When the gas prices went up to five bucks a gallon, I was even thinking of driving out of my way to pay less. Since then, I simply pump my gas when I’m nearly out of gas. Period.

Yesterday, I pull into a gas station across the street from a Chevron station and notice the price per gallon is 30 cents less than Chevron. I noticed both stations had big gas tankers, the one at Chevron, of course, had the logo of Chevron. The truck at my station had no logo, probably because the station name was off brand, called Falcon.

Frankly, I’ve never stopped and thought so deeply about the quality of gas I might be buying for 30 cents a gallon less, up until that moment. Perhaps, I’d never seen such a precipitous price differential from the brand I grew up on, Chevron, across the street.

Nonetheless, I asked the truck driver what was the difference between the gas he was pumping and the Chevron truck across the street. Of course, he told me, “There is no difference. I know that truck driver,” he said, ”and we both just filled our trucks up today at the same fuel plant in Martinez, CA.”

“Wait a minute,” I said. He shot back, “And, the only difference?… Chevron pours into their fuel, one gallon of Techron additive for every 10,000 gallons of gas.”

What is Techron? It’s the only fuel additive that provides both unbeatable engine deposit control and protection against harmful sulfurs that can cause fuel gauge sensors to malfunction.

The only?

I began to ponder. Would I pay 30 cents more per gallon for a micro-ounce of that Techron in my truck? Ah…let me think about this for just a moment…. AH, NO!!!

I know some of my freinds swear by Techron for its value to their vehicle and would drive on fumes to remain a diehard Chevron fan and putter miles to locate a Chevron.

Will you buy gas at an off brand station?
Are you also a believer of the Chevron Techron Cult?
What do we consider a GREEN gas station? Has anyone figured that out?

We know how to determine if McDonald’s is green. They install car battery power stations so you eat and get your electric buzz on. Hey, we all start somewhere.

Notice when you visit a Chevron station, let your eyeballs browse and notice how many Techron stickers are EVERYWHERE!

Next time I drive off the lot of a Chevron, you’ll hear me, cause I’ll be screaming….”I LOVE MY TECHRON!!!”

You have to admit, Chevron is consistently clean, pumps almost always operable, and bathrooms that you can stand in for more than 10 seconds without your forehead caving in from the stench.  Hats off!

Thirteen states outlaw text messaging now.

I think it should be every state, and the crazy part is I love to text behind the wheel.

I’ve heard some blaming the government gaining more control.

I think it’s one of the most obsessive habits I’m dealing with behind the wheel.

How do cops know you’re text messaging? Reckless driving? Actually seeing the person texting behind the wheel?

The awful crashes from trains, planes and automobiles all over the country should speak volumes to banning humans from exercising stupidity.

No matter how clever I can be at multi-tasking, like I’m fast finger Freddie, ah…..no…I don’t think so.

The average person texts for durations that are equivalent to driving the distance of a football field. Can you imagine how much time that is to, let’s see, take out a group of people on the sidewalk, hit a pole, drive into a Walmart, steer a massive train into another?

Then you combine texting with a provocative smart car dilemma and the results are shocking.

You may have missed the GREENFAIR blog post on Hart of Green on Monday about how green my soul has become following my fellowship with the movers and shakers of the green movement.  Every vendor was incredible, and not in that fake American way, rather, very ecologically aware companies who at the core, are trying to become even greener.

As I was checking out all of the vendors lines of eco-friendly products, they were beaming with pride because this year’s line had double the offerings of last years’ line and wasn’t that exciting? Except, I pointed out, at the core of any decent eco-philosophy is one fundamental fact: less is more.

Hey, I’m very thrilled to be buying eco-friendly products.  I almost bought a lawn mower that’s battery operated. Then, I realized I have no lawn, so, there went that gorgeous Husqvarna’s four thousand dollar solar-powered automatic robotic lawn mower. Too expensive for anything green in my life, and by the way, there were many more options for much less than 4K to whack my weeds and manicure a green garden.

Similarly, there are now 38 different kinds of eco-friendly toothpaste available at my local health food store and not one of them comes in biodegradable packaging.

More choices means whatever more their building, well that takes energy. It takes space to store and, if refrigeration is involved, it takes energy to store. It takes more trucks to drive it to more retailers. It takes more advertising to spread the word. It takes and it takes and it takes.

Quick digression:
A steady-state economy is an idea that entered the world in 1956, courtesy of Novel Prize winning economist Robert Solow, but became a fixture in the modern lexicon in 1977, courtesy of ecological economist Herman Daly.

It’s nothing more or less than an economy that meets everyone’s need and holds steady. It values sustainability over growth, choosing to balance resource use with resource availability. Above all, it values economies of scale.

It is an economy of scale for one simple reason: resources are not infinite. And until they are then anything new that you make is a trade-off and any time you make that trade off one fact is indisputable: the earth suffers.

If now we know that psychologically more is not always better, and environmentally we know that less is always more, then why do we keep making all this stuff?

Why have most of the top Green eco-magazines, blogs, become nothing more than a greener version of QVC or Home Shopping Network?

