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IN THIS ISSUE |
Member Alert
AAA Watch
Top Story
Partners
Washington Watch
In The News
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Member Alert |
Question: When Should My Membership Materials Arrive?
Customer Service: Life is a Riddle. The Answer Is Revealed at the End...
Stop It, Michael, Don't Turn Everything Into a Spiritual Issue. The Answer Is Based on Your Effective Date
Michael: That Still Sounds Spiritual To Me
Your fulfillment materials will reach your mailbox 5 to 10 business days after your effective date, not 5 to 10 business days after you sign-up or renew. Many new and returning members have been
confused about this, so hopefully this will clear things up. To further explain, your fulfillment materials contain your member cards, your Motor Club Benefits folder, and your $40 in gas rebate coupons as well as other perks of membership
in hardcopy form. |
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AAA Watch |
AAA Club South Won't Treat Partners as Spouses
Better World Club Treats Partners as Spouses, But Asks the Bigger Question:
Do You Treat Your Spouses as Partners?
Tom Payton of Athens, GA has been a member of the AAA auto club since 1994. After he and his partner, Art Ordoqui, held their wedding in August at the University of Georgia, Payton wanted to include Ordoqui
on as an associate member on his AAA membership.
Well, Georgia state law doesn't recognize this marriage, so why should AAA?
"Only spouses or dependent children up to the age of 21 (if in college to age 25) meet our criteria for associate membership," AAA Club South wrote to Payton in a letter dated October 7th. "This policy has been reviewed on several
occasions over the years and we have determined that these are the appropriate guidelines for our membership discounts..."
AAA went on to say that they would be happy to enroll Ordoqui as a Primary Member for full price.
Complete Story
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Member Specials |
Ideal Bite Thinks Better World Club Members Don't Have Enough T-Shirts
Oops. Ideal Bite Thinks BWC Members Don't Have Enough Cool T-Shirts
 Ideal Bite, the cool green tipster website, has determined that Better World Club members are the coolest group of people that they have yet to dominate. So
they are offering BWC members the equally cool Biter Tee at a 20% discount: $19.95.
To take advantage of this discount, you will need to log into the
'Members Only' area of Better World Club, and follow the directions under 'Member Discounts'.
And they wanted us to let you know that apparently there are some holidays coming up in December and these tees would make a perfect gift for anybody who regularly walks around your house naked. (Knowing KA readers, we thought this was a
very small group, but they're the marketing experts)
Not familiar with the Ideal Bite cult? Then you missed the In The News section of our
September Kicking Asphalt. (Our Travel Cool! Carbon Offset Program was mentioned again on November 17th). You should check them out and sign up for their
daily green tips.
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Top Story |
BIO-DIESEL IS ADDED TO BETTER WORLD CLUB ALTERNATIVE VEHICLE DISCOUNT
If It's Good Enough For Willie Nelson, It's Good Enough for Us
Better World Club is expanding its new member special for owners of alternative fuel vehicles to include bio-diesel users.
From Monday the 5th, all new members owning a recognized alternative fuel vehicle will receive a 15% discount. The owners of hybrid vehicles can continue to enter their VIN numbers into the online application. Owners of electric and
natural gas vehicles should call the Better World Club membership office.
Bio-diesel users will need to do three things:
 1. Enter their Diesel VIN # into the application.
2. Pledge to use bio-diesel fuel.
3. Be prepared, if asked, to submit one month's worth of bio-diesel fuel receipts to the Club.
As reported in BWC's Action Alert, Go Forward social consciousness and enormous musical talent aren't the only things we have in common with
Willie Nelson. We both love biodiesel. In fact, Willie has gone into the biodiesel business. And, for someone with his track record with Farm Aid and other efforts, it's understandable why.
Biodiesel is a completely natural, renewable fuel suitable in most any situation where conventional petroleum diesel is used. Even though "diesel" is part of its name, don't be confused. There are no petroleum or other fossil fuels in
biodiesel. Biodiesel is 100% vegetable oil based.
Driving a car powered by biodiesel is another great way to
lower our dependence on foreign oil. Learn more about biodiesel and get involved with a cooperative such as BWC affiliate
GoBioDiesel.org
BETTER WORLD CLUB VOTED 9TH OUT OF 70 BUSINESSES NOMINATED FOR PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD
UNSURPRISING HEADLINE OF THE MONTH: BETTER WORLD WANTS A RECOUNT
WE DIDN'T VOTE FOR TEN THOUSAND VILLAGES, SO HOW COULD THEY WIN?
WE VOTED FOR SEVENTH GENERATION (BUT DON'T TELL MANAGEMENT)
Better World Club finished ninth out of seventy corporations in the vote for "Green Business of the Year" sponsored by Co-op America.
This was highly suspicious. Ok, Ten Thousand Villages is one of the oldest and largest fair trade organizations in the world and a pioneer among Fair Trade businesses in the US. (To learn about Ten Thousand Villages visit
TenThousandVillages.com.)
