Cars are the number 1 Greenhouse gas emitters on the planet!  Why aren't we addressing the problem more directly? Why doesn't everyone just stop driving?  Well, many of us are addicted to it and lead lives that are dependant on driving but we're definitely not doing doing enough to reduce the amount of cars on the road. 

Try this: Next time you're driving in rush hour traffic, look around you and notice the amount of cars that are caring only one passanger!  Then, look in your own car to see if you're alone... if you are alone, think about what you can do to reduce the amount of driving you do and the all the money you can save by driving less.

What can you do?

• Car pool! It's as easy as finding one or two (or more) people in your office that live near you and alternating driving into work.  You will cut your daily driving costs and emmissions in half if you share your drive with one person!  If you share with two people you'll reduce your consumption by 2/3 and you can officially use those car pool lanes.  And, you get to spend the boring time sitting in rush hour traffic with someone instead of by yourself. 

• Car Sharing is taking off in Toronto.  We're finally seeing the personal and environmental benifits of not owning our own cars.  What are those benifits, you ask?

Personal:

• Using a car share service means you only pay when you use the car.  You're not paying insurance and lease fees on a car that sits in your drive most of the time. 
• Car share service fees include maintenance, cleaning, insurance and gas.  Customers use a company credit card to fill up the tank and never need to change the oil, clean the car or do any other maintenance.
• No looking for parking spaces at the end of the day!  Each car has its own reserved parking spot. 
• You get to feel good about using a car only when you absolutely need it.

Environmental:

• Car-sharing has been shown to reduce individual car usage by as much as 50%.
• Each car share vehicles replaces between 4-8 privately held cars. Less cars in the city means less congestion, lower travel times and less emissions.