Every Monday in December, the Festive 5 will bring you another reason to support carsharing in Winnipeg. Help us grow by purchasing investment shares. The deadline to receive a 30% tax credit from the Province is December 31st, 2012. This week we’re talking…

HEALTH

We haven’t yet talked about the health benefits of carsharing. They aren’t obvious, but as you will see below, there is generally a correlation between a reliance on driving and rates of obesity. Along with obesity come other health risks such as heart disease and diabetes.

However, by choosing more active transportation (like biking and walking), you’ll not only get to where you are going, you will also be doing your health a favour.

Manitobans are in dire need of more exercise, because we are getting fat. According to a recent study by the University of Manitoba:

“Like Canada overall, Manitoba has experienced a significant increase in the prevalence of obesity over time; Manitoba values have consistently been higher than national averages. This study is based on Manitoba–specific data from 1989 through 2008. Over that period, ‘corrected’ adult obesity increased from 18.4% to 28.3% among males and from 16.6% to 25.9% among females. Interestingly, however, the increase in obesity prevalence over time appears to have stopped for females, who reached 25% in 2000 and then remained stable through 2008.”

The data gets more interesting when you look at the difference in obesity trends between urban and rural areas. According to Statistics Canada, prevalence of obesity tends to be higher in rural areas. The study also suggests, that based on studies in the US, rates of obesity are linked with reliance on automobiles and decreased opportunities to walk as a mode of transportation. The link between driving, a more sedentary mode of transportation than biking, walking (including walk to the transit stop) and obesity has also been noted over and over in other places.

The second major health issue caused by vehicles is in the emissions they create. Traffic-related emissions are a complex mix of pollutants comprised of nitrogen oxides (including nitrogen dioxide), particulate matter, carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, volatile organic compounds, ozone, and many other chemicals such as trace toxics and greenhouse gases. All of which we are forced to breath in.

In 2004, Toronto Public Health (TPH) estimated that air pollution (from all sources) is responsible for about 1,700 premature
deaths and 6,000 hospitalizations each year in Toronto — an effect that could be changed by reducing traffic congestion by 30%.

Beyond the benefits to your waistline and your respiratory health, biking also offers another really important health benefit: it makes you happy.

The difficult news is that often the form of transportation we choose is also dependent on the built environment of the cities we live in, as well as the availability of efficient and affordable transit. While both of these elements pose a challenge to many of Winnipeg’s residents, carsharing provides a transportation bridge that grants those wanting to drive less the ability to do so, while providing access to a vehicle when it is needed.

All told, carsharing represents a healthier, affordable, and more environmentally sensitive way to get around.

Visit www.pegcitycarcoop.ca/invest to find out how you can help us expand.

Every Monday in December, the Festive 5 will bring you another reason to support carsharing in Winnipeg. Help us grow by purchasing investment shares. The deadline to receive a 30% tax credit from the Province is December 31st, 2012. This week we’re talking…

ENVIRONMENT

We’ve already covered some of the most significant environmental benefits of carsharing on our site.  For example, there is overwhelming evidence that in the aggregate, carsharing has a positive environmental outcome by reducing the greenhouse gas emissions of our members.

In general, one carshare vehicle replaces 9-13 owned personal vehicles. This is due to members either putting off car ownership or selling a vehicle. This could even mean transition from a two car household to a one car household.

Why is this important for Manitoba?

According to 50 by 30 , a local group working on practical solutions for Manitoba to get 50 %  of its energy from renewable sources by 2030, about 33 % of the energy we use is in transportation.  That is the single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in our province. On the household level, driving is the single largest activity that we do that emits greenhouse gas emissions, so every effort we make to reduce the number of kilometers driven is good for the environment.

The good news is that the overall driving trend for  North America has been declining for the past decade, and in general young people are driving less and holding off on getting their licenses.  This is great for the environment, but also for health, as these people are choosing to bike, walk and bus more.

