Lt. Gov. Quinn, State Rep. Fritchey, Ald. Daley, Ald. Waguespack, President Holtschneider and I-GO Introduce Three New Cars at Earth Month Event

Chicago, IL—Introducing a new strategy to combat congestion and ease parking shortages in one of the city’s busiest neighborhoods, a group of state and local officials joined with representatives of DePaul University and I-GO to unveil the latest expansion of the innovative, not-for-profit car-sharing service on the school’s campus.

Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn, State Representative John Fritchey, Aldermen Vi Daley (43rd) and Scott Waguespack (32nd), along with DePaul University President the Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider, C.M., Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Kim Schilf and I-GO’s CEO Sharon Feigon presided over the event at the DePaul location, 2350 N. Racine Ave., that is now home to three I-GO cars, including the hybrid Toyota Prius.

This partnership with DePaul is I-GO’s latest venture onto Chicago’s college campuses, and it furthers their commitments to reduce carbon emissions while easing area traffic. Employing only low-emission, eco-friendly vehicles, I-GO will offer DePaul students, faculty, staff and local residents a new, environmentally friendly option to owning a car.

By bringing I-GO to its campus, DePaul is helping fulfill its Sustainable University Compact, a pledge established in 2006 by Quinn to make Illinois campuses environmentally sustainable.

“I applaud this new partnership and DePaul’s ongoing commitment to ‘greening’ its campus. I-GO is a perfect way this and other Chicago institutions of higher education can promote conservation and bring sustainable transportation options to their student bodies,” said Quinn.

“DePaul is gratified to be a part of this innovative partnership with I-GO,” said Holtschneider. “Obviously, the program offers numerous immediate benefits to the community. But beyond that, it offers the advantage of getting young people comfortable with the idea of car sharing and thus potentially positively impacting their consumer choices for the rest of their lives.”

As more consumers turn to car sharing alternatives like I-GO, fewer greenhouse gases will be released into the environment, as it is estimated that each I-GO car replaces 17 that are on the road.

“At a time when we are trying to do all that we can to improve our environment, I want to commend I-GO and DePaul for working together to help students, staff and the residents to both reduce congestion and pollution in our community,” said Fritchey.

With I-GO, the community can expect not only less pollution but less traffic. This is particularly good news for residents of congested Lincoln Park.

“Lack of parking and heavy traffic are some of the top issues I hear about from my constituents. With I-GO, our streets will be less crowded and residents as well as visitors will be able to decrease the amount of time they spend in their cars, better enjoy our neighborhood, and more easily frequent our local businesses,” said Daley.

I-GO car sharing also is an attractive option for consumers looking to save money, especially as gas prices are on the rise.

“As gas prices continue to escalate, car sharing is a great way for the DePaul community as well as Lincoln Park residents to save money and reduce their impact on our environment. I’m pleased we have this new option in our neighborhood,” said Waguespack.

The overwhelming majority of DePaul students use mass transit to get to DePaul’s Lincoln Park and Loop campuses. And with thousands of daily DePaul users, the DePaul community constitutes one of the largest single customers of the Chicago Transit Authority. Still, many students, faculty and staff have occasional needs for a car on campus, and that is the customer base typically served by I-GO.

Launched in 2002 as a pilot project supported by the City of Chicago and the U.S. Department of Transportation, I-GO is a nonprofit company with more than 8,000 members and a fleet of 185 low-emission, fuel-efficient vehicles currently operating in over 30 Chicago neighborhoods, Evanston and Oak Park. The program has now enrolled most of the major college campuses in Chicago including University of Chicago, Northwestern University and the Illinois Institute of Technology.

“We are thrilled to be working with DePaul University as well as the Lincoln Park community to bring this important resource to the neighborhood. It’s our hope that as more Chicagoans use our eco-friendly and money-saving service, transportation needs will be met with minimal impact to our environment,” said Feigon.

I-GO Car Sharing is a Chicago-based non-profit committed to economical and environmentally sound transportation choices. Our goals are to reduce car ownership rates, lower family transportation costs, reduce urban congestion and improve air quality in all neighborhoods. I-GO is committed to expanding transportation options for all communities, and believes everyone in our region should have good transportation options without having to own a car. For more information, visit igocars.org.

For more information: Emily Blum, Valerie Denney Communications. Phone: 312-408-2580 ext. 13 or 773-620-4603. E-mail: Emily@vdcom.com.