By Alice TruongContributing Writer
Sure, everyone knows of the low-carb Atkins diet, but how about the “Low Carbon” I-GO diet?
With people becoming more conscious of the environment, various companies are launching their own green campaigns. Companies such as I-GO Car Sharing, Zipcar and GoLoco are attempting to lessen the economic and ecological costs of car ownership by creating alternatives such as renting and carpooling.
Many of the companies target college students. I-GO has a college program that offers discounts to Northwestern students, Zipcar has university partners and GoLoco operates through a Facebook application.
I-GO promotes itself as the only non-profit car-sharing service in Chicago and is present in 32 area neighborhoods. The company has four car sharing locations in Evanston, two of which are on the Northwestern campus: one on the corner of Foster Street and Sheridan Road, and the other at 1847 Campus Drive.
I-GO allows its members to reserve cars, and the company charges by the hour and mile. Its fleet includes about 200 cars – a third of which are hybrids, and all of which are low emission cars.
While certain age and driving record restrictions can prevent people from using the service, I-GO CEO Sharon Feigon said hundreds of NU students, faculty and staff have signed up for the service, though no exact figure was available.
Overall, there are about 6,500 members.
“I think if I were living on my own, (car sharing) would be helpful,” Luke Gay said. The Music senior lives off campus, but said he doesn’t see a need to either own or share a car yet. “In the future, it’s possibly an option to use.”
Another car-sharing opportunity available to NU students and Chicago-area residents is GoLoco, which relies on the Facebook network. It is built through a Facebook application and utilizes the students’ network information, including groups and events, to help coordinate trips for members of Facebook.
“The general idea is that you as a school, you and your friends, can create your own public transportation system,” said Robin Chase, CEO of GoLoco. Chase is also the founder and former CEO of Zipcar, another car-sharing service.
GoLoco, which hails itself as “the ride revolution,” acts as a third party in coordinating trips Facebook members plan to take. It handles money transfers between the passengers and the driver, while also charging a 10-percent transaction fee.
The specific number of NU students who use the service was not available, but “thousands” of members on Facebook in the Chicago network utilize the service, Chase said. It has been on Facebook for about two months.
“We always wanted to get closer to Facebook,” Chase said. “On Facebook, you already have your social network and your friends.”
The “Low Carbon” diet that I-GO promotes incorporates a combination of alternate means of transportation, such as walking, biking, transit and car sharing.
According to the I-GO Web site (www.igocars.org), transportation accounts for one-third of carbon dioxide emissions in the United States.
Each I-GO car “replaces 15 cars” on the road, the Web site said. And according to GoLoco’s Chase, a typical Chicago driver spends about $8,000 a year in vehicle-related expenses.
“I think there are a lot of benefits personally and to the world at large (with car sharing-services),” Chase said. “We as a world can benefit.”
Reach Alice Truong at [email protected].
