Ruby Goes Green....er

At Ruby's Whim, we do our best to recycle and reuse items as much as possible. Recycling and reducing wasteful consumption has been our goal at work and at home over the last few years. A natural extension of these efforts combined with Michael's passion for new technology and cars brought him to the discovery of GM's Project Driveway.

I can't begin to explain all of the details about this project in a brief blog, but there is a lot of information about the program, the technology and the future of alternative fuels and energy sources online. Michael and a small group of friends have become avid participants in Project Driveway and the associated discussion groups.

Recently, I had a chance to accompany Michael and a few of our good buddies to Santa Monica for a day with one of GM's Fuel Cell Vehicles. I must confess that I passed on the first opportunity to go on a Ride and Drive in one of the hydrogen-powered Equinox Fuel Cell vehicles. When the second opportunity availed itself, I decided that I needed to check out the phenomena that had Michael so rapt.

So, I went, I drove and WOWWEE! I was impressed and excited that hydrogen could fuel such an electric experience (yep, the pun was intended and will likely haunt me for years to come). However, the fun didn't stop there. Michael, Mike, Lou, Keoki and I motored around Santa Monica and Venice all afternoon. We drove, we rode, we chatted and shared the car/technology with interested onlookers...which brings me to the one of the most interesting of the interested onlookers... Tree Man (aka, Lionel Powell)! OK, so we accosted him as he was making his way home from Westminster Elementary School with his niece and nephew. We passed him as we were heading down the street and flipped a quick "U"-ey to get a second look...okay, gawk in disbelief and amazement as we howled with laughter, at this 8-foot tall, patchouli emitting tree escorting two small children home from school on a lovely Friday afternoon.

After we flagged down Tree Man and parked the EFCV, we had a chance to visit and snap some pix with our new friends...and GM EFCV promotional materials, of course. Tree Man is a pretty cool guy, out on a limb to be sure, but pretty cool nonetheless. I have often wondered how his niece and nephew explain the tree escort from school to their classmates...I suppose almost everything is possible in Venice!

Overall, it was an illuminating experience driving the EFCV. I can only describe the car as being far more impressive in every aspect, than I could have imagined from all of the conversations about it with Michael. If you ever get the chance to drive an EFCV, I recommend it enthusiastically.