exxpose exxon

After canvassing with TCE for just two days, I realized that even if I can't handle the schedule of a canvasser, I really want to be part of the environmental movement. When I say that, I don't mean buying CFLs and driving a Prius. I do those things, and I believe that they're important, but it's not the same as really being involved in the movement. So, this morning before work I took the DART train one stop south to Pearl St. Then, I walked to the Meyerson where Exxon Mobil was holding their annual shareholders meeting.

The protesters were already gathering, so I joined the group. They gave me an "Exxpose Exxon" t-shirt (made from organic cotton), which I put on over my work clothes. Then, I grabbed onto the long banner that read "Protect the People, Protect the Planet." According to the Dallas Morning News, there were about 35 of us.

Unfortunately, they still voted against reducing their emissions. In fact, it got only 31% of the vote. They also voted against extending their nondiscrimination policy to include sexual orientation.

While no gas company of is really a beacon of responsibility, some are certainly better than others. Exxon Mobil is the worst. In addition to deciding not to reduce their emission or respect the rights or gays and lesbians, they fund organizations that use junk science in an attempt disprove global warming.

I started writing so that I could write about my experience at the protect, but now I've stepped onto my soapbox and I can't get down. There are gas stations on every corner. Please drive past Exxon, and buy your gas somewhere else.

job search

The last post I wrote was about leaving TRG. A whole lot has happened since then.

Of course, there was a period of job searching. It's really not worth talking about.

The first position I took was a canvassing position I saw advertised on idealist.org. I tried out canvassing with Texas Campaign for the Environment (TCE). It was great. In case you don't know, canvassing is when a grassroots movement goes door-to-door telling people about an issue. We were discussing the issue of e-waste to get legislation passed that would force computer and television manufacturers to establish take-back programs for recycling their products. It felt so good be doing something good for the world after working in an ad agency for eight months. But I didn't get home until 10:30 or 11, which meant that I would only see Donnice on weekends and while she slept if I did it full time.

So, instead, I took a full time job at Half Price Books. The company is all about reusing and recycling, so I could still feel good about working there even if I wasn't part of a grassroots environmental campaign anymore. Everyone who works there is really friendly, so it had a great atmosphere. Plus, the hours were 11-7 Mon-Fri during training, and you can't get much better than that working retail. The benefits (if I'd stayed long enough for them to kick in) were great too. But I was only making 8/hr, which (amazingly) was even less than I made at TRG. And the hours were going to change when training ended in six weeks, which would mean evenings and weekends. So, after three weeks, I left. I got my employee discount card on my second to last day of work and spent $100 (that's 50% off of the HPB price).

The job I left HPB for is the one I'm at now and the one I plan to be at for the foreseeable future. I'm working for e-Rewards, a market research company. The company has a huge panel of respondents that it basically rents out to other research companies. As a project manager, it's my job to make sure our clients get the respondents they need. It's a very specialized field within market research, so it's interesting to get involved at this level since research with an agency is pretty much the opposite end of the specialization spectrum. Plus, it pays about 30% better than The Richards Group did. Yea!