Better World has barely been around for three years. Maybe that's Ten Thousands Villages' advantage. Or maybe it's that they know how to spend their campaign dollars strategically in a way that Better World doesn't. We'll be examining
this issue closely over the next year. We already understand that the Co-op America Staff appreciates the "thank-you" of a crisp $20.00 bill, if you know what we mean. And we think you do.
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Partners |
New American Dream Offers Eco-Travel Sweepstakes with Better World Carbon-Offsets
Attention Members with Seasonal Affective Disorder...and Everyone Else
Are the cold, dark days making you long for a tropical vacation? If so, you might want to visit a doctor. After all, winter hasn't even started yet.
 And, given the medical bills you're facing, you might want to check out this opportunity to win a
ten day carbon-neutral trip for two to some of Costa Rica's finest eco-lodges. The sights will be spectacular, your days will be relaxing, and you can rest assured your travel is treading lightly on the planet thanks to Better World
Club's TravelCool!
carbon-offset program.
New American Dream is a non-profit organization that helps people challenge the 'more is better' culture and get more of what matters -- more time, more fairness, more fun. They're sponsoring this contest to promote their
Conscious Consumer website's new Green Vacation resources, and to build their community of people who are living consciously, buying wisely, and joining with others to make a difference.
If the New Dream Community sounds like your kind of community, please add your name today. You'll help build a powerful constituency for change, connect with others looking to get more of what matters, and maybe even find yourself
vacationing in Costa Rica...later in the winter...when it really will be cold and dark.
Enter your name in the
New American Dream Sweepstakes
''New Laptop Computer? Thanks But I Was Hoping for a Membership in Better World Club!"
Better World Club memberships make an excellent gift for family and friends. (For those of you who are really cheap, give a gift subscription to Kicking Asphalt. It doesn't cost a thing, but the
psychic value is enormous--and isn't that what the holidays are all about?)
And remember, Better World is now testing auto and homeowners insurance in 20 states. You can find the list
here. We'd appreciate your filling out an application and allowing us to give you a quote. Better World Club offsets the first 2,000 miles of greenhouse gas for auto insurance customers. |
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Washington Watch |
Bush Fires Amtrak CEO David Gunn
Post-Katrina Change In Management Strategy:
Out: Hiring of Incompetents
In: Firing of Competents
Management Consultants Prove Well Worth It
 On November 9, David Gunn was fired by the Bush Administration, he had been described
by The Oregonian as "the best leader Amtrak has ever had". The Oregonian added that Gunn was fired because "he would not lie down on the tracks and let the people who want to dismantle the nation's passenger railroad system run over
him".
If you want to be impressed with a public manager, here are excerpts from Alex Marshall's
interview with Gunn.
David Gunn: Well, you know actually Amtrak's situation is very similar to the situation of the New York City Transit Authority, it's just that the geographical spread is much greater. But in terms of the nuts and bolts, they are almost
identical. Amtrak has suffered from years of deferred maintenance.
Complete Story
North American Railroad Passenger Association Analyzes AMTRAK Budget
Congress Slides Off The Rails
The National Association of Railroad Passengers analyzes the $1.315 billion 2006 Amtrak Appropriation and finds it "respectable" but opposes a number of provisions.
According to the Association: The conference report, which President Bush is likely to sign into law, effectively forbids Amtrak from offering "after March 1, 2006,…a discounted fare of more than 50% off the normal, peak fare."
The report also has an $8.3 million earmark to force dramatic growth in "carload shipments of premium temperature-controlled express," although Amtrak considers this business a money loser, obstacle to good schedules and on-time
performance, and unnecessary cause of ill will between Amtrak and the freight railroads.
Complete Story
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In The News |
Wall Street Journal Reports that AAA's Image for Promptness Not Universal
Fails to Report that Better World Club's Image as Greatest Responsible Business in the History of Commerce Might Be a Bit Exaggerated As Well.
Whew...Another Close One!
The
Wall Street Journal article is "subscribers only", so here are a few excerpts from the November 19th article: Who to Call When the Car Stalls. (For more on service provider attitude toward AAA, see the September Kicking Asphalt.)
"If you simply want to know which provider arrives fastest, nobody seems to conduct independent tests. Most claim average response times of under an hour. As the market leader, AAA is the target of a fair bit of trash-talking on that point
from rivals, which accuse it of using its size to bully tow trucks into accepting lower payments.
Complete Story
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In The News (cont'd) |
Should Kicking Asphalt Go Into the News Business?
BWC Prez Tests Water, Makes Up the News; CommonDreams.org Helps Out, Publishes It
Members: You're Like a Serious Version of The Daily Show
That's a Compliment, Isn't It?
With people accusing KA of making up the news, Better World Club President Mitch Rofsky decided to conduct an experiment. So he made something up--and commondreams.org published it! You be the judge--and
let us know if it made you laugh. After all, it would be alot easier to put this publication out each month if we did just make it up. (The piece is not about transportation or the enviornment, but the Watergate figures' reactions to the
CIA Leak Scandal. We understand if it's not your thing.) You can find "You Should Have Seen Perjury in the Old Days." here
entire article |
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