Every gallon of gas burned emits 20 pounds of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) - a greenhouse gas - into the atmosphere. Sonya Newenhouse, president of Madison Environmental Group, was troubled by this fact and wanted to learn more about the effect cars have on our environment. She discovered carsharing from a friend in Portland, Oregon and within 20 minutes decided to test the idea on the Madison market.  Madison Environmental Group conducted the feasibility study. Six months later, and halfway through the book Divorce Your Car, Sonya launched a 6-week trial separation, then divorced her car in Spring 2001. The decision was easy after calculating that renting a car for her weekend errands was cheaper than owning her paid off Honda Accord.In October of 2003, Community Car was launched with the help of local investors.

In his old life, John spent nearly 9 years putting as many cars on the road as he possibly could. After graduate school, he jumped on the opportunity to make amends by supporting alternative transportation options through carsharing.  When he is not helping reduce transportation-related carbon emissions, he enjoys playing soccer and guitar and a car-free life in Madison.

Jamie brings her love for the community and environment to Community Car. As a Certified Master Gardener, Jamie has spent many growing seasons in community gardens educating children about the importance of eating healthy and local. When she is not organizing the office and assisting members, Jamie also enjoys biking whenever possible, stained glass and mosaic art, cooking, sports, and her dog.

When not checking on the fleet, Sue can usually be found at the dog park with her German Shepard/hound dog mix, Emma.  If not there, she might be haunting the Madison Public Library searching for good movies or interesting books.  Or  she might be surfing the net looking for healthy recipes or better ways to keep the fleet in top order.