kind classics: gas stations
Here is my advice on filling up your tank: try and get gas from the little guy in your neighborhood - the gas stations that are smaller, non-chains that are locally owned (if you can find one in your neighborhood). You can search for local gas stations on www.fuelmeup.com. Just avoid Chevron and Exxon like the plague, because they contribute so much pollution and are so destructive to the environment.
If there aren't any Ma & Pa gas stations around you, just make sure to avoid Chevron and Exxon. The other big guys feel a tad less offensive than these two. Chevron and Exxon are dumping toxic waste in the Amazon without consequence! This toxic waste overflows into streams and pollutes all of the water. Take a look at the piece that 60 minutes did. It's so upsetting! Chevron even went so far to produce a fake news segment which misleads the public! What's so scary about this is that this fake news segment seems to be totally legit, as they used a CNN correspondent.
There are ways to conserve fuel too such as avoiding high speeds, don't accelerate or brake hard, make sure you keep your tires properly inflated, use your A/C sparingly, take care of your car and service it regularly, use cruise control when you can, avoid heavy loads when taking long trips... and if you need to purchase a new car, make sure you get a fuel efficient one! 
If you live in Los Angeles, make sure to stop by this amazing BP gas station on Olympic and Robertson called Helios House. Check out what the LA Times has to say about it:
"The nation's first certifiably green gasoline station sports a futuristic metal canopy covered in shiny triangles of uncoated, recyclable stainless steel."
The rooftop holds 90 solar panels and a collection system that gathers rainfall to irrigate drought-tolerant plants nearby. The underside is outfitted with low-energy lighting. Cars will roll across concrete mixed with bits of recycled glass...
Dubbed Helios House by BP, the eco-friendly station at the corner of Robertson and Olympic boulevards replaces a slightly run-down Thrifty station that served customers from Los Angeles and nearby Beverly Hills. The new gas station was built with cutting-edge earth-friendly design, using such materials as farmed wood and less-polluting paint, and its customers will be pushed to save energy.
Members of the station's "green team" will check the tire pressure on customers' cars and advise that properly inflated tires boost gas mileage. They will give out energy-saving tips, printed on recycled paper embedded with flower seeds that sprout when the card is planted in the ground.
While its customers pump gas -- a three-minute task, on average -- BP will show eco-vignettes and green videos on screens built into the fuel dispensers."
This is my absolute favorite gas station. I just love going there! It has such good vibes, and even though there is still gas involved, I feel like this is the best place to get it.
Any of you who don't live in Los Angeles - have you found any groovy, green gas stations like this?
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37 comments
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I am hoping this is a sign that BP is trying to help "heal" some of the damage it has done to our environment from the spill in the gulf. I personally avoid all BP's like the plague, but we don't have any of their eco-friendly gas stations around here in WI. Thanks for the post, it was very interesting!
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@ michelle p.......The glowing report came more from the L. A. Times than from Alecia. She seem more enthralled with the eco friendly design of the station than with BP itself. Personally I would have preferred BP to make a donation to a homeless shelter and just erect a simple gas bar with the difference from the cost of this location.
Gas is gas........I don't think most people care what the station looks like. According to the response to Alecia's latest discussion on WATER, it would appear that people care more about Fuel and far less about the substance that is required for life.
In my humble opinion.
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Seriously? Not sure why you're praising BP...remember how kind they were to our Gulf? This article is not helping your credibility.
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If you're looking at major gas stations/companies, here's a link where you can find more information on their Social Rankings. Hope this sheds some light...
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@Kiirsten.......Changing people's driving habits and what they use in pursuing those habits is not going to be easy. My current city has Transit, but being in a cold climate does not make it very comfortable to use. Furthermore, being a former driver ( bus ) of said transit, I can assure you that most people do not want to use a system where everyone is rubbing elbows with everyone else...especially during rush hours. There has to be some kind of fundamental change in the handling of passengers to make the experience more pleasurable.
Irresponsible waste, which is happening now at an incredible rate, will have a devastating result for our little blue marble racing around the Sun. Earth is a very beautiful Planet, and one can see from space that it is teeming with life. Likely not much else to compete with it within many many lightyears, certainly not any that we can communicate with.
We have a duty to take care of our Planet..... in the same way most of us take care of our homes, and certainly much better than the pampered care we give our automobiles...... in any small or large way that we can.
