The Bucks Stops Here?

FaceBook is good for a lot of things, but advocacy probably isn't one of them.  For starters, it's super easy to read a post about some issue that gets people's knickers in a twist and then click a button to "sign" in support or opposition. 

People, this isn't helpful.

What happens after you've clicked the link?  Most of the time it's out of sight, out of mind.  On to the next atrocity.  Digital signatures are largely empty without your willingness to take the next step: action. 

That said, I'm calling "bologna" (my kid-friendly alternative to BS) on the petition to keep Starbucks coffee out of Yosemite National Park.  Um...why?  Because they're huge?  Because they're synonymous with a consistent cup of coffee nationally and internationally?  Is Starbucks the "Walmart" of beverage chains?

I think most signers of the petition see Starbucks as the commercialization of our National Park System.  If they allow a Starbucks, people will probably rationalize that a McDonald's can't be too far behind, and Walmart after that.  However, if you know a little something about some of our national parks (and I pretend I do) then you also know that some of our most visited parks have food and lodging services contracted out to a large national firm named Xanterra.  And, from my experience, they do a damn good job.

Xanterra manages the lodges at eight of our parks: Crater Lake, Death Valley, Glacier, Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore, Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone and Zion.  The business takes pride in serving these natural wonders and strives to provide excellent service without sacrificing the environment.  How so?  Soaps left in lodge rooms is biodegradable.  They actively recycle and promote water use responsibility.  The provide a host of products and food that is organic and sustainable.  I mean, for an American hotel chain, they do more than a decent job. 

Oh, and they try to, at the same time, provide some of the comforts of home, which includes beverage choices such as S. Pellegrino water, name brand juices, Coors Light, Sam Adams, Blue Moon, Sierra Nevada, and Stella Artois.  As for the coffee offerings, you have, in many locations, Peet's.  Don't get me wrong, Peet's Coffee has around 240 locations earning approximately $800 million (2016) per year.  Starbucks dwarfs that with 22,000 stores and profits of $17 Billion with a "B."  But, one could argue that both have strong philanthropic arms to help sustain an industry that depends on high environmental quality to ensure consistency across their many locations.  Yes, Starbucks is bigger, but at revenues that top $800 million, Peet's is plenty big.  Comparatively, $800 million is similar to the New York Times, Groupon, and what Star Wars, The Last Jedi pulled in for their first two weeks.  This is real money.

All said and done, Starbucks in a National Park wouldn't be the end of the world, just a continuation of trends in our National Park system where these environmental locales strive not only to get you to visit, but to stay and spend some money too.  And, if there are products you're already familiar with which would make your stay more pleasurable, then consider the value added vs. immediately assuming that household brands might ruin your experience.  And leave your Crest 3D White Toothpaste at home.  Those beads are terrible for the environment.