While the prospect of another pickup truck in Kimberley might not seem exciting to most people, for the members of Wildsight's new car and truck sharing program, it's good news for them and for the environment. They are working to purchase a truck that will be owned and used by all the members of the group. Following a successful first meeting late last year, there are enough interested members to go ahead with the purchase of a pickup truck and the formation of a non-profit cooperative to own and maintain the truck. Not only will members have access to a pickup truck without the hassle of owning one, but by sharing a vehicle, they'll be reducing their environmental impact.
The group's next meeting will be at 7pm on Monday, January 21st in the College of the Rockies Kimberley campus. Anyone interested in getting involved in the truck sharing program or in a possible car sharing program is invited to attend.
Wildsight's Lars Sander-Green, who is helping to launch the cooperative, is thrilled to be working on the program: “I was a member of a car sharing cooperative in Montreal and loved it, so I'm excited to be helping launch a truck sharing program in Kimberley.”
When a car sharing program is established, cars and/or trucks are purchased by the cooperative and parked in a central location. Members of the program can then make reservations to use a vehicle when they need one. Members pay a yearly fee to cover insurance on the vehicles, and then pay hourly and per kilometre fees to cover the costs of fuel, maintenance, and to pay down the purchase of the vehicle. There is also a refundable cost to join by purchasing a share in the cooperative, which helps with the purchase of vehicles. Car sharing programs have been running successfully in Canada for years in both larger cities, like Vancouver and Montreal, and smaller cities, like Nelson.
Wildsight is helping to launch the cooperative because car and truck sharing programs can be an excellent way to reduce the environmental impact of our transportation choices. In the case of a truck sharing program, the goal is to reduce the number of trucks that are second vehicles in Kimberley and to allow people who own only a truck to switch to a more efficient car for their daily driving. By providing access to a truck for those times when hauling capacity or backroad capabilities are required, the truck sharing cooperative gives people the benefits of owning a truck with much less of the environmental cost. With local air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions becoming important issues lately, car and truck sharing makes a lot of sense. If there is sufficient interest, the cooperative could also purchase a car for those who sometimes need a second car or only sometimes need a car at all.
If you would like more information or want to be involved, but can’t attend the meeting, please call Wildsight at 427-2535 or email kimcran@wildsight.ca.