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BP dumped heaps of oil into the ocean last year but....o0o0o0 cool shiny new petrol station
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I shared this clip on facebook. I think it's time that the rising generation especially took a hard look at the consequences of their everyday choices. I don't have a car personally, and my husband and I are lucky enough to get around in a major city without one, thanks to mass transit. We were going to buy a car but have since decided to wait. Now I think that we ought to wait and save until we can afford a fuel-efficient electric car. Enough is enough of this irresponsible waste.
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The ONLY thing you will be doing by shopping at your local gas station is supporting the local owner. ALL the gas stations get their gas from the same pipeline (as Beckie mentioned). Exxon & BP all support the pipelines, so whether you like it or not you are buying fuel from them.
There is a difference is buying fuel from your local shop versus a name brand like Shell. The name brand companies put additives in their fuel which keep your engine clean and lubricated and prevents maintenance costs.
Boycotting your local Exxon is only going to hurt the owner of that station, who is probably a local citizen just like the no-name station.
The lack of research done before this was posted is disturbing and is making me question the validity of your other posts.
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Nice gas station, except for the fact that they completely polluted our Gulf. I'm from South Louisiana and can tell you that they have devastated our seafood industry. Don't let anyone tell you different. And, yes, I am vegan and do not eat seafood, however, seafood is such a big part of our culture and industry that the economic impact of the BP spill is still very apparent.
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@ Alecia....thanks for responding to posters. When you have a chance...beg, borrow, or steal ( just don't get caught....JK), Jeff Rubin's book about the smaller world. It most certainly opened my mind to the effect of the Oil industry in our everyday lives.. My copy came from my nephew, so unfortunately Jeff lost out on a bit of revenue. Regardless, I am sure he did OK...the book was a number one best seller.
Take care and enjoy your day.
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I am very loyal to American car companies, I only buy from them, but I have to say that I am disappointed that they haven't made more hybrid cars. Even the Volt is a disappointment. An all electric car, or a part time electric car, is not the technology we need right now. Not while the electricity is most likely coming from a fossil fueled plant. I think they should certainly still invest in the technology, but hybrids are what they should be rolling out to the dealerships.
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I noticed this was a Kind Classic article, so I scouted out when the original was posted. Turns out it was Feb 3, 2010- before the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. I thought it was so interesting to read the comments pre- and post-oil spill. Here is the original article and pre-oil spill comments: http://www.thekindlife.com/post/gas-stations#.
As others have mentioned, oil is ubiquitous part of our national culture. We have made strides in recent years, but have a long way to go. For all those interested, I suggest reading "Reinventing Fire: Bold Business Solutions for a New Energy Era", in which Amory Lovins outlines how the US can transition away from oil and coal by 2050. A must read for energy enthusiasts or anyone who wants to be gain insight on the energy transition currently underway in the US. (Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/Reinventing-Fire-Business-Solutions-Energy/dp/1603583718 )
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Alicia,
A really great post! What started as a rather simple thread about an unusual filling station fueled (no pun intended) the passions of so many. Gasoline, oil companies, and the core of so many of our problems are connected to our dependency on oil....foreign or otherwise. I think you really hit a nerve here, and I feel lucky to be a member of this community while absorbing everyone's input. I too have my opinions, and they're slanted mostly against corporate greed and Wall Street. Oil companies are like any other corporation in that they take advantage of whatever they are allowed to get away with. What amazes me is that while the vast majority of the population despises what is happening, we seem unable to come together to do something about it. Goodness.....I could go on and on here! GM recently halted production on their 'Volt' model. Their dealerships were overstocked on one of the most fuel efficient American made cars ever built. Hello!!!!.....it is a $45,000 car! We don't have $45,000 to spend on a car. Lower the price, sell more, don't halt production, keep America working. It's a start...........
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Strides toward better fuel efficiency have been very good...especially from the days of the 426 Hemi, unfortunately the next step will be very punishing. When oil reaches $ 150 to $ 200 a barrel, which it will sooner than later..... in order to sell their vehicles the manufacturers wil have to increase fuel efficiency. The other side of the coin is that many people will not be able to afford to drive regardless, and all that stuff that is delivered by ocean freight, trains, and trucks ( locally from pizzas to produce) will be that much more expensive because of the cost of the fuel.
Oil is in everything we touch.....plastics, roads, computers, discs that movies are recorded on, half of a vehicle is plastic.....the list is almost endless.