I want to see leaders in green who embrace the fact that we as a green community all share one common goal; doing our best to be green.

I can start by doing my part right here on Hart of Green and learn from my colleagues all launching green this and green that. I promise you not to stage advertisements disguised as copy or patronize you with what we call advertorials; advertisement meets editorial.

Or, convey a really meaningful message on this blog requesting your precious time and then, only 1/2 way through your experiencee, I jump off the page and say “ONLY TWO MORE OF THESE IN THE BACK, AND THE DEADLINE IS MIDNIGHT TONIGHT - TICK TICK TICK…give me a break!

I am seriously humbled when I get a chance to connect with you and you generously give your vote of confidence that I will not abuse my green credentials and the priveldge of your frequent visits to Hart of Green.

I’m going to get a little deep quickly so we’re on the same page for this post.

Have you ever had a time in your life where you so enjoyed the company of other strangers that you almost immediately felt like you were long lost friends? I’m not talking about the buzz you get when you fall in lust with someone after two MaiTais’.

Literally, I was walking into the Cow Palace and my opinion at first when I walked in was skepticism of what I was about to experience at this GREENFAIR in San Francisco. Just like you, there has to be a purpose behind what I’m doing or I just get bored.

Trade shows, expos, convention halls full of noise and corporate capitalism do not titillate my senses. GREENFAIR did more than titillate me, it awakened me even more to how incredible the people ARE propelling the green movement.

I walked in the front door of the Cow Palace and I instantly said to myself, “This will be the last year I only see 30 vendors at a show this profound and timely.” The fact is, this show had some of the most powerful players in green business-to-business and I met each and every one of them. Wow, was that a high.

I thought I would get the typical person behind the booth with fatigue all over their face with my stepping into their green booth. Or, that fake Fantasy Island smile that just gives us those warm and fuzzies all over. Instead, each vendor was welcoming, fun, and really cared as to why I was there. Did you catch that? Every single one of them stopped to listen carefully to my heart and my green intentions that connected on a soul level?

I could tell my questions were not the normal fodder they were getting from other stragglers. “What drives you to lead this movement with your purpose? What is your purpose that gets you up in the morning. This is hard work, so what is it? What in your daily BEING and DOING creates a healthy environment for our families, our neighbors and ourselves? What is it you want to accomplish with your engaging, thought-provoking conversation with a world that isn’t so green? The average Joe that could care less about green. What do you do when you want to judge or criticize the ignorant and reckless?”

The answers I heard left me spellbound. Allow me to point out my new friends and shining examples of Green across this nation:

The GreenDreamTeam - Susan Davis at the helm of experts [all greeted me like I was family] dedicated to providing you with the most comprehensive selection of services to improve, remodel, build, furnish, and landscape your home. On top of that, Susan helps companies locally learn how to morph their businesses into green by bringing in prolific speakers from all over the world.

Thai Vegetarian House - Darlene Lam. You are a light to this planet and all the people you touch. We connected spiritually both of us anchored in green. She, the expert of Thai Vegan food nudging me to try what she said tastes like chicken. Hey that was not enough to inspire me to try it. I think the people that make “Funions” tell you it tastes like chicken. Nonetheless, her beautiful smile and her flirtatious grandmother orderded me to eat it. Like a good green boy, I did try Thai Vegan meat that I would toss over a salad any day. Loved it.

GreenV - Richard Rios. He founded “The Sustainable Center of South San Francisco,” a huge warehouse loaded with the most beautiful home elements created completely with recycled goods. He mentioned the local TV stations wanting to do a reality show on his life, living green in such a large way. Wow. What an honor. Richard and I will be doing something BIG together. You know when you look in someone’s eyes and you know you can help them reach great success and happiness. That’s how I feel about my new friend, Richard at GreenV.

Village Green Market - Rosemary, you really blew me away with your new water cooler that makes water from humidity in the air. $1300 a pop for this green water machine. I told her, it would be only months before we see these in Costco for $400. She agreed. I liked Rosemary’s attitude. She, like so many others at GREENFAIR have such a deep empathy for the direction our planet is headed and they want to persuade as many people as possible to be compassionate, humble and honoring of planet earth. Water is the center of the green movement and Rosemary was not exempt from the intensity I feel from many experts in the water arena that share the same mantra. The truth is, the government may be impeding the development of water resources from the answers available to us right now. In other words, we have the answers to solve the water crisis worldwide, Rosemary shared. Her passion alone convinced me, now it’s off to do my homework so I can speak intelligently about this topic like Rosemary. Hey, if you never want to drink out of plastic water bottles again, ask Rosemary about the toxins of water bottles that you ingest.

Goza Gear from Livermore - Steve & Bonnie Melgoza. These two were a kick. So vibrant and so exciting to be in their energy space. They love organic clothes, and the passion from this dynamic organic duo is endless. Steve said, “Business created this eco-crisis, business needs to get us out.” I had a real kindred connection with these two and plan to develop a very rich relationship.

