| Dear Friends- I am writing this letter to ask for your support in my own efforts to support the environment and the community by "divorcing" my car and donating it to a non-profit organization in New Orleans. Many of us live in locations where sustainable mobility is an unrealized dream. I am fortunate enough to live in Madison, WI--a city with a network of 120+ miles of bike trails, an accessible bus system, walkable neighborhoods and a car-sharing organization that has a Toyota Prius located just steps from my front door. Because I have been able to rely on these services for my transportation needs, my car has been left mostly idle for the 3.5 years I have lived in Madison. Two years ago, I approached the director of Community Car and told her that when the organization placed a car near my house, I would happily "divorce" my car and send it to those who could put it to use for a worthwhile cause. Friends, I am happy to say that time has come! Through my colleagues in the Water Resources Management program at the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, I have partnered with the Holy Cross Neighborhood Association in the Lower 9th Ward New Orleans. The donation of my car will help them facilitate their post-Katrina efforts and move people and materials between work sites in the Lower 9th Ward in the ongoing rebuilding and reconstruction efforts. I am planning a trip from Madison to New Orleans the second week of March to deliver the car and also to help facilitate the Clinton Global Initiative – University conference on climate and energy issues. While divorcing a car might seem straight forward, I want to make sure that the car is in tip-top shape before it leaves my hands. I also want to offset the carbon emissions for my journey and the future use of the car. What can you do to help? I need about $1,000 to fix-up the car and finance my return to Madison. (The car may be staying, but I need to finish my dissertation!). I am not able to cover these costs on my own, and am asking friends to contribute to help offset them. You can use the "Donate" button on the page to send your contribution. For those of you living in Madison, you can further help the Holy Cross Neighborhood Association by donating tools to help in the rebuilding efforts, which I will be happy to transport (contact me for more details on tool donation). Your generosity will be enormously helpful to the members of the Holy Cross Neighborhood Assiciation. The car will help them manage their operations more effectively and provide social, economic and mobility benefits that add to their ongoing comprehensive sustainable rebuilding of the Lower 9th Ward. And of course (and perhaps best of all), you will receive my eternal appreciation. ~David Zaks | ||