If you want to get the message across that green cars are the future, it’s vital to focus on the generations that will be driving these vehicles – and that is exactly what one US College is doing.

Goucher College in the Baltimore area has formed a partnership with Zipcars to provide an environmentally friendly alternative for staff and students to the personal car. The scheme, which kicked off on Tuesday, sees two Honda Civic Hybrids made available for use 24hrs a day seven days a week for low hourly or daily rates. The rates will incorporate maintenance, insurance, petrol and reserved parking.

Staff and students pay $35 to access Goucher’s Zipcars for $7 per hour or $60 per day. The scheme is also available to local Baltimore residents aged over 21.

This is not the first step towards greener travelling made by the college. It has already launched a free community bicycle programme that includes a fleet of 10 bikes kept on campus.

For Zipcar meanwhile, the move represents another breakthrough in its efforts to offer consumers an alternative to costly car ownership. The company now has a network of more than 5,500 vehicles across the USA and the UK.

What do you think of this scheme? Could it work at a university or college here in the UK? Let us know your thoughts.