Finally, Maid Brigade. Linda Hendrickson is a gem for green cleaning. She might be like you, too, in that she doesn’t understand how to use social media to grow her green biz. I committed to gifting her my Social Media Hart Start program that will surely give her an “aha” to what’s available to growing her business using social media.

So what’s the big takeaway here? Appreciation of the Human Relationship is the underbelly of green. Honoring each other’s intention is profound. Being gentle with those who ‘don’t get’ green is being green, too.

Being “Green” in the Bay Area includes baby boomers who walk and bike to avoid using fossil fuels, young couples just learning about the benefits of sustainable living, or businesses seeking motivation and direction. What links us all is our interest in creating a healthy environment for our family, our neighbors, and ourselves.

Hart of Green and all its new friends joining by hands, with intention to support one another is very special. We are coming together as a community to generate a unique synergy where environmental advocacy quickly turns into solutions for a sustainable world. We can accomplish this through an engaging, thought-provoking conversation, and an implacable drive for innovation that inspires action.

A friend of mine joyfully jumped with family on a plane and entered the happiest place on earth, Disneyland. When I ran into him a few days later, I asked him, “Was it packed?” He said, “Oh yeah,  three hour waits for Indiana Jones and most rides for that matter.” I was shocked with the economy in shambles. Then I figured its stay-cation time not va-cation time. Families are staying closer to home for one day trips, rather than migrating away from home, breaking the bank.

How has Disney’s competition been doing? Turn on the news and you will find out the converse for Six Flags.

Six Flags did not escape lower than expected attendance. Bankruptcy is the headline today for Six Flags amusement park. I’m certain they’ll re-emerge bigger and better. The airlines seem to pull it off.  

I absolutely appreciate Six Flags for their careful attention to treating animals with respect. I’m sure PETA would pimp slap me for saying that, however, I’ve spoken to some of the trainers at the park directly and know the measures they take to protect all the animals from harm.  Ethics do not seem to impact how many or how often families visit Six Flags.

Did you know Disney out performs Six Flags 6 to 1?  Meaning Disney attracts 6 times the amount of traffic than Six Flags, so combine that with the economy issues and it all adds up. That’s the bad news.

Good news. Disney has saved some major money by going green as my research revealed one very teeny tiny downside. Some visitors have complained the smell of the trains now isn’t the way they remember it: the biodiesel smells somehow like French fries and they miss the diesel smell. Oh what a sacrifice huh? Kids will have to grow up making memories with the French-fry smell.

Autopia was opened at Disneyland 52 years ago to honor America’s auto fixation. For years, the cars were powered by lawn motor engines using gas.
Seven years ago, the theme park retrofitted  them with pedal starters to reduce idling and new engines. I guess Chevron jumped in to help and that reduced emissions by two thirds. But they still run on gasoline.

I’m sorry but I just can’t be that green yet.  I need the feel of the engine running. I need the sound of the engine running. Are you rolling your eyes at me? C’mon…can’t I hang on to one old school traditional engine rumbling, butt vibrating experience? Yes, I know we both know that one day, Autopia will not use an internal combustion engine and we’ll find some way to replicate that part of  the experience. Did I just lose my badge for being the social green trendsetter? As Donald Trump says, “Hart, Your Fired!”

Disneyland Monday re-launched one of its oldest attractions, the submarine ride, nine years after it emptied the lagoon. The original submarine ride was launched at Disneyland in 1958, and the gunmetal gray submarines ran on diesel. The steam kept the submarines going for four decades until 1998, when the Cold War-themed attraction lost its appeal.

“But at Imagineering, we wouldn’t let it die. We love the submarines, it’s a classic attraction. It’s Walt’s attraction,” said Kathy Mangum, a vice president at Disney Imagineering.

Disney’s imagineers finally found a story around which the submarines could re-emerge: Finding Nemo, the Oscar-winning 2003 animated film about the world under water.

The ride still uses all eight original submarines, but the engines are now powered by clean and quiet magnetic coils.

The fake coral reefs under water are not colored with paint anymore, but with recycled glass sprayed on with an organic epoxy.

“We used 30 tons of it, and it’s going to last forever. It gave us color we couldn’t get with paint,” said Dela Vara.

Other parts of the park have changed too. Trains now run on 100 percent biodiesel, including the EP Ripley, the same train Disney himself rode on the theme park’s opening day.

Disneyland says it buys 150,000 gallons of biodiesel each year, and prices are currently competitive with regular diesel. Seemingly nothing gets thrown away around here, just greened up.

But where do you draw the line between environmental friendliness and running a successful business?

Disney claims it’s saved about $60 million over 10 years on environmental programs, mostly through reducing the amount of paper used. They also re-use TV sets and installed a “reusable mug  program,” which alone saved a half million dollars.

Disney is in the middle of having all of its hotels declared “green lodging” in the Florida Green Lodging Certification Program. Six are already certified.

The goal is that by 2013, Disney will cut solid waste to landfills by half of what it produced in 2006, which Ecorazzi reports, was a staggering 300,000 tons of garbage.

Disney has led the way in banning trans fats and limiting in-park smoking. Expect Disney to back up its eco-friendly words with eco-friendly actions in the coming years.