Facebook keeps students from hitchhiking home for holidays

A new Facebook application will help students across the country find rides home for Thanksgiving next week.

Carpool, one of more than 8,000 applications added to Facebook within the past six months, is a ridesharing service that uses Google mapping technology to match students traveling in the same direction. More than 10,000 rides have been posted on the site since July 1, making it the most popular service of its kind in North America.

John Zimmer, 2006 Cornell University graduate and one of seven college students or recent graduates to begin the organization, said the initial idea came from a collective desire to do something that would have a real and immediate environmental impact. Since approximately 95 percent of college students in the United States have Facebook accounts, group creators found the site an efficient publicity and networking resource.

"Carpooling is an important part of the solution toward more sustainable transportation, but the key element of trust and comfort has been missing," he said. "Facebook allows users to see who they will be riding with before they decide to join or to accept passengers."

Zimmer acknowledged the validity of safety concerns but said the nature of the group and the use of such a popular social networking site could relieve students' fears. People using the application are able to search selectively and choose to ride only with others they know or others who attend the same university. In addition, users are encouraged to leave feedback to help inform and reassure future users.

"We're hoping that as we build a reputation and continue to have some success, people will start to realize the level of community involvement our service allows," Zimmer said.

According to Carpool creators, feedback is positive and growth is steady.

"The growth is unprecedented," said Logan Green, Carpool co-creator. "It shows not all popular Facebook applications have to involve ninjas and vampires."

Both Zimmer and Green attributed the application's seemingly instant popularity to its practicality and convenience. "It is providing a useful and convenient service to students while allowing them to make a sustainable and financially affordable decision," Zimmer said.

"The natural incentives of making money, having better transportation options and participating in a community will encourage more and more students to join."

Based on calculations and analysis of application usage within the student body of Cornell University, group creators found substantial personal and environmental benefits from use of the service. The average ride distance posted by students was approximately 200 miles and used eight gallons of gasoline. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a trip of this length would cause a car to release 155 pounds of carbon dioxide and would cost $106.

Carpool creators project that regular service users could save 620 pounds of carbon dioxide, 32 gallons of gasoline and $422 annually.

"All of us consider ourselves environmentalists," Zimmer said of the group's founding members, "but that isn't our only selling point. This application has the ability to affect the way we look at transportation, the environment and the larger national community.

"We hope that using the service will demonstrate to students that being environmental doesn't have to be inconvenient and involve making a sacrifice but can also improve one's quality of life."

Zimmer believes the continued success of Carpool will rest largely on the involvement of campus leaders nationwide. The organization networks to any college or university with Facebook access and has published a starter kit for those interested in promoting the services at their own campuses.

The kit contains literature regarding application implementation strategy, frequently asked questions and information from the Cornell case study. It also includes sample business cards and flyers, sample press releases and national member contact information.

The Carpool group is seeking students from all colleges and universities to promote the service within their own communities. "It's not a big time commitment," Zimmer said. "It just takes someone who really believes in the project."

Group creators say they hope that on a large scale, the application will not only reduce the national CO2 emissions by millions of pounds, but will also demonstrate the power of an individual in a collective community built around trust.

SFA students interested in obtaining more information can visit www.zimride.com or search for the application through Facebook.