Green Haus Gas

Haus has a new hybrid.

(Those of you who know my beloved, Michael (aka "Haus"), can pause and laugh. We'll wait.)











OK, did you catch your breath yet?

Where were we? Oh yes. Mr. Porsche, Mr. Sportscar, Mr. Fine European automobile-loving man himself, has gone hybrid. I know, it's a little scary. What's next? Hemp clothing?

For those of you who don't know him in person, let's just say he's a died-in-the-wool right winger (as am I), almost a libertarian. He's not exactly a "peace, love, and brown rice" kind of guy. He's certainly not the hybrid car manufacturers' key demographic. He's never longed for a granola-mobile.

Now generally Republicans and right-wingers tend to throw the environmental baby out with the fiscal bathwater, and I think that's such a shame. As Christians, the earth and animals were entrusted to us by God, and darnit if we haven't done our best to completely deplete, pollute, and destroy it.

Green living is responsible living. Now, that doesn't mean that either of us want to squat in the hills of Santa Barbara in a Yurt. We just hope to leave as little a "footprint" on the earth as possible. (I'm pretending no one knows about my huge SUV, of course. Or, about my lovely English garden here in arid California. Or, about the heaping trash barrels we leave at the curb weekly. Oh, the hypocrisy is rampant!)

We are a mixture of ideologies now called 'Light Green' and 'Bright Green". According to Wikipedia, "contemporary environmentalists are often described as being split into three groups, 'Dark' 'Light' and 'Bright' Greens. Light Greens see protecting the environment first and foremost as a personal responsibility... They often focus on environmentalism as a lifestyle choice. The motto Green is the New Black sums up this way of thinking, for many. 'Bright Greens' believe that radical changes are needed in the economic and political operation of society in order to make it sustainable, but that better designs, new technologies and more widely distributed social innovations are the means to make those changes."

That's where we stand. We're not going to march on Washington for Mother Earth, but we believe in taking responsibility for our part, and in promoting products and technologies that benefit the environment. Michael's business is green. His new venture is a green business. But, a hybrid??? Isn't that going just a bit far?

My poor baby has gotten so much gas over his new ride, which I got a kick out of naming Greenifer.

It's time for him to stand up and proclaim, "There is no shame in being green!"

Michael, sweetie, Hausie, you're an environmentalist! Albeit 'light/bright green', but an environmentalist just the same. A right-wing, practically libertarian, free market economy believing, Jesus Freak, homeschooling family, head shaving, tattoo clad, cigar smoking, small business entrepreneur... environmentalist. Get over it already!

I promise I won't give you any more gas. You don't need that much anyway.

You drive a hybrid.