citycarshare.org
877-363-0710 or 415-227-0712

Questions (membership issues):
memberservices@citycarshare.org
415-995-8588 and press 0

Accounts (update credit card info):
accounts@citycarshare.org
415-995-8588 x303

Emergency (report urgent car issues):
415-786-7468
 Volunteer:
Sign-up for regular emails about volunteering:
volunteers@citycarshare.org

Donate:
Support your favorite non-profit car-sharing organization: www.citycarshare.org/supportus.do

Our Office:
131 Steuart Street, Suite 205
San Francisco, CA, 94105
Tel: 415-995-8588 Fax: 415-995-8589

Five Easy Eco-Tips Continued

2: A Delicate Solution: Alternatives to Dry Cleaning
Need a professional to clean your delicate clothes?  Ask them to wet clean instead of dry clean. Dry cleaning uses a very toxic chemical called perc (perchloroethylene.)  In fact, perc is so toxic, the state of California is phasing it out by the year 2023.  Wet cleaning is better for your clothes and they won't stink of chemicals when you pick them up.

How to find wet cleaning in the Bay Area:
  • Click here.
  • From the keyword pull down menu, pick "dry cleaning/wet cleaning" then enter in your city and state.
There are two other non-perc professional cleaning methods: liquid silicone (GreenEarth Cleaning) and CO2 cleaning.

City CarShare is perfect for those who may need to go an extra mile to have their delicates safely cleaned.

3: Recycle Your Electronics Responsibly
Need to get rid of old computers, printers, TVs or batteries?  Check out GreenCitizen to find out how to drop off your electronics.  GreenCitizen recycles and safely dispenses with 100% of what you drop off. The drop off location is right near our Howard and 2nd pod in San Francisco at 591 Howard Street.

For more recycling information, check out StopWaste.org or SF Environment or The World's Shortest Comprehensive Recycling Guide.

City CarShare welcomes StopWaste to our membership!

4: Be an Efficient Energy User
There are many ways to reduce energy use in your home.  A good start is to use compact fluorescent light bulbs; turn your refrigerator up to 37-40°F and the freezer to 5°F; and use cold water when you do laundry.

Check out this Co-Op America article for more tips and resources. 

Already an efficient energy user?  You might be eligible for a tax break.

5: Clean Home, Nice Indoor Air
There are many great new and effective eco-friendly cleansers on the market. At the end of this Co-Op article is an excellent list of manufacturers and links to more information about how and why it's good to go green in your home.  Feeling ambitious?  Enjoy the tips on how to make homemade cleansers.


If you like eco-tips, we recommend that you sign up to Ideal Bite. You'll get short, sassy and free tips each weekday via email.