Green Tip #93: Disney World, Part 1!

As those of you who read faithfully will by now have figured out, many of the Green Tips that I write are very directly influenced by things that happen in my life. So it should really come as no surprise that this first entry back in a while should be about Disney World! (Okay, there really was no need for the exclamation point at the end of that last sentence. It just feels like there should always be one at the end of Disney World! like the 2001 hit movie, Moulin Rouge!)

So yeah, I was in Disney World last week with my family and I had a great time! (Dang, that exclamation mark just won't go away! I guess staying a week in the happiest place on earth makes you more enthusiastic about everything!) But you aren't here to read about my personal life, you want to know how Disney World can be an educational tool for environmental sustainability! (If I just ignore it it will go away)

Well, there are actually several things about Disney World that can be used for Green Tips (hence the 'Part 1'). And I'm not just talking about all the recycling exhibits at Epcot or the wildlife conservation messages at Animal Kingdom (although it was fun to drive little model garbage trucks around and play recycling video games). No, I'm talking about the more obscure lessons that only an eco-nerd like myself would pick up on!

My first lesson that I learned from Disney World is that public transportation is cool! No, seriously, I defy you to name one other place on the planet that has as much mass transit! There's the buses that drive between the parks (awesome), the monorail (awesome on one rail), the ferry boats (floating awesome), the trains (too awesome for just one rail), the parking lot shuttles (really long awesome), not to mention the fact that all the rides are basically really impractical public transportation (awesome that always ends up where you started). And they make it all so much fun! Buses in Toledo are somewhat frightening sometimes with homeless people and drunkards, but the buses in Disney World are basically like warm ups for the rides!

So please, Audio-Animatronic replica of Walt Disney that runs Disney World, if you truly love us as much as I believe you do, start expanding your monorail system to encompass the entire continent. Because while a 20 hour car ride was horrible, a 20 hour monorail ride would just be awesome! Share the wealth!

Well, it is good to be back and don't forget that tomorrow!!!! is the start of the May Madness Bracket Tournament of Champions Green Extravaganza 2010: The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny!!!! (I love that song, don't sue me!) Tomorrow's match up will be (1) Recycling vs. (8) Political Activism. Can the underdog pull off the ultimate upset?? Find out tomorrow! And leave your comments about who you think will win!