CHICAGO ECO-TRANSPORTATION SHOW! TUESDAY, AUGUST 15 4-7pm: Eco-Transportation Show (outside) 5:30-9pm: Chicago Green Drinks socializing/networking (inside) What: $3.45 for a gallon of gas got you down? Chicago’s first Twike, electric and biodiesel cars, cargo bikes and other fuel-efficient and low-pollution options for commuters will be on display. View the vehicles; talk to the owners. Learn what's really involved with owning and driving one of these greener modes of transportation. After reviewing all the options, network and socialize with others interested in sustainability/environmental issues at Chicago Green Drinks. A panel on City Planning for More Sustainable Transportation will be held from 7-8pm. When: Tuesday, August 15, 4:00-7:00pm show outside; 5:30-9pm Green Drinks inside. Where: On the street along the east side of the 300 block of N. Jefferson. Accessible by bus, el, Metra. The show culminates with Green Drinks at the Jefferson Tap & Grill, 325 N. Jefferson (view map) Cost: Show: Free! Green Drinks: $5 ($2 student/low income) Attendee Contact: greendrinks@foresightdesign.org, (773) 271-1990 Media Contact: Christine Esposito; cesposito@terracompr.com (773) 637-3939 In the Press: Aug. 8, 2006: ABC7 Story on a local Twike, among the featured vehicles at the Eco-Trans Show (see additional info below) (117K PDF). BACKGROUND Safe, efficient, environmentally-friendly transportation has become one of Chicago's primary needs. Foresight's Eco-Transportation show is intended to display to the public the many choices available, ranging from "old fashioned" (i.e. bikes) to forward-looking (i.e. electric vehicles) to innovative (i.e. Segways). Our goals are to learn from those who use and own them, raise awareness, have fun, and encourage attendees to make informed decisions. A SAMPLING OF EXHIBITORS AND VEHICLES Margaret James, Twike. There are five Twikes on the road in the U.S., and Margaret’s is one of them. For about 25 cents’ worth of electricity, the freelance musical director and music teacher can travel over 40 miles in her human- and battery-powered Twike (stands for “twin bike” because of its two recumbent bicycles). A former regular bicyclist, Margaret moved up to the three-wheeled, pod-like vehicle after she was rear-ended by a car while riding her bike. She feels safer in her Twike. The battery propels the vehicle; pedaling assists. “I love this vehicle; I think it’s brilliant,” she says of the German-made Twike. “I really love driving it when it gets really cold out. You pedal five minutes and you’re toasty.” Schecter, Biodiesel Car.  When he can set aside the time, Scott makes biodiesel fuel for his 2005 Volkswagen Passat with a biodiesel reactor he built in his garage. He collects used vegetable oil from restaurants he frequents and feeds it into his reactor, with some other select ingredients. It takes a couple hours of his time and a few days of processing. Up until recently, he could also buy biodiesel fuel at a gas station in the Chicago area. But now if he wants biodiesel, he has to make it or go to Wisconsin. The beauty of diesel vehicles, though, is that they can run on either diesel or biodiesel fuel. “It’s a great economic and environmental decision,” the financial advisor says of his car. Payton Chung, Extracycle. “It’s really no different than owning several pairs of shoes: sneakers, say, and boots,” Payton says of having several bicycles. “Besides, bicycling is so economical and space-efficient that owning and storing multiple bicycles, unlike having several cars … isn’t a big issue.” One of his bikes is an Extracycle, a “sport utility bicycle” with a frame designed to haul a lot of cargo. Payton, who is a research coordinator at the Center for New Urbanism, uses it every week or two for special trips. Among the things he’s carried on his Extracycle: an armchair, suitcases, a case of wine and a birthday cake, a folding bike, even another person. “I like its built-in versatility and stability,” he says. Ted Lowe, Electric Pickup Truck. Ted hasn’t bought gasoline in almost two years, and when he did, it was for his Rototiller. He says his electric 1992 Chevy S10 pickup is extremely quiet and low maintenance – with no muffler, no oil changes, no spark plugs. It also has no emissions. He bought it from someone who had converted it to electric power, though Ted has since modified it further. It costs about $2 for him to charge his truck, which gives him enough juice to travel about 50 miles. He figures that gives him the equivalent of 75 miles to a gallon. He calls it a mission-specific vehicle; its mission is to do local and regional driving. He plans to build a smaller, solar-charged electric car, for even more energy-efficient transportation. Other vehicles at the show: An electric scooter, an I-Go Car Sharing hybrid vehicle, bicycles made of recycled parts, bike trailers, a London taxi, a Scion cab, a Sprinter passenger van, and more.   THANKS TO: City of Chicago, Department of Environment; Jefferson Tap & Grille, Terracom Public Relations, Inc., St. Louis Green Drinks, and all our dedicated volunteers, planners and exhibitors!