Some Thoughts on Going Green

This morning, my wife, dog (Coco), and I walked to Starbucks for breakfast. It’s about a half hour walk and was especially pleasant today as the weather was sunny and warm. We felt good because we got some exercise and we weren’t contributing any crappy stuff to global warming or climate change. I felt almost as good as when I take my Vespa to the hardware store (like I did today) or to the grocery store because I’m being part of the solution instead of part of the problem. When I’m in my new Mazda, that’s a different story but we’ll leave that for now...

So my wife and I are enjoying a bagel and a latté and the dog is enjoying a bowl of water. The Starbucks is, what I guess, a typical suburban Starbucks - there is no cool street or plaza to look onto so our outside table looks onto the mall parking lot. Not as interesting as the Champs Elysees, but there are still people that go by and some are quite watchable.

Suddenly, we came to the realization that there are several pick up trucks, most of them black, all of them large. Now, remember, this is a mall parking lot, and most of the people are going to Starbucks to grab a Good Friday coffee. My wife and I sigh and comment quietly to each other about the number of gas guzzling trucks that have been pressed into coffee retrieval service. There is a certain resignation - maybe it’s because that’s the only vehicle someone has - as the steady stream of dark coloured pick up trucks roll by. At least I drive my Vespa, or ride my bike, I think, a good deal of the time.

And then, it happens. Some guy in a massively big pick up rolls up with his wife. He hops out fo the cab ( he is rather short) and leaves his truck running! He spends five or ten minutes in Starbucks getting his coffee and then spends another five minutes chatting to the people who are next to us. As the huge engine thrums and chugs and clouds of smoke issue forth, I actually consider saying something. I realize, though, that there are people who have always felt that they could idle their cars all day long - and I’m sure, at one time, that was what was accepted. Getting mad at them or making them mad at me is not the answer.

So what is the answer? Well, I teach a group of 30 kids. They see me ride my bike or my Vespa most days to school. I talk to them about how if everyone makes small differences in saving the environment, then it adds up to big changes. I speak to the people I work with and also my extended family about what I am doing to reduce my impact on the environment. I’m certainly not a super environmental greenie, but I’m trying and I’m working to affect change with people around me.

Eventually, the guy in the idling truck roars off. It seems that most of the trucks have left the parking lot as well. I sit back in my chair with my latté and look up at the clearing sky as the sun pokes it’s head through the clouds. I contemplate a nice walk home and then a trip to do several errands on the Vespa. My final thought as I grab Coco’s leash is, don’t be mad, and think - the more people that make a difference, the better off we’ll all be, so do the best I can. And don't worry about the idling yahoos...