Journey To Green

Sometimes something so egregiously dishonest happens that it leaves you speechless.  A few days ago on Wednesday, July 22, 2009, I went to get gas around 6:30 a.m. at South 47^th and Woodlawn Avenue, 1164 E 47th St, Chicago, to be exact (I am not in favor of naming names but the shock to my system was just too much).  It is a BP gas station that I’ve only gone to a couple of times. At any rate, it is very close to were I get on Lake Shore Drive at  South 47^th Street to begin my morning commute.

At any rate, I paid for my gas.  Then I asked the guy for two $1 bills in exchange for coins I nabbed from my coin jar because the coffee shop I go to only accepts cash. Funds were (and are) a little tight and it was a couple of days to pay day.  I gave the guy my change and he put it in the cash register. He then said he would give me $1.50.  I just looked at him for a few seconds not understanding.  I finally said to him that what I gave him was $2.00 in coins.  He shook his finger and said that he would give me $1.50.  I stared. I was speechless for what seem like forever.  I said with as much venom as I could must “fine but understand I will never, never buy gas here again.” At that point he says no, wait.  I don’t remember but might have said F-you.  I got my gas. 

I was pretty upset about this as I started my 45 minute commute.  I was still incredulous but as I drove something happened.  Of course, I will not buy gas there but it got me thinking about what a friend of mine often says.  “The strongest statement one can make is where you spend your money.”  And that MFer will never get a dime of my money.

By the time I got to work my anger had dissipated and I was thinking about what action to take that would benefit me and be the most green in the process. While having my morning cup (got extra change from my desk drawer), I looked up BP online.  Somehow I came across a couple of articles on the notion of a “buycott.”  I had heard about it a few years ago but could not remember.  I also came across more than a few articles about BP and some of it was not pretty. 

At any rate, it’s officially that I will not be buying gas from BP and certainly not for the small person at the BP at S. 47^th and Woodlawn Ave.  There are no if ands and buts about it.  I am also thinking of ways to minimize my gasoline usage for the short, mid-, and long term.

For those who are interested in the boycott notion, please checkout the links on the blog (right side titled “Links.”).

Remember: There’s no greater statement you can make than where you decide to spend your money.

Peace,

CAS…

When I started this blog it was to try and make sense of all the do’s and don’t of the moving to a more “green” life.  Since then, I’ve gotten a job that requires me to commute almost two hours a day.  Needless to say this sucks.  Not only from an environmentalystandpoint but a physical one as well.  It was suggested that I take the train or in my case trains.  It would take me three or more hours to do so.  

In many respects the job I went to mirrors my gasoline consumption in terms of being more wasteful  because I’ve started wasting more paper, food, and time.  The company is a very heavy paper consumer, that is, they use a whole hell of a lot of paper.  In fact, they have a green committee that prints, the “green” newsletter and posts it on a bulletin board on each floor.  I found that hilarious.  What I find depressing is that less than six months ago, I was using much less paper and gas, now I feel like I walked backed to the nineties and can’t stop.

Is the green movement helpless when companies waste so much under the guise of prodouctivity?