UC Finds a New Way to Go Green: Zipcars Come to Campus Sept. 30

With enrollment at a historic high of more than 42,000 students, the University of Cincinnati will soon offer a new service to help both the campus community and the environment.

In an event from

11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Friday, Sept 30

, on UC’s McMicken Commons, UC’s Office of Sustainability will bring to campus four Zipcars that will be available for students, staff and faculty users who sign up as Zipcar members.

During the Sept. 30 event, the campus community will be able to view and even sit in the cars, obtain information about Zipcar sharing, and even sign up for Zipcar membership.

The UC partnership with Zipcar is part of a campus commitment to environmental practices. On Earth Day of this year (April 22, 2011), the university was named to

The Princeton Review’s national list

of schools leading in environmental practices and in preparing the next generation of green professionals. This is the second straight year that UC made this prestigious list.

UC’s partnership with Zipcar will allow students, staff, faculty and area residents with Zipcar memberships to use a car by the hour or by the day without worrying about gas, insurance or mileage. And there’s no liability or cost to the university except the need to provide four parking spaces for the cars.

And as the program grows, UC's Zipcar fleet could grow to accommodate demand.

“It’s a great option for college students who may not have or want to bring a car to campus,” said Claire Sweigert, UC sustainability coordinator. She added, “If the City of Cincinnati brings on Zipcar as well, UC faculty, students and staff who become Zipcar members would also have access to those cars.”

HOW THE SYSTEM WORKS

Once Zipcar membership is approved, users receive a Zipcard, which looks something like a credit card and contains a radio-frequency identification to gain access to the cars. And while Zipcars have keys inside, the vehicles won’t start without the registered Zipcard of a customer who has reserved the vehicle for a specific time frame. Such vehicle reservations can be made over the phone, online or via Zipcar's iPhone and Android mobile apps. Cars can be reserved for as little as an hour or as long as four days.

THE BASICS

• UC faculty, students and staff interested in becoming Zipcar members must be 18 years of age or older.
• A year's Zipcar membership cost for members of the UC community who join this year is $25.
• Hourly rates to use a Zipcar begin at $7 per hour.
• More information at http://www.zipcar.com/uc/