Thanks for the heads up on AAA. Hadn't heard about The Better World Club. Might be time for a change.

Also, being frequent flyers (Colorado to Florida), I like the American Forests donation program. Will look into it. Muchas gracias, for sharing.

I am switching to TBWC. I think it is terrific that I can get coverage for my bicycle too. Thanks for the link, Cat!

I didn't know about this and will look into TBWC. But I think you're being too overzealous if you're equating "The fact remains that travel by automobile meets the transportation needs of most Americans, most of the time" and "says, very clearly, that they believe every time you need to go somewhere you should bring 2 tons of steel with you." That's the kind of thing you hear from any sort of fanatic, be it a cult leader or someone who believes you should only eat raw foods.

Au Contraire, "J" (if i discover that is a fake email address I will have to erase your post -- nowhere@nowhere.com seems suspiciously fraudulent. Online as elsewhere I believe people should stand behind what they say. If it's a real addy, pls. write back to the email I sent that that address.)

As regards my cult leader style fanaticism, Check this out. AAA has opposed all mass transit funding, opposed bike paths, denied that cars cause pollution, said that cell phone use while driving is not dangerous, etc.

Thanks for the heads-up, Caterina. And on a slight tangent, check out the Bike Manifesto.

I work for a bicycle advocacy group, and I've been in contact with BWC. They seem like good, committed folks who AREN'T out to lobby actively against pedestrians, cyclists, transit users, and carpoolers. They also just started a nationwide bicycle roadside assistance program (!!), though it only provides two pickups a year. Still, what a concept!

Yes, but does the Better World Club offer free maps? :)

Ed, Yes!

Here is the Benefits Comparison. They also recognize bikes as viable transporation, and Domestic Partners.

Er, I mean they recognize Domestic Partners, not DPs as viable transportation. Though a nation of DP's piggybacking their partners around is a lovely idea.

Too cool. When I own an automobile again, I'll have to check them out.

And, in this town, domestic partners ARE viable transportation. And DPs? Really, Caterina, I think this thread has become too penetrating! :)

Yay Caterina - good plug! My boyfriend and I switched to BWC a few months ago from AAA and have been thrilled with the new service. We switched as a result of reading stuff that convinced us that AAA wasn't aligned with our progressive leanings.

I've been with AAA for about 15 years now, ever since I could drive. While I agree with your sentiment [and with the article in Harper's a while back that reflected some of the same ideas] I find that even having a car already compromises my values system because every car manufacturer actively lobbies FOR roads and against alternative transportation. That said, TBW seems like a good bunch of folks *and* they do give out free maps [though not bail bonds] so I'll check them out next time my AAA subscription comes up for renewal.

traffic 'accidents' are the leading cause of death for children in the US. for people under 30 in the US. this information obviously being widely available so we can adjust our transportation choices to align more precisely with our views on the 'sanctity of life', most especially the lives of children. the attendant horsemen of global warming, which threatens to make the earth uninhabitable for mammalian life, and the very real possibility of the American military being used to start a nuclear war to ensure the continued abundance of petroleum, make it hard for me...well, to continue this sarcastic/ironic tone, actually. it seems so obviously evil, so deeply and undeniably satanic. all those little steel cages spewing deadly poison... but as with old-time smokers, it's all about, "Hell, it ain't killed me yet!"

Wouldn't it be great to have a triptic service for bicycles? That was always my favorite thing about the AAA before I discovered that they're evil.

Shameless plug for my employer...
http://www.sfbike.org

i joined the BWC after reading about this in Harper's last year, but like Ed, am wondering where the free maps are. still sneaking back into AAA with my mother's card for those. *shame*

scratch that, i'm a dunce for not reading all the comments first. :) and i even mistyped my own URL.

For all of you who think that bicycling is environmentally less harmful than riding a bicycle, a few years ago I calculated how much CO2 I exhaled while commuting to work on my bicycle (Litespeed Catalyst w/ Rock Shox Ruby fork, Hed wheels and mostly Campy Record components). My calculations seemed to show that due to increased respiration at 120+ bpm I put out over 4.5 tons of additional CO2 during my riding season. In other words, a cyclist may be putting out more CO2 than a motorist. This doesn't take into account the environmental impact of making the bicycle. Aluminum and titanium mining is not without environmental damage, not to mention the rubber, carbon fiber and polymers in the tires and components. Unlike automobiles, the vast majority of bicycles are not recycled.

Preview is my friend.

"For all of you who think that bicycling is environmentally less harmful than riding a bicycle,"

Should have read,

For all of you who think that bicycling is environmentally less harmful than driving a car...

Are you being facetious, Ronnie? "4.5 tons of additional CO2. Bicycles are as environmentally damaging as cars. Q.E.D."

Yeah, maybe if you were also belching out NO2 and CO. Here's a good explanation of the chemistry involved in automobile emissions:

http://www.ausetute.com.au/photsmog.html

Yikes, we just enrolled in AAA. I never in a million years even thought to look into their practices or philosophies. I've always just assumed they were a naturally benevolent organization that gives out maps and changes tires. Well, our membership runs out in November, and I will definitely be looking for other alternatives. Thanks so much for the info!!!

The site you link to, American Forests, also offers a way to calculate the carbon you produce and the number of trees needed to offset that carbon.

http://www.americanforests.org/resources/ccc/

We read that thing in Harpers too and then checked with our auto insurance; turns out our policy has roadside assistance included, and for a lot less. We dropped AAA like third-period French.

That's it? "Always drive a car?"

And here I thought I was gonna actually be rattled by some bad news in regards to my membership. I don't find this at all evil or unusual, the world we live in is one of capitalistic self-interest, and AAA is looking out for itself and its industry.

I find it absurd to think that a company should applaud measures to decrease its market value. As for pollution, I can't argue. It's there, it sucks. Ride a bike.

But if you're gonna be a AAA member, obviously you're contributing to some degree yourself. More evidence of "living room environmentalists" wanting their goods to come from virtuous companies while still affording all the luxuries of life.

Addendum:

I didn't even bother to click the link the first time around, now that I did, I see that you are clearly exacerbating their policy. Even that little blurb is taken totally out of context:

AAA's advocacy efforts are focused on supporting full funding for the maintenance and enhancement of the nation's transportation infrastructure including, but not limited to, public transportation. The fact remains that travel by automobile meets the transportation needs of most Americans, most of the time.

I don't see a single thing false about that quote.

It's deceptive, a lie of omission. They say they support "public transportation" -- what they mean is that they support roads and highways.

And yes, the point is you should be able to drive a car *AND* be aware of the consequences of riding a car. You can do certain things to counteract the effects of driving a car -- which the Better World Club strives to do. This is not hypocritical behavior, this is sustainable behavior.

That's fine, and I agree, but I just don't see the sneakiness in that statement at all. The term "public transportation", to me anyway, has a de facto meaning of buses, taxis, trains, etc. It's an applied term, like "photocopy" doesn't mean getting duplicates at the film lab.

And I'm sure TBWC does a great job, but smear campaigning from a rather new and unknown company is rather ballsy, and I hope they have the goods in the long term to prove it.

This would be the same AAA that has helped me get discount train and bus tickets in the US, and discount train tickets in Europe?

The same AAA that has provided rails-to-trails maps for my bike trips?

The same AAA that has provided discounts for stays in rustic lodges in off-the-road sites in New Mexico and Montana?

Hmmm.