(Host) Vermont Law School is welcoming two new fuel-efficient Zipcars to its campus this week. Zipcar is the world’s largest car-sharing service.
Courtney Collins is Program Coordinator of the Environmental Law Center at VLS. She says the school has been trying to address the needs of students who find themselves in the small town of South Royalton, with no public transportation available.
(Collins) "One of the things that our admissions department has heard each year from incoming students is: ‘Oh, do I need to have a car in order to come to Vermont Law School?’ And until now the answer has always been, ‘Yeah, you basically do.’"
(Host) But now, students – as well as faculty and staff – can join Zipcar for a $35 annual membership. There are additional hourly costs, depending on use of the car.
The law school hopes the new service will lead to fewer cars on campus, and encourage the use of the highly fuel-efficient Zipcars.
(Collins) "We anticipate students will use the car for personal use – if they want to go shopping, take a trip, if they need to run someone up and back to the airport, for health care reasons-if they need to go down to Dartmouth Hitchcock for a doctor’s appointment, for example…"
(Host) Vermont Law School is ranked number one in environmental law by U.S. News and World Report.
Courtney Collins says that, with that ranking, comes the responsibility to provide environmentally friendly, alternative transportation for the community.