If you're a member of Cool Pool Tas we are currently collecting your feedback through a very user friendly 'survey monkey' questionairre.  If you follow this link:
CARPOOLING SURVEY COOL POOL TAS
It will take you a couple of minutes to complete online.

Thanks for your participation.

Cool Pool Tas Team.

Fresh into 2010, Cool Pool Tas is driving for shifts in the way we move, and share.  To do this, we need your support.  Award yourself with a CAR STAR and check out the new Cool Pool Tas, CAR STAR CAMPAIGN!  

Contact Us for More Information.

Or fill in the Sponsorship Form Attached and

Send it Back to Us.

Once again Cool Pool Tas was building upon our carpooling community at Tassie's Falls Festival in our walking car.  Pictured below are some of our volunteers and supporters in festival mode with the carbon zero car.  Follow this link to see our faces on the Mercury webpage also.

Cool Pool Tas was the proud recipient of the Hobart City Council's Dr Edward Hall Environment Award on Friday November the 13th.

Our community project titled "Walk the Talk: Walking Car Drives Away Climate Change" has grabbed the attention of many citizens at music and community events during the past financial year. 

Further to the excitement in receiving this award, Cool Pool Tas is delighted to announce that at the recent Sustainable Living Tasmania Expo, Walking Car # 2 was born!  We look forward to continuing our community drive, and to bring people together in the process of creating a postive direction and future for us all. 

Walk the talk, and share a ride today!

Cool Pool Tas have been investigating what stage the Government are at now in implementing their pilot project to trial carpooling for Government Vehicles.
 
Some of the following articles might interest you in the very slow evolution following our trigger for the government for carpooling action at the 2008 Fuel Summit last September.  Also some information on the University of Tasmania's federally funded carpooling infrastructure (through Travel Smart). 
 
Articles & Info 
(You will navigate away from Cool Pool Tas site on clicking on these links).
Cool Pool Tas power point presentation to the Fuel Summit in September 2008
State Government to put carpooling for government department's up for tender (MARCH, 2009)
What are the University up to?
 
Out of interest and to give us a focused intention, The Mercury (June 22nd 2009) reported the following update on traffic coming into Hobart:  An average 31,597 vehicles travel on the Southern Outlet daily. There are an average 64,666 on the Tasman Bridge and 48,400 on the Brooker Highway west of the Domain Highway ramp.
 
Carpooling can put a great dent in these figures! And, this is just Hobart inflow... Cool Pool Tas is a State Wide carpooling network.  If you aren't registered and posting rides today- Start Now! Walk the Talk!
 

Cool Pool Tas is moving forward for a place in the face of carbon emissions abatement... We are, afterall, encouraging and providing a meaningful resource to have less cars on the roads = less carbon in the atmosphere.
Although it may not be possible to be officially accredited as a carbon offset organisation, given the restructuring occuring at the Federal level (see email below), we want to encourage organisations and individuals to invest in us so that we can ensure Tasmania's carpooling community grows- ultimately reducing our impact on climate change.  Furthermore, Cool Pool Tas is not deterred by the Government's restructuring for accreditation, so we will continue to research possibilities of more official accreditation at State and Federal levels.
Here is an emailed response on the Government's current changes to their abatement program and their thoughts on Carpooling as a carbon abatement:
Since 2001, the Government’s program for accrediting abatement projects to generate offsets was Greenhouse Friendly. However, the introduction of the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) will have implications for abatement projects approved under the Greenhouse Friendly program. The broad coverage under the CPRS means that once the CPRS is introduced there will be less scope to pursue offset activities, with offsets likely to be limited to emissions sources not covered by the CPRS.  For that reason, no applications for new Greenhouse Friendly Abatement Providers are being  accepted and the Greenhouse Friendly program will end on 1 July 2010.
To replace Greenhouse Friendly, the Government is currently developing the National Carbon Offset Standard (NCOS). The NCOS will provide guidance on what constitutes a genuine, additional voluntary offset credit. Offsets under the NCOS are likely to be limited to emissions sources not covered by the CPRS. Since transport emissions is covered by the CPRS, it is unlikely that a carpooling project would be able to generate credits under the NCOS.
For more details on the NCOS, see the draft standard and discussion paper released in December 2008.  The final NCOS is planned for release before the end of this year.
 