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Hmmm...no fancy gas stations in my area, that I know of. But that's okay...I fill gas in my car so often that no amount of solar panels could make it an enjoyable experience for me. I am much more excited about ideas to improve fuel efficiency. Driving slower is a great tip, it makes a big difference! Any other ideas out there? Do K&N air filters help?
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Hey everyone.....I hate to bring bad news to anything on this site, but all of the fuel comes from the same fueling stations. My boyfriend drives fuel tankers all over the state of California and ALL of the fuel for ALL of the stations come from the same fueling locations. He delivers fuel to all stations and he picks up the fuel from one fueling station in each county. All of the tanker drivers pick up the fuel from the same place. Regardless of where you are fueling up....you are supporting environmental destruction and that is just a sad fact. The best thing we can do as a society is move away from petrochemicals and use a more sustainable mode of energy. Until then.....we all take part in the destruction that comes from fuel:-(
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Yup, here in New Orleans - I would highly encourage everyone NOT to get your gas (or anything else for that matter) from BP or Arco, which is a BP-owned company.
They may have a super-cool Gehry-esque station - but they are probably one of the LEAST kind oil companies (really though, are there ANY "kind" ones???) from repeatedly blowing up their employees - not just in the Deepwater Horizon disaster, but also at their refineries in Texas - to wreaking all kinds of environmental havoc in the Gulf of Mexico and the fragile and crucial Louisiana bayous and waterways.
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Since we are discussing gasoline, we might as well deal with the root, which is OIL.....The Macondo/Deepwater Horizon screw up in the GOM not only caused pollution that will have lasting effects but also claimed a number of lives, and was an incredible indictment of BP's lack of expertise in dealing with such a horrific event. I believe the CEO's comment was something to the effect of " We are sorry for the LITTLE PEOPLE in the gulf." Thank you Tony, mighty BP of you, Cheers.
If anyone wants to understand Oil and it effects.....both physically and economically; read this book ( get it from the library preferably ) " Why Your World is about to get a Whole Lot Smaller.....by Jeff Rubin.
If that doesn't change anyone's view, then they must be invested in Haliburton or Trans Ocean.
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I am not siding with the oil companies, but I have lots of comments:
60 miutes has been caught falsifying stories agaainst Ford. This was some time ago. You don't have to lie. You can just avoid telling information that is contrary to the story you do. 60 minutes actually put explosives in a ford to make it explode and blamed it on Ford.
BP had a hard time in the gulf because they are force to drill in deep water. The well would have been capped in a day or two in shallow water. You can only see 3 miles from the beach. So even shallow water drilling is out of sight. Certain leaders will not allow shallow drilling, which is less dangerous than deep water drilling. Foreign tankers were there on the second day to sweep up the oil but the President never gave permission. Even democrats were asking the President to do something. Nothing happened for 30 days. BP by the way is still paying.
Also many people have a chunk of their retirement fund in BP. Do you want BP wiped out and all these people losea a big chunk of their retirment? If you own mutual funds or have a retirement fund managed by a large investment firm, then you probaly own some stock in BP and Exxon.
Several years ago the President used 9000 gallons to fly to Annapollis to give an earth day speech for 1 hour. I can drive my truck for 10 years on the same fuel. He and his wife fly in separate jets. Alicia talks in her book about flying with Woody and friends on his private jet to the Amazon to have fun. Everyone wants to use the oil, but blame those who drill it. I do agree that sometimes the oil companies do the wrong thing. Put an oil company in a country with a young and inexxperience government, and you are asking for trouble. Everyone wants oil, but don't drill in my backyard. Well, you see what happens (Amazon) with this attitude.
The lawyer (Amazon Case) will take way more than he deserves, and if he wins will probably polute with his own private jet.
Little stations do buy from the bigger companies in many cases. I see the trucks filling the tanks. Little stations may save money by leaving some additives out of the gas. This may cause the gas not to burn as clean.
Many want the oil companies to plead guilty and pay out. If you are in an auto accident, do you say my fault and sue me for all I have. I think you expect the oil company to do something that you wouldn't do. Most auto insurance companies tell you never to admit fault.
When I was a kid, I had a small bottle of mecury that I and my friends played with. We are all 65 and healthy Today, if a thermometer with mecury breaks, the whole school is closed ... It is hard to know what is good or bad as everyone seems to have an agenda. Me too! I would like to see honest science. That ain't going to happen.
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Great gas station but BP is responsible for the Gulf Coast disaster! And the commercials they air around here (South-East) are sickening! Similar to what you mentioned about Chevron. ;-(
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