Better World Club
Encyclopedia
The Better World Club provides services to motorists in the USA, and supports organizations seeking to reduce the environmental damage done by automobiles. BWC, which describes itself as "the nation's only environmentally friendly
Environmentally friendly
Environmentally friendly are terms used to refer to goods and services, laws, guidelines and policies claimed to inflict minimal or no harm on the environment....

 auto club", offers a bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....

 membership and cater
Cater
The name Cater is part of the ancient legacy of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Great Britain. The name was taken on by someone who worked as a caterer. The surname Cater was official name, "the cater", derived from the Old French ale catour, a little meaning a buyer of groceries for the gentleman's...

s to hybrid vehicle
Hybrid vehicle
A hybrid vehicle is a vehicle that uses two or more distinct power sources to move the vehicle. The term most commonly refers to hybrid electric vehicles , which combine an internal combustion engine and one or more electric motors.-Power:...

 owners. Nationwide membership was just under 20,000 people as of June 2006. In comparison, the rival American Automobile Association
American Automobile Association
AAA , formerly known as the American Automobile Association, is a federation of 51 independently operated motor clubs throughout North America. AAA is a not-for-profit member service organization with more than 51 million members. AAA provides services to its members such as travel, automotive,...

 has 53 million members nationwide.

History

Better World Club was founded by longtime friends Mitch Rofsky and Todd Silberman. It began signing up members on June 4, 2002. Rofsky and Silberman grew up as friends in Ohio and each pursued separate careers related to environmental responsibility and travel before coming together to form Better World Club. The idea initially came from environmentalists who reported that AAA used anti-environment lobbying practices. When they approached Mitch Rofsky with the idea, he realized that there was an opportunity to successfully compete with AAA.

Emergency roadside assistance

Emergency roadside assistance is available to drivers of both automobiles and bicycles. A bicycle membership can be purchased separately or added onto an auto policy for a smaller additional fee. Services are available across all 50 states and DC the USA and Canada.

Automobile membership includes 4 service calls per year (defined as: towing, battery assistance, lockout assistance, flat tire assistance, fuel delivery or extrication) - if bicycle coverage is included these 4 calls can be split between auto and bike calls. Basic auto membership includes towing up to 5 miles, while the premium membership increases the limit to 100 miles. A bicycle-only membership provides service up to 30 miles annually with a limit of 2 service calls.

Travel products and services

Through TravelCool, Better World Club offers discounted travel with eco-friendly travel partners. Partners must emphasize sustainable practices
Sustainability
Sustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of union, an interdependent relationship and mutual responsible position with all living and non...

 such as recycling
Recycling
Recycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse...

 and building environmental awareness. Carbon offset
Carbon offset
A carbon offset is a reduction in emissions of carbon dioxide or greenhouse gases made in order to compensate for or to offset an emission made elsewhere....

s are included in the travel planning fee if a travel consultant is used. Discounts are available at eco-friendly lodgings, as well as at larger more well-known hotel chains. Discounts are also available on hybrid and biodiesel
Biodiesel
Biodiesel refers to a vegetable oil- or animal fat-based diesel fuel consisting of long-chain alkyl esters. Biodiesel is typically made by chemically reacting lipids with an alcohol....

 rental cars, available in select cities.

Trip route planning as well as maps covering North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

 from the city level up through the national level are available free to all members. Maps and travel planners are ordered by phone or email and delivered by mail within 7–14 days.

Insurance products and services

Better World Insurance, headquartered in Cambridge, MA, offers auto insurance as well as travel insurance
Travel insurance
Travel insurance is insurance that is intended to cover medical expenses, financial default of travel suppliers, and other losses incurred while traveling, either within one's own country, or internationally...

. Carbon offsets are included free with the first year's auto insurance and offered for a nominal fee after that. Better World Insurance also advocates for pay-as-you-drive auto insurance, and offer it to customers in the limited locations where it is available.

Other benefits

Other member benefits include gas rebate coupons and discounts at other environmentally friendly companies both online and off. Hybrid car and biodiesel car owners receive a discount on membership (with gas-guzzlers
Fuel economy in automobiles
Fuel usage in automobiles refers to the fuel efficiency relationship between distance traveled by an automobile and the amount of fuel consumed....

 that get less than 10 mi/gal being charged an additional surcharge). All members are eligible to receive the monthly newsletter Kicking Asphalt, which includes news and information about environmental and travel related topics, new member discounts, and occasional calls for member activism. In order to preserve natural resources, this newsletter is distributed by email only.

Partners

Better World Club partners include: Adventure Cycling Association
Adventure Cycling Association
The Adventure Cycling Association is a national cycling association in the United States which provides services for cycle-tourists, publishes maps and campaigns for better cycling facilities. Its headquarters are in Missoula, Montana...

, Car Talk
Car Talk
Car Talk is a radio talk show broadcast weekly on National Public Radio stations throughout the United States and elsewhere. Its subjects are automobiles and repair, and it often takes humorous turns...

, League of American Bicyclists
League of American Bicyclists
The League of American Bicyclists is a non-profit membership organization which promotes cycling for fun, fitness and transportation through advocacy and education....

, National Wildlife Federation
National Wildlife Federation
The National Wildlife Federation is the United States' largest private, nonprofit conservation education and advocacy organization, with over four million members and supporters, and 48 state and territorial affiliated organizations...

, Organic Consumers Association
Organic Consumers Association
The Organic Consumers Association is a consumer protection and organic agriculture advocacy group based in Finland, Minnesota. It was formed in 1998 in the wake of the mass backlash by organic consumers against the U.S. Department of Agriculture's controversial proposed regulations for organic food...

, Washington Area Bicycle Association, and Working Assets
Working Assets
CREDO is an American for-profit company that offers mobile and long distance phone service. Based in San Francisco, California, Working Assets has raised over $65 million for nonprofit organizations such as GreenPeace, Planned Parenthood, Democracy Now etc.-History:Working Assets was founded in...

.
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