We also have a few tips for staying timely:
1. Plan for traffic.
2. Sign up for text alerts so we can give you a nudge when your reservation is coming to an end.
3. Visit zipcar.com on your mobile device to check if your car is available and extend your reservation.

Last month, we told you that hundreds across Zipcar Nation had committed to car-free living for thirty days as part of our Low-Car Diet. Well, today we're pleased as punch to report that nearly 60% of those dieters have decided to stay car-free long term. And we weren't kidding about the healthier environment and lifestyle. Participants reported increasing their miles walked by 85% and their miles biked by 136%. Get inspired at zipcar.com/lowcardiet.

Remember when you were a kid playing hide-and-seek and you thought if you covered your eyes no one could find you? Unless you're still sitting on the floor with your eyes covered, you figured out that's not the case. Same rules apply here. Driving in a Zipcar does not mean the law can't see you. If you speed, run a light, or whoosh through a tollbooth*, you're not in disguise.

The best way to handle any legal "issue" in a Zipcar is to just fess up. There is no additional financial penalty for tickets received in a Zipcar—unless you don't tell us. You can choose to pay the ticket yourself or appeal it (your choice), but please make sure to call 866.494.7227 or email info@zipcar.com and let us know the situation. If the ticket makes it to us before you do, there is a $20 processing fee, plus any additional penalties that may have accrued on the ticket. Of course, the best approach is to abide by the law, drive safely, and slow down on yellow!

* And the tollbooth thing is tricky. If you're using your own toll transponder, you may have to register the Zipcar on that account in order for it to work – check with your local toll authority to confirm the rules and regulations.

Fall Cleaning is the little-known cousin to Spring Cleaning. About this time every year, we like to take a look at the abode and find ways to prepare for fall. Sprinkling sand from our sneakers is a start, but this fall, we think there are even more things to do. Don't just clean, green.

Start small: change out your light bulbs, commit to carrying a water bottle instead of buying plastic, and find ways to carpool at every corner. The good news all year round is that Zipcar is a part of your efforts to be green. We try to remind people whenever we can—Zipcar is helping to save the world, and so are you.

So this season, look good in green.

• Harvard St/Columbia St
• Mass Eye and Ear
• One Financial Center
• 75 State St
• 1571 Beacon St
• Beacon St/Amory St
• Englewood Ave T
• John St/Babcock St
• Fuller St Town Lot
• Sycamore St
  

hub on wheels

We know you all spend your days Zipping up and down Storrow Drive, but here's your chance to bike Storrow traffic-free with the wind in your hair (or should we say helmet?) and the pedals under your feet. Enjoy harbor views, hidden pathways and river greenways on 10, 30 or 50-mile paths through Boston's neighborhoods. Sign up now to join Team Zipcar! Select "Zipcar" from the Join a Team page. Use discount code ZIPCAR to get $5 off registration. The first 50 riders to join the team get a $15 Zipcar gift certificate. And the Top 5 Team Zipcar fundraisers get a free Zipcar cycling jersey.

Your mother always told you not to play in the street, but we're willing to throw caution to the wind and tell you to party it up on Harvard Ave. on September 14th from noon to 6pm at the Allston Village Street Fair. Bring a friend to meet our Street Team and enjoy live music, food, entertainment and vendors from around Boston. Make your friend into a Zipster, and get $50 in driving credit!

it's more than a color

Not only is green our favorite color, but it's our favorite way of life too. Check out Boston Green Fest on Government Center Plaza September 26-27th to experience the greatest and greenest eco-friendly stuff from around Boston. Bring a friend to see our Street Team and get them to green-it-up with a Zipcar membership and get $50 in driving green in your pocket (driving credit, that is).

hello greenway, we've been waiting for you

What's the best way to deal with an unruly elevated highway cutting through a beautiful city? Bury it and build a park over it! And that's just what Boston has done. Join us on October 4th for the celebratory inauguration of the Rose Kennedy Greenway. In the spirit of reconnecting the city, bring a friend, meet our Street Team, sign them up and get $50 in driving credit to Zip under the new Greenway.

How could you ever make the South End Open Market better? Add Zipcar and live music all day, that's how! Check-out local designers, artisans and fellow foodies at Baked Fresh at the SoWa Open Market on Sunday, October 5th from 10am to 5pm. This is one of those "hip" things your friends go to while you're Sunday-cleaning, so here's your chance to show them who's the real urban hipster. We'll be there, so you should too. Bring a friend, make them a Zipster and get $50 in driving credit.

global voices

United Nations Association of Greater Boston presents "Global Voices", an inspiring annual film festival from September 25-28 that includes film screenings, discussions and parties in Harvard Square. The four-day festival will present an unforgettable weekend with the opportunity to experience 18 films addressing vital topics that matter to us all. Zipcar members get $2 off the price of single-show tickets and $10 off festival tickets. Visit bostonfilms.org to view the complete schedule and for detailed film descriptions.

We'll never judge you based on what you wear in the privacy of your own home. Nope, we like our Zipsters good and weird ... if you're so inclined, that is. What we'd like to do, however, is have the folks over at the Boston Ski and Sport's Club judge you on what you wear to their BeWicked Ball grown-up Halloween costume party on October 24th. They're even giving all Zipsters the same deal as BSSC members, which means $5 off the price of your ticket to see your shining, smiling (or even grotesque) faces there. Discounts cannot be combined with other offers and you must register before October 1st to get the discount. Call 617-789-4070, 21+ ID required. Tickets available on a first-come, first-served basis.