Last night Cool Pool Tas attended a motivating meeting in Kingston, attended by over 25 people, all supporting the need for more sustainable transport and development alternatives in our State.
The meeting focused on sharing together some of the issues and reasons why the Council of Kingborough should vote against the development of the Kingston Bypass this evening.  The reasons were prolific why this development should not continue.  Cool Pool Tas strongly believe that this proposal needs to be deferred until further alternatives and studies are explored and completed because of some of the following reasons discussed by experts and local community members at the meeting:
- Kingborough is currently conducting an integrated transport study which has not been completed- Going ahead with a major bypass costing tax payers millions of dollars before detailed studies and alternatives are explored is absurd.
- Youth have expressed the need in the area for development in the areas of safe biking routes and public transport (A Bypass does not address youth independence and mobility).
- Climate Change issues are peak at this point in time.  Proposing to resolve traffic flow and growth issues by building more roads and encouraging the use of the private automobile, without investigating and perhaps investing in alternatives, is senseless development.
- The Bypass proposal will dissect a new area of development including walking access to Kingston High School- creating great safety concerns.
- The Bypass will swallow up prime agricultural land for the region, whilst also threaten the biodiversity of endangered species and old growth areas.
- The Bypass will cost us around 50 million dollars (tax payers).  We need to consider how this money could more efficienty be put to use: i.e Public Transport, Safer Cycling Routes, Promoting alternatives (Cool Pool Tas pick up and drop off hubs!).
- A park and ride alernative for this area has not yet been well explored.
Let's hope that the Council of Kingborough can see all these reasons as strong enough to delay, and perhaps STOP this Kingston Bypass development plan from continuing.  We need to be creative, clever and community minded with our transport development today!
Although the meeting did not see the creation of a sustainable transport advocacy coalition, it brought people together, including an emerging organisation -future transport tasmania that could potentially act as a body for these interested sustainable transport organisations and experts, as well as local community members, all hoping to create clean, dynamic and affordable transport alternatives for Tasmania.

This year Cool Pool Tas will be supporting big and small festivals throughout Tasmania.  To ensure that you are sorted for a ride, or have a full car load aboard- register your rides with Cool Pool Tas.  You are registered as a member aren't you? It's free!!
Cool Pool Tas is looking to network with this summer's events to ensure that the most minimal carbon footprint, and maximum number of happy festival goers can access activites through out Tasmania.  If you have an event, please contact us and we will attempt to support you where possible.  Otherwise, you can set cool pool tas as your alternative transportation link to give your attendees the best option for ride sharing in Tasmania.  We're looking positively towards a low carbon summer and a maximum fun and adventure season.
 
Already the 2009-2010 Marion Bay falls festival are supporting car pooling with Cool Pool Tas as an alternative means of travel to one of Tasmania's greatest music and arts events.  How will you be moving about this summer?...
 
ride share = carpool = save money = reduce carbon emissions = make connections = access to places = mitigage potential driver fatigue with passengers = less congestion on roads = reduce impact on roads = big smiles all around= Cool Pool Tas = Community owned and operated = free to register today.
 

Rural Rides, the project that will help you get more rides, is holding workshops in Huonville and Cygnet very soon! Tell your neighbours and friends who haven't signed up yet.

Tues 22nd September, 2pm and 6pm, HuonLINC, Huonville.                              

Sat 26th September, 12noon Cygnet Online Centre, Cygnet

Tues 27th October, 10:30 Cygnet Online Centre, Cygnet

Bookings essential

For further information and bookings, contact project manager Laurel Waddell at Sustainable Living Tasmania

Are you planning on joining this National Rally for Climate Change Action??
If so, please check out the opportunities to ride share to Hobart's Parliament lawns at Noon on Saturday the 13th of June!
Be in Hobart to help support this critical calling!
For more information visit the National Climate Change Action Website Here.