Greenwashing? Gaswashing?

I've been passing by the new BP gas station on Olympic for about 6 months now and for the life of me I can't figure out what the company is doing.

Here's a gas station who rents (or owns) the billboards and bus stop surrounding it, promoting messages with flowers and messages like: "Put the petal to the metal", "A little better", and "Everyone into the carpool."

I bought gas at 7pm last night and it was a bit like an other-worldly experience. A woman in a BP shirt named Rita came over, introduced herself to me, asked my name, and wondered if she could answer any of my questions. I didn't ask any (because I was about to faint from overstimulation) but...

1. What's up with the hip music pumping out of the speakers?
2. Why is there a light show going on at your gas station?
3. Why, on every monitor on every pump, is there a video talking about conserving water, gas, paper, and reducing emissions?

Lastly, what kind of gas station has really, really clean, modern bathrooms?

I've since come to learn that the whole station is a LEED certified project, which is a green building rating meaning that it meets certain criteria for "environmentally sustainable construction".

I understand the desire to create better buildings, encourage conservation, but isn't a funky, trendy, ultra-clean gas station an odd place to do it?

Daniel Gross over at Slate agreed, several years ago, that BP's environmental stand is a little crazy, as the world's seventh largest company  "generates the overwhelming majority of its $160 billion in annual revenues from the oil and gas business."

So what's driving BP? Real concern for the environment, craving for the discerning consumer, or confusing bloggers who are in dire need of petroleum?

Comments Permalink Social Bookmarks
Filed in: Current Affairs, Ecology, Marketing, Personal Blogging

No job postings found. This feed only shows jobs which have been created in the last 24 hours. »

... click to continue...