Environmentally friendly alternative to AAA

I've been a member of AAA for a number of many years now, and never really thought much about the service. I do a lot of traveling, and am pretty scatterbrained, so I like having a back up in in the event that I lock my keys in the car, get a flat in the spare tire thanks to taking the Corolla off-roading (Oops. Third time's a charm, right?), or need a jump because I left the door ajar (again). I know they supposedly have discounts on hotels and restaurants and whatnot, but honestly, I haven't thought that much about the service.

Ceclia from Phdcomis (I'm a postdoc as well as a climber) recently posted about the fact that AAA has a track record of lobbying fairly strongly against environmentally friendly legislation. Apparently, they lobbied against airbags in the late '70s, opposed strengthening the Clean Air Act in 1990, and recently argued against increasing auto fuel efficiency standards. She suggested the Better World Club as an alternative roadside assistance program.

They provide very similar services to AAA (plus assistance for cyclists as well!), while working toward environmental objectives. And, like Patagonia, they donate 1% of their revenues to environmentally active organizations. There is an interesting article describing the goals of this new organization here.

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