Like many, many americans, I joined the Automobile Association of America (AAA) for one main reason: protection against the fact that if my car broke down somewhere, I could easily and cheaply get my car towed and fixed. Pretty simple, right? Well, like many things that seemed simple in my youth, the truth is more complicated then that.
It turns out that a good chunk of AAA's time and money goes towards lobbying the US Congress for more roads, and policies that promote more pollution and sprawl. This was detailed pretty extensively in a Harpers article published in May 2002. (As an aside, Harper's may be the best magazine in America. Seriously.) As a firm believer in "Think Global, Act Local" this fact upset me, but for the longest time I didn't believe I had an alternative. After all, towing your car can be very expensive!
Recently, though, I heard of the Better World Club, which is basically AAA but without the short-sighted policies. In fact, their website states that they "...act as an advocate on behalf of the consumer and demonstrate our social and environmental commitment by donating an amount equal to 1% of our annual revenues toward environmental clean-up and advocacy and by providing unique, eco-friendly travel alternatives." They offer roadside assistance, towing, hotel and car rental discounts, travel information, etc. And they even offer memberships that cover your bike!
In short, I signed right up. One immediate benefit is that they waved my activation fee because I drive a hybrid car (Civic). It's pretty sweet knowing that my money won't go towards things that I don't believe in, and i'm looking forward to seeing what the Better World Club service is like. Believe me, if there's any issues with it, i'll let you know all about it right here.
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