Hello Friends and Ashland CarShare Supporters,
Many of you have already heard the fantastic news about our recent grant award from the Oregon Department of Transportation. This is excellent timing for the organization as we line things up to launch our first shared vehicle in Ashland in just a few short months. As many of you also know, this grant does not mean that all of our financial needs have been taken care of. Before we receive our first payment from ODOT, it is imperative that we submit our application for federal Non-Profit status with the IRS. This means it must be submitted no later than Friday, along with a filing fee of $500. This is where you come in!
A donation from you could really make a difference in the future of transportaion in the Rogue Valley. Our mission is to provide an alternative to individual car ownership to the residents of Ashland and eventually the entire valley. We hope to encourage folks to drive less and to walk, bike, and utilize public transportaion with more frequency. Less cars on the road means pedestrian friendly communities and cleaner air for all of us here in the valley.
My goal is to raise the $500 filing fee by Friday. Together, I believe we can raise this amount in the next 5 days and secure the future of ACS as a Non-Profit Organization. It would only take a $20 donation from 25 of you to make this a reality. However, no amount is too small. Please consider making a donation and email me as soon as possible to indicate your level of support, as I am closely monitoring our progress as Friday approaches. Please also consider forwarding this request to those you may know who would like to see carsharing succeed in Southern Oregon.
Checks can be made out and mailed to:
Ashland CarShare
2023 Siskiyou Blvd.
Ashland, OR 97520
Thank you for your support. Together we can make a difference.
Sincerely,
Becky
Becky Brown
Ashland CarShare
www.ashlandcarshare.org
ashlandcarshare@gmail.com
Consume less. Share more
Monthly Archive for October, 2008
We just received word yesterday afternoon that we have been awarded $20,000 from the Oregon Department of Transportation!!!! This is excellent timing for us and we are thrilled to finally be moving forward.
Those interested in becoming members should plan to attend our next meeting on Wednesday, November 5 at 5:30pm at the Ashland Library.
Membership applications and pricing plans will be available soon. Stay tuned………
This is probably the most common question I get from folks. Makes sense, really. Changing your transportation habits is a big deal and people want to know the facts before they even consider letting go of their wheels.
Because we don’t have specific numbers for Ashland CarShare just yet, I thought it would be helpful to share some examples of what our membership and usage fees might look like. Take a look at this table, compiled by Kevin at carsharing.net . It’s a nice way of comparing the cost of carsharing in different parts of the world.
I also recommend taking a look at the websites of some established carshares. Rates for Ashland will most likely follow those of smaller organizations such as Boulder CarShare , CarShare Vermont, and Ithaca CarShare, but it’s helpful to see what they charge at the larger organizations like Philly CarShare and City CarShare as well for comparison.
Dave Brook has a great blog devoted to keeping us all current on carsharing news around the world. If you haven’t had a chance to check it out, be sure to take a look. Last week he posted current North American stats:
“As of July 2008, 19 U.S. carsharing programs claimed 279,174 members sharing 5,838 vehicles. As of July 2008, 39,664 members shared 1,667 vehicles among 14 carsharing organizations in Canada.
That’s a 23:1 national member to vehicle ratio in Canada and 47: 1 ratio for the US.”
Looks like we’ve got a little work to do here in the US.
Carsharing is just one of many ways of living more sustainably. In case you weren’t already aware, the county is offering a new opportunity to keep even more garbage out of our landfills!
Jackson County Plastic Round-up
Save your plastic for recycling; many types accepted!
Fri & Sat, November 14-15
8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Jackson County Recycling Partnership is hosting 3 free drop-off locations for NUMEROUS TYPES of plastic, including grocery and dry cleaning bags, cereal and potato chips bags, to-go containers, lawn furniture, toys, nursery pots, buckets and tubs, lids and caps, CDs and CD cases, baling twine, shrink wrap and much more.
For a LIST OF ACCEPTABLE ITEMS and more information, visit www.jcrecycle.org
Three event drop-off locations include: Rogue Disposal Transfer Station at 8001 Table Rock Road in White City, Valley View Transfer Station at 3000 Valley View Road in Ashland, and OSU Extension Service at 569 Hanley Road in Central Point.
Spread the word! If this event is a success, we hope to make it happen twice each year. Please share this information with friends, neighbors and colleagues, and recycle your plastic this November.
Recycle more: Find the Jackson County Recycling Directory online at
www.RogueSMART.org/directory.html
