September 02, 2010
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GO2 Carshare Cooperative
Start Date: Jul 01, 2009
Completion Date: Jun 30, 2011
Country: Canada
Partners:
• This project received funding from Environment Canada’s EcoAction Community Funding Program.
• One Sky also acknowledges the support of enterprising non-profits (enp), Vancity Community Foundation, and the Bulkley Valley Research Centre.
Key Contact(s):
Kim Struthers, (250) 877-6030 or visit the GO2 website.
Project Description
Personal transportation (cars, trucks, and SUV’s) accounts for 35% of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the Bulkley Valley, and residents who are interested in reducing their GHG gas emissions are encouraged to join the car share cooperative. By cooperatively owning a vehicle, co-op members have the convenience of using a vehicle without the associated costs of maintenance, repairs, insurance and fuel, and have the satisfaction of knowing that the emissions from the vehicle will be countered through the purchase of carbon offsets.
Car sharing organizations (CSOs) owe their popularity to the convenience and financial benefits they offer to households needing only occasional access to a first or second vehicle, as well as to the multiple environmental and community benefits they provide. Car shares offer flexible access to a car for people who:
• are concerned about the environmental impacts of vehicles and are actively seeking ways to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and ecological footprint;
• would like to save the $9,800 it costs the average household to own and operate a vehicle (figure taken from CAA’s “Driving Costs”, 2009);
• occasionally need different types of vehicles for different types of tasks; and
• embrace the spirit of co-ownership.
Unlike car rental agencies, the cooperative structure of car sharing allows members to become part owners of a multipurpose fleet of vehicles that they can reserve and use on an as-needed basis. The system provides the benefits of private vehicle ownership while diffusing ownership costs and maintenance tasks. Combined with other transportation modes – biking, taking the bus and car-pooling – car shares add to a range of possibilities, enabling members to choose the optimal form of transportation for a given situation.
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