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Top Story |
The Dodge Ram Goes Green...er...That is, Green-er
Luxury Automakers Still Eschew Fuel Economy Gains
BWC Announces 2010 List of Worst Gas Guzzlers
Maybe we've finally made our mark on the auto industry and convinced automakers to consider fuel efficiency in the engineering of their new vehicles. Or, maybe automakers are just finally listening to consumers and
delivering a wider range of vehicles with better gas mileage. Either way, the Dodge Ram, a longtime staple of our gas guzzlers list (sniff, sniff, we'll miss you Dodge Ram!), has gotten just a bit greener and moved out of surcharge
territory. At 14 mpg city and 20 mpg highway, the 2010 Ram is now just about as fuel efficient as most other heavy duty pickups.
But don't worry, the other mainstays of our list came through for another year. We're honestly surprised that we're still able to fill our list with vehicles that all get less than 10 miles to the gallon in the city. Apparently luxury
automakers haven't caught on to the trend. Or, after all of Toyota's trouble with its safety recalls, maybe they just think it's enough that their cars can stop.
This year's list includes the Lamborghini Murcielago (8 mpg city and 13 highway); the Bentley Azure (9/15); the Bentley Brooklans (9/15); and the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti (9/16). New members who own any of the vehicles on BWC's gas guzzlers
list are assessed a 20% surcharge on their enrollments. Any money we collect through the surcharge is given as part of BWC's annual donation. Since drivers of any of the vehicles on this year's list could probably afford to buy a flatbed
tow truck load of new memberships, we're sure they'll
join anyway.
Sadly, none of the vehicles from GM's Hummer brand made the list for what will probably be
the brand's final year. A bittersweet end for the gas guzzling SUV that we all loved to hate.
Check our complete list of gas guzzlers from the last five model years at our
join page. (And while you're there, you might as well just type in your credit card number and join if you aren't already a member.)
Complete Story
Read Last Issue's Top Story:
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Better World Insurance Now Quoting In Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, and South Carolina
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Partners |
Menunkatuck Audubon Society
You'd Know That's an Osprey in the Picture if You Joined Your Local Chapter
Menunkatuck Audubon Society is the local chapter of the National Audubon Society that serves the towns of Madison, Guilford, Branford, East Haven, New Haven, and West Haven, Connecticut. Menunkatuck works
locally to preserve natural ecosystems for the benefit of local communities and the earth's biodiversity. Through education and conservation programs, Menunkatuck raises public awareness of environmental issues and our connections to the
natural world.
The society's current projects include opposing a gas pipeline through North Haven, North Branford, Branford and into and across Long Island Sound, and a drive to prevent the development of Griswold Airport in Madison and maintain the area
as an open space.
Better World Club is excited to support Menunkatuck in its conservation and education efforts and hopes to develop partnerships with other Audubon chapters throughout the country. Find out more about
Menunkatuck. Check out its archive of newsletters
here.
Complete Story
Do you need
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Washington Watch |
Unsafe at Any Unintended Speed
Washington Needs to Re-Evaluate the Relationship Between Automakers and the NHTSA
Do We Need a New Nader? (We'd Be Happy With the Old On)
On March 5, a Congressional panel investigating the safety recall of millions of Toyota vehicles over problems with unexpected acceleration requested that Toyota submit more convincing documents to prove
that electronics systems were not the source of acceleration problems. Toyota executives had appeared at Congressional hearings during the last week of February and testified that its recalls had effectively addressed the problem of
unintended acceleration and that no flaws had been found with its electronic controls.
Where's Ralph Nader when we need him? Maybe he really is convinced that
only the super rich can save us. Or maybe the whole Toyota thing will be just the impetus we needed to call a new champion from the wings. We've got our hands full here at the BWC offices, but we'll give a free renewal to the next of
our members we see testifying at a Congressional hearing.
Short of that, if you have a Toyota acceleration story to tell, please click through to share it with our other Kicking Asphalt readers in the comments section.
CompleteStory |
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TravelCool! Website of the Month |
Too Lazy to March on Washington Yourself? Good News!
The Green Riders Are Taking the Fight for Sustainability to the White House For You
Better World Club member Oliver Bock (who is also a co-founder and board member of
New Voice of Business) and his sister, Catherine, are traveling across the country on electric bicycles to discover and promote a sustainable future. Their two month adventure will depart from California on Earth Day, April 22, 2010
and continue until they reach the White House in Washington, DC.
Upon arriving in Washington, the Green Riders will deliver a petition,
The Declaration of Interdependence, to the White House. Care about sustainability but can't make it to DC?
Sign the petition.
Go Catherine and Oliver!
Complete Story.
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If the Shoe Fits, Take it For a Test
Drive
The 2009 Scion XB