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Canada Go Green

Have you considered fuel efficiency? What about those new hybrid cars?

Personal Vehicles Initiative
http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/transportation/personal-vehicles-initiative.cfm

This site has been through numerous name changes in the past 5 years but its content remains helpful, relevant and useful for the new or used car shopper. As well as explaining how your choice of vehicle can help cut emissions (and save you money) the site also has information on fuel efficient driving and vehicle maintenance that helps to cut fuel usage.

Pros:
Using the site you can quickly find which vehicles are the most fuel-efficient and even compare vehicles to each other to see how they differ. There are also lots of tips on how to drive in a more fuel-efficient manner as well as vehicle maintenance tips and resources for driver educators.

Cons:
There is really no downside to this site.

How to:

• Find fuel efficiency information on a specific vehicle
  Select your model year, class, manufacturer and fuel type and indicate how you'd like the results sorted and then click on the Submit button.
  
  

CarSharing Network: Car Sharing Network; Car Share North America
http://www.carsharing.net/

Perhaps your personal solution to having less impact on the environment is not to buy a car of your own at all. Car sharing is - in the words of this site - "a revolution in personal transportation - mobility for the 21st century." By joining a car sharing network you get access to a number of vehicles - often of different types like cars, vans and trucks - and pay only when you need them.

Pros:
Using the site you can locate car sharing networks in your community and there is some very basic information on how to get started if you'd like to initiate a car sharing organization in your town if there isn't one.

Jack Bell RideShare - BritishColumbia ONLY
http://www.ride-share.com/

This site allows you to look for commuter ride-sharing and is very slickly done using your postal code and the information you input to look for matching drivers with space. The site is free and the non-profit foundation that runs it may even be able to help you get a multiple-user route running with a vehicle from their fleet if you can demonstrate demand.

Pros:
This BC-wide site is very well thought out and executed - and it's free. Once you input your information (postal codes for where you live and work/go to school, your schedule) you'll see possible matching drivers or passengers in your area. You can even put in up to 5 different listings (if you work different schedules on different days or work in different locations throughout the week). It is a very impressive system.

Cons:
The site is restricted to British Columbia and is actually mostly limited to the lower mainland and Vancouver Island.

Autotaxi.com
http://www.autotaxi.com/

This site allows you to look for long distance and commuter rides whether you are a driver or passenger. Unfortunately it has gone from being a free site to a pay one and also has quite a few limitations in the design of the site and its geographical focus.

Pros:
It's a great concept to put drivers with space and passengers who need a ride in touch with one another.

Cons:
I don't like that this is now a pay service. Also the sample listings I saw were all in Ontario and Quebec. The site does not offer any searching capability - you have no choice but to scan through the listings looking for one that will work for you.

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