The concept of car sharing is introduced as an innovative approach to the growing transportation problems of the major metropolitan areas of the United States. After the history of car sharing in Europe and North America is outlined, three studies of the early adopters of Car Sharing Portland (CSP), the first commercial car-sharing organization in the United States, are reported. Study 1 found that these individuals were primarily motivated to join CSP because of their occasional need for a vehicle, and secondarily because of the financial savings they expected to realize by becoming members. Study 2 found that the two most important predictors of CSP trip usage were distance to the nearest vehicle station and length of membership, and that both factors had more influence on vehicle owners than on nonowners. Study 3 found that although members did not drive fewer vehicle miles after they joined CSP, 26% sold their personal vehicles and 53% were able to avoid an intended purchase. In addition, a majority of members reported increasing use of public transit, walking, and cycling. The results are discussed in terms of the potential environmental consequences of car sharing and the effects of the carsharing experience on mobility behavior.This article is designed to introduce the concept of car sharing to social researchers concerned with environmental issues, especially those relating to the transportation problems currently facing many urban communities. It is written with the belief that car sharing represents an innovative approach to lessening these increasingly serious problems.

Two experiments evaluated the effect of commitment on paper recycling. Using an ABA design, Experiment 1 asked 24 individuals in a retirement home to sign a 4‐week group commitment pledge to recycle paper. During this intervention, the subjects recycled 47% more paper than they had during baseline. They continued to recycle at this level during a 4‐week follow‐up period, when the group commitment was removed. Experiment 2 evaluated the relative effectiveness of group commitment, individual commitment, and token reinforcers on paper recycling in a college dormitory. The students in all three experimental conditions recycled from three to five times more paper than those in the control group during the 4‐week intervention. However, in the 3‐week follow‐up period, when the treatments were removed, only the individually committed subjects continued to recycle significantly more paper than the controls.

The relative effectiveness of incentive and minimal justification techniques in promoting electrical energy conservation among 90 homeowners was investigated. Subjects in the Questionnaire condition were asked to complete a short energy conservation survey. Those in the Commitment condition were asked to curtail their consumption of electricity by 15%. In the Questionnaire + Commitment condition, subjects received both requests. These three groups were compared to an Incentive condition, where individuals were offered a highly attractive monetary incentive for conserving electricity, a Questionnaire + Commitment + Incentive condition, and a Control condition. The groups did not differ in electricity consumption during baseline, initial request, or follow-up periods. However, during the conservation period, homeowners in the Commitment and the combined treatment groups conserved more electricity and contained more conservers than either of the remaining groups. These outcomes were discussed in terms of the comparative effectiveness of minimal justification and incentive strategies for inducing behavioral change.How can the likelihood that an individual will engage in prosocial behavior be increased? Recent research on this question (Piliavin, Dovidio, Gaertner, & Clark, 1981;Staub, 1978Staub, , 1979 Wispe, 1978) has shown clearly how a number of factors can inhibit the occurrence of such behavior. For example, in spite of their attitudes, intentions, and moral convictions about the importance of acting in a socially responsible way, individuals are often confronted with powerful social inhibitors-for example, diffusion of responsibility, evaluation apprehension, and pluralisitc ignorance-which precent them from doing so. This study explores the conditions under which individuals can effectively 'Requests for reprints should be sent to Richard Katzev,

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