CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- In celebration of Earth Week, Zipcar, Inc., the world's leading car sharing network, is giving consumers and businesses throughout North America the opportunity to give back to their local communities, as well as enjoy a special membership offer.

For the week of April 16-22, 2012, Zipcar is offering new members who sign up in person the opportunity to join for a discounted rate of $50. To help make this Earth Week even more meaningful, each new member will receive $50 in driving credit and the local Zipcar office will donate an additional $10 in driving credit for each new member who joins from April 16 to April 22, 2012 to a designated non-profit, sustainable partner in their local community. This special offer will be available to new members who sign up in person, either at various Earth Week events in which Zipcar will be participating in and around the community or by visiting a local Zipcar office. Participating markets include Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland, Providence, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto, Vancouver and Washington, DC.

Businesses also have the option to make a difference -- for each new driver that is added to a Zipcar for Business account, Zipcar will donate $5 in driving credit to the designated local sustainable non-profit in their city. This offer is good for existing Zipcar for Business accounts and for new businesses who join during this period.

As an environmentally friendly transportation option, Zipcar helps to reduce the carbon footprint in the markets in which the company operates. National studies have shown that each car shared takes 15 privately owned vehicles off the road, and that vehicle miles traveled per driver is reduced by 40 percent when car owners switch to car sharing.

For more information about Zipcar's Earth Week offer or for details about local Earth Week events, please contact your local office. For more information on Zipcar, visit www.zipcar.com.

About Zipcar

Zipcar is the world's leading car-sharing service with approximately 673,000 members and 8,900 vehicles in urban areas and college campuses throughout the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Spain. Zipcar offers more than 30 makes and models of self-service vehicles by the hour or day to residents and businesses looking for an alternative to the high costs and hassles of owning a car. More information is available at www.zipcar.com.

SOURCE Zipcar

For further information: Colleen McCormick, +1-617-336-4342, [email protected]