However, closer to home we remain committed to driving:

• In Manitoba, light-duty vehicles (passenger cars and light trucks) comprise 15 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions in the province, and 43 per cent of all emissions from all transportation activities. Between 1990 and 2006, emissions from all light-duty vehicles in Manitoba increased by 21.6 per cent.
• From 1996 to 2006, the proportion of Canadians commuting to work by car decreased by 1.3 per cent, in Winnipeg this proportion increased by 1.4 per cent; the largest increase among 35 metropolitan areas surveyed.
• From 1996 to 2006, the number of Canadians using public transit to commute to work increased from 10.1 per cent to 11.0 per cent. In Manitoba, this number declined from 9.8 per cent to 8.9 per cent.

The good news is that residents of Winnipeg now have another transportation option that can ease their transition into the bike, walk, bus lifestyle. Carsharing means you don’t have to forgo the convenience and speed of driving.  There’s more: all of our vehicles are fuel-efficient and we have an extended range electric vehicle, the Chevy Volt.

All told, carsharing represents a healthier, affordable, and more environmentally sensitive way to get around.

Visit www.pegcitycarcoop.ca/invest to find out how you can help us expand.

Every Monday in December, the Festive 5 will bring you another reason to support carsharing in Winnipeg. Help us grow by purchasing investment shares. The deadline to receive a 30% tax credit from the Province is December 31st, 2012. This week we’re talking…

ECONOMICS

We’ve covered the economics of carsharing in the local economy before. For example, if you own your car, you can probably relate to how expensive the convenience can be, car payments, interest, depreciation, insurance, gas prices, parking, repairs, winter tires, etc. CAA estimates many thousands of dollars spent on ownership and driving alone.

Alternatively, our members only pay for what they use.  While usage and vehicle-need vary, the average carshare member spends less than $1500 a year to use our vehicles. A significant cost savings by any measure. With all the access.

Members of Peg City Car Co-op have decided to spend most of their travel-time, biking, walking and busing.  Grist has an entire feature that focuses on Bikenomics, the economic benefits of investing in bicycle infrastructure and active transportation.

Some examples are:

• Increased worker productivity and reduced sick days
• Added jobs in the bike economy
• Cheaper and more efficient transportation infrastructure
• Reduced health care costs 
• etc…

There is an assumption in Winnipeg that only those who can’t afford to own a car would choose to join the carshare. This statement could not be further from the truth. In fact, across North America, the typical carshare member is university educated, middle-class and between the ages of 25-35. This rings true for our members. They are lawyers, retirees, students, parents, home owners, architects, professors, government workers — you name it.

The economic benefit to the rest of the community is that these members have more money to spend in the local economy. Their money isn’t tied up in the purchase and maintenance of one large asset – it is free to  be distributed to local restaurants, shops, and other businesses which in turn, help support local jobs.

We understand that not everybody can become a member. But most of us can admit that the positive outcomes of more Winnipegers biking, walking, and busing benefit us all. Healthy vibrant local economies? Carsharing can help us get there. Visit www.pegcitycarcoop.ca/invest to find out how you can help us get there.

Votes could support carshare expansion in Winnipeg!

Peg City Car Co-op has been selected as one of six finalists from Western Canada in The Co-operators National Co-op Contest. It is now up to the public to vote through Facebook to determine the winner. Peg City Car Co-op—the only finalist from Manitoba—is looking to engage the local community to help it earn up to $30,000 in prize money.

As a burgeoning Winnipeg co-op, Peg City has grown over the last year to 108 members and 4 carshare vehicles. Now the local car co-op is looking to expand into the Corydon, Broadway-Assiniboine, West Broadway, Wolseley, West End, Downtown, and Exchange District neighbourhoods. Prize winnings from the National Co-op Challenge would be used to support a marketing campaign to grow membership.

“We are thrilled at being selected as a finalist and hope Manitobans will support a local organization by voting for us in the National Co-op Challenge,” says Liz Dykman, President of Peg City Car Co-op. “We want to be able to bring carsharing to more Winnipeg neighbourhoods.”

The social media-based contest is designed to support small and expanding co-ops during 2012, the International Year of Co-operatives.

Each finalist has produced a short video making their pitch, and voting is open to anyone with a Facebook account, through The Co-operators Facebook page. The three co-ops in each region with the most votes on their video will receive prizes of $30,000, $15,000 and $10,000 from The Co-operators to help them grow their business. A Grand Prize winner will also be drawn from the four regional finalists and will win extra resources to further support their organization.

