Gonzo Green Earth Day Recap

Yesterday I peddled my bike in support of Earth Day. I live in the city and I work in the city so why not ride my bike?

My first stop was the Jones Soda headquarters in downtown Seattle. There was a crowd of people outside and curiosity lured me to check it out. In support of Earth Day, Jones Soda decided to go off the grid for an day and generate their own electricity. They had 10 stationary bikes set up and connected to used car alternators and inverters as each bike fed power into a battery storage system. This system powered the entire office including lights, computers, printers, fax machines and servers. The staff at Jones lured passerby’s to stop in and peddle for a few minutes and they were sent on their way with a t-shirt, soda and a feel good experience. I stopped in and peddled for 15 minutes and I have to say it felt great…to think that a group of people could create electricity without burning fossil fuels in such a simple manner. Its a powerful statement and a shocking wake up call that we need to look past coal and oil and embrace clean forms of energy now…not tomorrow.

Next I stopped at the Carrot Mob event in partnership with Seattle Greendrinks and Pike Pub and Brewery. Carrot Mob was created as a way to organize consumers to make purchases at businesses that pledge to spend a percentage of sales during the Carrot Mob event to perform energy retrofits in their establishment. The first event that was held in San Francisco was amazingly successful and has set the stage for many more events in the future. The concept is highly scalable with applications as small as convenience stores to major manufacturers of consumer products. It gives the mobs buying power and influence to create change and reward businesses that pledge to make their business more sustainable. This is a welcome change for many consumers that are tired of waiting for businesses and governments to take steps on their own to become efficient and sustainable. The Seattle Carrot Mob event was a great event designed to help the Pike Pub Brewery perform energy efficient retrofits to their brewery and restaurant. They pledged to set aside 25% of the sales for updates to help make the pub more energy efficient. Seattle City Light also teamed up with the brewery to subsidize some of the cost for the retrofit. The event is a win for all involved. The restaurant increases its normal sales volume, becomes a more efficient and sustainable business, and consumers get to spend their money on a product that is inherently more sustainable.You can sign up on the Carrot Mob page to receive notice when there is a Carrot Mob event in your area.

There were Earth Day events all over the city of Seattle with tremendous support. This was very inspiring…but its an attitude we need to have every day not just on Earth Day.

Check out the video below from the first Carrot Mob event in San Fran…..amazing!