Whether you drive a car, RV, motorcycle or bicycle, there may come a time when you need roadside assistance.  Why not support an auto club company that cares about the environment?   They even offer insurance, travel discounts and carbon offsets to help lessen your impact on the earth.  Memberships also make great gifts.

Better World offers home and auto insurance; discounts on rental vehicles (including hybrids and biodiesels), hotels, eco-tours and bicycle tours.  They even donate 1% of all revenues to environmental cleanup projects and consumer advocacy programs.

Curious to learn how much greenhouse gas emissions your vehicle is spewing into the air?  Try their carbon offset calculator.  You can even purchase carbon offsets there too.  Better World says, “Carbon offsets help neutralize the greenhouse gas pollution that is associated with the burning of fossil fuels. When you drive in your car or fly in an airplane, harmful gases (including CO2) are released into the atmosphere. Our Foundation carefully screens and selects offset projects that neutralize these emissions that are directly contributing to global warming pollution.”

Stay up-to-date on environmental happenings, like California’s plan to encourage electric car usage, with BWNews.  Better World also offers an e-Newsletter, “Kicking Asphalt” where you’ll find consumer advice, environmental information, and member discounts and savings.

The 60,000 sq ft hangar was constructed at a price comparable to other aircraft hangars, but this one will save money on operating costs by reducing its energy consumption and its emissions.

Sustainable features include:

• solar photovoltaic panels which generate 110 percent of the building’s power needs
• electric maintenance vehicles
• allowance for planes in the bay for maintenance to shut off their engines and run on electricity
• native landscaping

Source:  Sustainable Industries

photo courtesy of Shangri-La Construction

Of course ‘eco-friendly travel’ seems like an oxymoron, but traveling is a fact of life, and we can’t always walk or ride our bicycles to our destinations. So, why not try to minimize the impact our travels have on the planet? Take a peek at my ideas for greener travels here and also consider this regarding auto/travel clubs:

The Traveling Mamas website says it best, ‘Better World Club offers everything that AAA does, without any of your membership fees going to the highway lobby (as with AAA). The Better World Club offers discounts on hybrid rental cars, discounts on eco-travel, and helps fight global warming by offering its members free carbon offsets (when purchasing airline tickets through BWT).’

‘Better World Club donates 1% of its revenue to environmental cleanup, and even offers roadside assistance for bicycles! Triple-A, on the other hand, uses some if its revenue to lobby against mass transit, bike paths, and the Clean Air Act. Now, this makes sense from a business standpoint – the more people in cars, the more people using AAA, right? But since Better World Club offers the same good stuff as AAA, without your money going towards things that actually increase your carbon footprint, BWC is the eco-friendly alternative.’

• ‘The transformation of London into a transit-efficient capital thanks to visionary mayoral leadership.’
• ‘Paris’ ambitious public-private Vélib bike initiative which encourages residents to forgo cars for bikes and public transportation.’
• ‘The potential for local food production to lessen the environmental impact of the global food market.’
• ‘The effort to reduce traffic and pollution in Seoul, Korea by restoring the Chonggyecheon Stream as a center of public life.’
• ‘Portland as a global model of transit-oriented development and urban livability.’
• ‘The unique strides being made by aerospace corporations, technology firms, and governments to make the aviation industry more efficient.’

Check your local PBS listings for broadcast dates and times. Online webcasts are also available online.

Source: e2 series

Means of Transportation in London photo by Malias Gideon

Image by J E Theriot

Here are some ways to make your travels a little greener:

• be a tourist in your home town to limit transportation impacts. Perhaps take a walk, bike, or mass transportation to local and regional destinations.
• pack light (less luggage means less fuel used to transport it).
• When driving, opt for the most fuel-efficient vehicle available.
• conserve electricity and water wherever you go.
• eat locally-grown food when it’s available.
• bring your re-usable water bottle on treks where the water is safe to drink.
• recycle where the option is present.
• carry a re-usable bag for souvenirs.
• Stay at ‘Green Hotels‘ that do their part to reduce their environmental impact through daily operations and practices.
• Purchase carbon offsets to neutralize your transportation impacts — there are organizations that fund projects that utilize clean, renewable energy or that plant trees in your honor (Here’s a comparison among various carbon offsetting programs).

Photo by Seamus Murray

Before starting out, Just enter a few key points, like the price of fuel, your car’s drag co-efficient, and weather conditions, and the greenMeter will start its computations. Your car’s manual or the maker’s website is a good place to find some of the necessary data.

The greenMeter’s $5.99 price tag isn’t bad for a device that will pay for itself in no time with information designed to help anyone’s driving style become more eco-conscious. It’s available from the iTunes App Store.

Source: LA Times

photo courtesy of hunter.pairsite.com