MTV, Governator Pimp '65 Impala for Earth Day
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 04.12.07
Take California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, MTV's "Pimp My Ride" and an 800 horsepower 1965 Chevy Impala and put them all in the same place, at the same time: what do you get? Did anyone come up with "An Earth Day showcase for green(er) transportation and a hip hop/Governator/green mash-up"? That's right, as part of a very special Earth Day episode airing April 22nd at 1 pm ET/PT, Governor Schwarzenegger visits Xzibit, Mad Mike and the entire "Pimp My Ride" crew at G.A.S. (Galpin Auto Sports), as they transform a '65 Chevy Impala into a mean, clean machine. The old ride will get a new diesel engine, allowing the show an opportunity to highlight alternative fuels and, more specifically, biodiesel; the finished product will showcase to the ability of power, performance and alternative, non-petroleum fuels to work together, and that there is something that every person can't do to help promote green practices and ideas. The special episode will air as part of the thinkMTV year long, 12-step "Break The Addiction" campaign, engaging, empowering, and educating millions of young people to make smart, everyday choices that both improve their life and help curb the impact of climate change and preserve the environment. The episode will also air on MTV2 and MTV Tr3s, and appear on MTV as the kick-off of a "Pimp My Ride" Sneak Peek marathon.
While the technical green merits of 800 hp diesels and car pimping in general may be questionable, events of these kind serve a different purpose that TreeHugger still embraces. By showcasing to the MTV crowd that green can be hip, edgy, (dare we say it) pimpin' and whatever other monikers for cool you want to apply, the show is part of the growing cultural green zeitgeist that has less to do with old-school hippie-dom and the divisive politics and lifestyle stereotypes usually associated with "being green" and more to do with pushing the green movement mainstream enough so that everyone has the opportunity to shift their lives in a greener direction. We aren't excited about "Pimp My Ride's" efforts to "go green" because of the gas mileage (which we're sure will be on the low end) or any other special features of the newly pimped ride; it will help to show that there aren't any excuses for making greener choices for anyone, from golfing grandparents to the tuner crowd to those who get a kick out of "Pimp My Ride", and it's an important development toward the tipping point of the green lifestyle's integration into everyone's daily lives. Tune in on Earth Day, Sunday April 22, to see the pimped ride with a green twist. ::Break the Addiction and ::Pimp My Ride
This Green Governor is an absolute fraud. HO HO HO! Jolly Green Giant, Remember the big green mascot of General Foods? That very same company, with the Jolly Green Giant in the lead, created a Superfund site in residential Minneapolis within a mile or two of the Mississippi River.
Schwarzenegger's solution to climate change and pollution is coal mining, coal-fired power, and coal gasification for the Hopi and Navajo natives of the Four Corners, solar for Bush, the rich, and the U.S. Military.