Car-Free Day Background   

Transportation is responsible for almost half of the greenhouse gas emissions in Sonoma County. In 2005, the Sonoma County Climate Protection Campaign, the organization that conducted the emission survey, www.climateprotectioncampaign.org, followed up by assisting our community to set an emissions reduction target of 25% below 1990 by 2015. This target, the boldest of any US community, depends on us cutting our petroleum use. Getting individuals and businesses to reduce miles driven is crucial, yet it is very hard to convince people they can drive less and maintain their current quality of life.

LITE's goal is simple yet ambitious - to motivate thousands of Sebastopolians to drive less, to walk and bike more, carpool and take public transit. Drivers are being asked to leave their cars parked at least one day per month, preferably the first Sunday. If they must drive, they are encouraged to plan their trip carefully, clump errands, carpool and pick another day or partial day to be car-free. Churchgoers and errand runners are invited to start their drive-less activities after services and errands.

In 2002, LITE, then know as Car-Lite, was asked to bring a Car-Free Day Resolution to the Sebastopol City Council. Over a series of months, the idea was discussed in great detail at council meetings and in the media. This simple request – asking people to voluntarily drive-less and more efficiently, resulted in a surprising amount of controversy. LITE Founder Portia Sinnott made the executive decision to pull the resolution until a more harmonic, or perhaps more urgent time – now!

In addition to organizing Car-Free Day events, LITE is collecting drive-less pledges, which record individual’s agreements with themselves to drive less and the amount they plan to reduce. In 2002, 1,000 pledges were collected, representing more then 5,000 car-free days per month, or 60,000 per year. Pledge forms are available now. Pledges and ride sharing info will be added to the LITE website soon; miles diverted and potential greenhouse gas reductions will be tracked. <a href="http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=OCuV3iCSNvN_2fykTffRViMA_3d_3d">Click Here to take the pledge</a>

LITE is seeking opportunities to brief local groups about driving less including churches and schools. In order to reach as many people as possible, they prefer to speak at or before regularly scheduled meetings. In addition, a variety of generic newsletter articles are available which can be tailored for specific groups.

Volunteers are needed to help with business outreach, give presentations, research drive-less programs, promote events and post signs right before the first weekend of every month. Trainings are by appointment. For additional information, please visit www.liteinit.org, call 579-5811 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

LITE Background

LITE’s mission is to motivate individuals, groups, businesses, and even whole communities, to live lightly and more efficiently. A Sebastopol-based activist group initially incorporated as Car-Lite, we have been promoting simple, straightforward practices with significant consequences since 2001. Utilizing a wide variety of lighthearted activities, we have encouraged thousands of people to drive less, walk and bike more, carpool and take public transit, as well as to consume less, reuse, repair and recycle, buy organic, fresh and local, and to green their homes and businesses. These efforts also help build community and strengthen social networks. Our four programs, Car-Lite, Community Bikes, the Green Mentor and Zero Waste Sonoma County, all reinforce our mission and promote safety, sharing, and the development of DIY - Do It Your Self - skills.

Community Bikes, our collaborative bike shop, is a good example of this approach. A very popular program, it operates three days per week and is open to the public two of those days. Skilled volunteers, led by the shop manager, patiently teach all comers how to clean, maintain and refurbish their bikes. In exchange for shop time, participants volunteer or pay a low fee. Needy folks can trade volunteer work for a bike of their choice through our Earn-A-Bike program. LITE empowers people to go beyond their personal challenges - time, money, confidence or skill level, and helps them to change their day-to-day habits.

A working group focused on projects, LITE has four types of members:  participants, volunteers, core volunteers and staff. Thousands of people have participated in our activities, hundreds have volunteered. Twenty-five core volunteers are involved week-to-week; some work more that 80 hours per month. During the dry season, we often log 150 or more person-hours per week.

LITE welcomes collaborators - individuals and groups, interested in co-creating meaningful, enjoyable and useful initiatives. Past and present project sponsors include the cities of Santa Rosa and Sebastopol, the Sonoma County Office of Education, Sonoma County Air Quality Resource Team and the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition. Financial benefactors include Bread for the Journey, Whole Foods Market, Sonoma County Community Foundation, Santa Rosa Bicycle Club and the Leroy Tomasi Memorial.

For additional information, please visit www.liteinit.org, call 579-5811 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .