I
am not normally prone to weeping. I’ll sniffle
occasionally at a Meryl Streep movie or an episode of Emergency Vets. You might hear me choke up in an attempt to
speak about a loved one at some ceremonious occasion. But one does not generally find me in a
crumpled ball surrounded by a flood of salty tears. Until…I decided to buy a new car.
Inspired by my Seattle surroundings,
I was seriously going green. I ate local. I purchased recycled toilet paper,
environmentally-friendly dishwashing, clothes-washing, face-cleansing, body-scrubbing,
counter-cleaning products, and I started composting….everything, including the
hair from my hairbrush. I flushed when necessary, forwent one shower each week
on the minimal sweating days when I had no plans for any exceptionally close
hugging. Most of what I owned: clothes,
furniture, electronics, had originally been, in their newness, in the hands of
someone else. As I began to scan the larger contributors to my carbon
footprint, I saw potential further eco-salvation in the purchase of an alternative
car that relied not on Chevron but on the transformed substance from the
discards of the local greasy spoon: Biodiesel.