“As a co-op, we are committed to strengthening the co-op sector. We wanted to do something special during the International Year of Co-operatives to support small Canadian co-ops trying to get to the next level of their development,” said Kathy Bardswick, President and CEO of The Co-operators.

Public voting began October 22 and it’s up to Canada to choose a winner. To view the videos and vote, visit The Co-operators Facebook page before November 21.

Another way people can support the growth of Peg City Car Co-op into new Winnipeg neighbourhoods is to purchase investment shares. The investment shares are available in $100 increments and Manitoba investors are eligible for a 30% personal income tax credit.

Great article in the Winnipeg Free Press this week by Lindsay Wiebe on the environmental groups in and around Winnipeg:

It ain’t easy being green — and it can be even more challenging if, like that famous Muppet amphibian, you’re the only one.

Whether you’re a solo crusader against office printer excess or the lone staff member dedicated to environmental issues in an otherwise oblivious workforce, the green-minded can sometimes find themselves a little socially isolated.

Well, there’s a group for that. A lot of them, actually.

From cycling advocacy to river cleanups to species at risk, Manitoba has a group for most every environmental cause on the radar. And for those seeking strength in numbers, joining an organization can provide some support environmentally focused folks might not find elsewhere.

Your eco-values might not always be shared by your flesh-and-blood family, but a green group can fill that void, said Beth McKechnie, who works on workplace commuting at the Green Action Centre and is one of the founders of the Peg City Car Co-op.

“It’s almost like this other family, where you do have that same sort of environmental ethic,” she said.

If you are struck by a whim or New Year’s resolve to give more of your time to the environment, be sure you have a good sense of what you’d really like to be doing, said McKechnie. “One of the things, especially for environmental groups, is that we tend to be small and under-resourced,” she said.

Volunteering could mean anything from joining a board or staffing a booth at a fair to cleaning up a shoreline, but be sure the activity you’re volunteering for is something you’ll enjoy, particularly if you’re getting training in a particular area.

“If you’re clear about the skills that you bring, what it is that interests you most in contributing to that organization, that’s really critical,” said McKechnie, pointing out that for those without time to spare, the gift of cash can be just as helpful.

If you’re hoping to start a group from the ground up, McKechnie said it’s essential to do your homework first. She recalls speaking with people who were ready to embark on environmental projects before figuring out that other groups were already tackling the same challenges.

Starting from scratch can be a long slog: McKechnie said at the time the Peg City Car Co-op was founded, the group knew it would be at least a three- to five-year commitment. The group launched in 2011.

“Sometimes, there are those volunteer commitments that you get into in a big way, and you know it’s going to take some time,” she said.

And with all the emotional energy you’re likely to invest, “it’s just as important that you enjoy who you’re working and volunteering with,” she said.

Like most non-profit or advocacy groups, environmental organizations in the province tend to be supported by both a core of green devotees and a more fluctuating roster of volunteers.

And that core of staff members and volunteers has a group of its own: Green Drinks, a monthly meet-up that’s more about letting loose than discussing eco-advocacy.

“I think it’s about staying connected with other people in the environmental community,” said Liz Dykman, who got the monthly gathering started about five years ago.

The group usually meets on the first Friday of the month at the Lo Pub on Ellice Avenue, though the venue has varied over the years. Dykman — programs co-ordinator for the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment, and Green Drinks organizer in her off time — got the idea from Green Drinks series happening in other cities.

“I feel like we’re pretty isolated in the environmental community,” said Josh Brandon, who works in communications with the Green Action Centre.

“It reminds us that we aren’t working alone in our little silos, but part of a broader movement.”

Groups in other locales often have scheduled speakers, but this is a largely casual affair and open to everyone — a chance to catch up with friends and colleagues over a beer or veggie burger. There’s a bit of hashing over environmental issues, or sharing updates on current campaigns, but for the most part, it’s just for fun.

At the January gathering, a group of about 25 people including NGO workers, dedicated volunteers and government environmental staff filled up three tables, a cluster of couches and a corner by the bar.

Shoni Litinsky, who sits on the board of the Peg City Car Co-op, says she meets great people working on various projects, but “you never get a chance to let loose and hang out with them,” outside of Green Drinks.

“I feel like this is the way you build a community,” she said.