07.15Better World Club Being Greenwashed by AAA
This article was written by Lauren Oujiri
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The Oregon/Idaho AAA has decided to go green a bit by offering bicycle service in Oregon and Southern Idaho. This is after over 100 years of anti-environmental lobbying, including fighting against bicycle path creation. Adding insult to injury, the media is covering this as if AAA in an eco-pioneer instead the truth that they are six years behind Better World Club.
Better World Club claims this is not the first time that AAA of Oregon/Idaho has copied their innovation:
“In 2001, Better World was the first travel agency/company to offer carbon credits to offset the greenhouse gas generated by travel. Oregon/Idaho AAA followed suit just last year. (However, Better World Club also provides an offset to each of its auto insurance clients for free - a service not offered by AAA.)” - Better World Club
For the record, AAA is not the first auto club to offer bicycle roadside assistance, and
- You can only get AAA’s bike assistance through their Plus program.
- You have to own a car to get it and pay a premium price, while BWC offers bike-only insurance.
- Not only is the program offering limited to Oregon/Idaho, but the coverage is as well, as opposed to BWC’s nationwide coverage.
For more information, www.betterworldclub.com or kicking_asphalt@betterworldclub.com and please pass this info on!
Disclaimer: I am a member of Better World Club, and am sharing information at their request from their news alert to get the word out about AAA’s pseudo ‘greening.’
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I work for AAA’s national office and just want to congratulate AAA Oregon/Idaho for taking this step to meet their members’ needs. I’d also like to clarify a few points made in the article, as it seems you may have been misled at some point about AAA’s environmental policies. AAA has supported mass transit/public transportation, clean air and recycling programs for years (get the details here: http://bit.ly/AAAenviro and here http://bit.ly/VyLQh). AAA also promotes eco-tourism and the reduction of auto emissions. You should note that when AAA supports a well built, safer transportation infrastructure that includes public transportation, pedestrians and cyclists. No one is left out. I know there is one motor club that uses environmental issues as a marketing ploy to get people to join, but AAA stands on its record of supporting safety issues for pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists.
July 17th, 2009 at 12:27 pm
Dear jgraziani: It is well documented that AAA has never had a history of being bike-friendly, has supported anti-cyclist legislation (and in Oregon even this year), and has lobbied against public transportation funding, to name a few…
August 4th, 2009 at 1:34 am
Hi Lauren Oujiri: The most up-to-date documentation and current information show that AAA is and has always supported a multi-modal transportation system. Please check this page: http://bit.ly/C8tXD. On that page under “Commute Alternatives” AAA says: “From carpooling and riding bicycles to taking trains and utilizing other transportation options, motorists across the country are finding creative and alternative ways to meet personal mobility needs. A variety of transportation modes and commuting initiatives offers choices to meet individual travel needs and help ensure a healthier environment.”
On the same page AAA describes Public Transportation as “an essential part of a balanced transportation system. Including use of buses, trains, and highways, it is a system that consists of more than 140,000 vehicles traveling more than 48 billion passenger miles and collecting more than $8.5 billion in passenger fares. … Public transportation plays a vital role in helping to meet individual and the nation’s mobility needs.”
In its Vision for the future of transportation (http://bit.ly/4mucBs), AAA says, “Providing and encouraging the voluntary use of alternatives to driving…will be one of the most important challenges for the 21st century.” That hardly sounds like an organization that is against public transportation or cycling.
Public safety has always been a concern of AAA. In 1917 AAA issued a resolution for pedestrian safety, and in 1919 AAA began a roadside protection program designed to protect the safety and comfort of travelers by planting trees, removing objectionable signs, clearing of vision on curves and crossings, and establishing sanitary conditions. In the 1930s AAA commissioned the most extensive study ever done on pedestrian safety for the purpose of reducing pedestrian fatalities and injuries. There is a historical timeline of AAA at http://bit.ly/z3G7h that has much more information.
I encourage you to do further research into this issue and become more familiar with the facts about AAA. It’s good to be passionate about a cause, and easy to be misled by misinformation.
August 4th, 2009 at 10:06 am