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UITP workshop sustainable development and CarSharing
Under the umbrella of the International Union of Public Transport (UITP) the Sustainable Development Signatories and the CarSharing Platform join forces. The result? A workshop well worth visiting, to be held in Brussels, Belgium on October 18-19th.
| who | International Union of Public Transport (UITP) |
| what | joint workshop: sustainable development & CarSharing |
| when | Thursday & Friday: 18-19 October 2007 |
| where | at the STIB offices, Houtweg 99, 1130 Brussels, Belgium |
| costs | UITP members: EUR 300 + 21%VAT, Non-UITP members EUR 450 +21% VAT |
The overall goal of this event is to learn from each other and exchange good practices. Nothing new there. However, the speakers combined with the interactive format of the entire event form the main attraction. CarSharing organisations get the opportunity to sign the UITP Sustainable Development Charter and consequently share in the knowledge and experience of top-notch practitioners in both fields.
Why go?
The workshop can help you decide on future mobility strategies. It is also an opportunity to meet the experts and for in-depth professional exchange during one of the parallel workshop sessions (sustainable development or CarSharing) or during the networking dinner on Thursday.
The workshop sessions will address questions such as: why and how to develop a car sharing scheme in your city complementary to the existing transport offer; how can electric cars serve this purpose; and which energy use strategy to choose? On the UITP website you will find the complete programme and further information.
Highlight: Th!nk City
EV's are now and happening (Photo: Th!nk Global)
Michael Eimstad is one of the key-note speakers at the UITP workshop. Mr. Eimstad worked as a public relations and marketing manager for Th!nk Nordic, the company behind the Th!nk City and Th!nk public electric cars. Th!nk is based on light weight thermoplastic material that is 95 percent recyclable and has a zero emission engine.
The Th!nk car has a remarkable survivor’s story. Th!nk Nordic, first called Privco, engineered a small, two-seat runabout that used NiCad batteries, a tubular aluminum frame and a dent-resistant, thermoplastic body. Investing in the idea of community shared vehicles, Privco made the car safer and more reliable, ending up bankrupt in the late 1990s. Ford Motor Company bought the company, not envisaging huge profits but aiming only to find a way to comply with California's Zero Emission Vehicle mandate. Ford soon stopped making the cars.
Th!nk Nordic led a slumbering existence, focusing on research and development, until in 2006 Norwegian millionaire Jan-Olaf Willums bought it and revamped the Th!nk City with the aid of Google. The UITP workshop is a chance to meet one of the pioneers of the car that will now be marketed as ‘ the iPod car’.
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