Tales of Change

Check out Better World Club - an environmentally sensitive auto club

I've been a Better World Club customer for over a year now - and luckily haven't had to use their services, but I encourage you to check them out. They are a environmentally aware auto club.  In their own words:

Better World Club Provides Nationwide Roadside Assistance. We are the Nation's Only environmentally friendly auto club. Membership Includes eco-travel Services, Discounts on hybrid car rental, insurance Services, Free Maps, Auto Maintenance discounts and bicycle roadside assistance. We donate 1% of annual revenues toward environmental cleanup and advocacy. Some auto clubs lobby against the environment, while others don't lobby at all. BWC advocates for the environment. Join the club that reflects your values.

Check out their prices here. They even have bicycle memberships!

Peace Arch Border Crossing Now Has Traffic Signals to Stop Idling Cars

I've wondered about this for a long time. With the thousands of cars that sit idling their engines, wasting gas at the border each year, why isn't there a signal-based system that sends groups of cars forward so people can turn off their engines and relax a bit. Now, there is...

The U.S. - Canadian border south of the upcoming Vancouver 2010 Olympics now has traffic signals to group cars waiting at the border to prevent unnecessary idling and greenhouse gas omissions. Super cool!

I went through there recently during a quiet day when the signals weren't needed but I for one and am excited to wait in line to try out the system sometime soon :) Just kidding, I hate waiting in line. But, I'm really glad this system is now in place.

Note: according to @DavidSuzukiFdn, 10 seconds of idling uses more fuel than restarting the engine.

Create Community in Every Space: Portland's Ace Hotel Lobby

I just returned from a brief holiday which included a stay at Portland's Ace Hotel (locations also in Seattle, New York & Palm Springs). 

While most hotel lobbies are dead zones - with very little community or activity aside from the drab lounge or utilitarian Starbucks bar, the Ace Hotel in Portland breaks the rule, providing a warm community space across two levels (some pics here, here and here).

The Ace Hotel Lobby has an open doorway to Stumptown Coffee and a large comfy U-shaped sofa to sit, sip, socialize or relax on. It's regularly populated with well-caffeinated hipsters. There's free wi-fi for all comers. The lobby also offers an old fashioned photo booth and easily accessible public restrooms. The check in desk is actually way in the back corner - but the staff is still friendly and helpful. 

Upstairs, there's a quieter comfy reading area with a shared work table, free postcards and a shared Mac with Internet access (which wasn't working on our visit).

Instead of trying to move people through a space and keep the public out, the Ace creates a space for the community to gather, drink coffee, browse the Web and hang out. It's welcoming. If Americans had more spaces like this to gather in, we'd watch less TV and come together to change the world.

Ace Portland also sits beside Clyde Commons and near Living Room Theatres (which we didn't get a chance to try) and its only blocks from world renowned Powells bookstore.

Now, I want to check out its lobby in Seattle :)

Pay As You Drive Auto Insurance

A friend sent a note from Seattle's Sightline Institute that they are trying to bring a Pay As You Drive (PAYD) auto insurance pilot to Washington. 

Sightline answers: What is Pay As You Drive?

Car insurance is currently sold like an all-you-can-eat meal plan: once you've made the purchase, you may as well gorge. Traditional low-mileage discounts don't come close to capturing the difference in accident risk between high- and low-mileage drivers; those who drive less are penalized.

Pay-as-you-drive insurance would make buying car insurance more like buying gasoline: the less you drive, the less you pay. Insurers would offer motorists a per-mile rate that would also incorporate existing rating factors, such as a driver's crash history or geographic location.

Evidence suggests that low-mileage drivers are a large untapped market.

Sightline goes on to cite the benefits:

Initial research estimates that pricing insurance by the mile could cut total driving by 5 to 15 percent, which would slash the huge environmental impacts of the automobile and lessen the number of crashes and claims. A 10 percent reduction in driving is estimated to result in a 17 percent reduction in crashes.

For taxpayers: Reduced driving would also save money on roadwork. Oregon Environmental Council, a nonprofit group working to pilot PAYD in Oregon, estimates that PAYD insurance could trim the state's road-related costs substantially over the next 20 years.

I don't quite understand why this hasn't happened yet - especially given the free market's proclivity to meet the needs, wants and desires of consumers. Could it be that the auto insurance market isn't a truly competitive, diverse, consumer driven marketplace? Say it isn't so.

As I don't commute to a regular day job, I drive a lot less than most people (aside from my girlfriend who exclusively cycles). It would be nice to pay less on auto insurance based on the time & mileage I actually use.

This is America - it's the greatest country on earth, shouldn't I have the right to pay for auto insurance based on how much I actually need active coverage?