It’s Not Easy Being Green

The singularly superlative satirical song writer, Tom Lehrer, when asked why he stopped writing the comic songs with the brilliant lyrics he became famous for is said to have said: “When Henry Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize it was the death of satire.”

Not of the same depth of depravity or height of head-scratching, jaw-dropping wonderment, but ironically bewildering nevertheless is Infineon Raceway awarded for being an outstanding green business. Think about that one, folks. Giving an award for environmental conservation, ecological awareness and climate warming consciousness to a business that dumps a sizeable shitload of pollution on the planet. I wonder what the Co2 amount comes to just over a NASCAR weekend?

Not to worry though, they do a bang-up job recycling their garbage we’re told and their local corporate management shtups the local charities with funding, all the while cultivating the town’s prominent set. To diss Infineon, formerly Sears Point Raceway, is tantamount to blasphemy, and usually brings clucking criticism from local corporate quarters in the form of letters to the newspapers telling critics how insensitive they are to Infineon’s good neighborliness and community involvement. And those claims are true. What’s also true is Infineon is the seat of a business unfriendly to the planet in its rather large use of resources and distribution of waste.

Whether one likes or dislikes auto racing is irrelevant. What is relevant is that giving Infineon Raceway an award for being green, while not Kissingerian, is like awarding a kid for good spelling in his graffiti. Maybe it’s a cost/benefit thing. Yes, they pollute the hell out of the planet, especially the Sonoma County corner of it, but look how much pleasure they bring to millions. And not to overlook the benefit to the county in tax dollars.

Simply put, it insults one’s intelligence to be told that an auto racing business is green because they do some good things. It’s good that they do good things, but they’re NOT green by any reasonable measure of the scales. That simply flies in the face of reality.

And that’s why this blog gives its flying, golden goddess of BS award to: the Sonoma Economic Development Partnership for bestowing a green award on the raceway.

On the other hand, the Benzigers won and they well deserve it. If you need an example of a bona fide green business use that as your template, Sonoma Economic Development Partnership.