My name is Sienna Wildwind, and I started Green Means Go to help people find and buy diesel cars because I love biodiesel, and I love offering people choices when they are shopping. Retail sales has been my field most of my working life, and I continue to find satisfaction in the role of buyer's advocate. When given the proper information and support, people make purchases that serve them well. Being the one to provide that information and support is rewarding for me.

My last two jobs were at worker owned cooperatives, where I enjoyed my position both as a sales person and as a business owner. For three years, I was a member of Good Vibrations, which was founded by visionary feminist sex therapist Joani Blank, who introduced the Briarpatch philosophy to her business. I want to acknowledge Joani as a radical businesswoman and a major influence on me professionally. After I left Good Vibrations to have my first child, and until my second was born, I was a member of the Missing Link Bicycle Cooperative where I worked to help people reduce their dependence on cars. The Missing Link offers free classes and a work area for people to learn and use bike repair skills, and it was an honor to be a part of their enduring co-op for two short years. Sales people in worker owned cooperatives are empowered to use their knowledge and common sense to help customers and resolve all issues that arise. After years of experience doing that, I trust my authority as a compassionate and reasonable person, in what to many people is among the most stressful retail situations - buying a car.

Getting into the used car business has not been a lifelong dream of mine. In fact, I never thought of selling cars at all until I participated in the Berkeley Biodiesel Collective's first car show in March 2004. Months before, I had bought my car from a dealer in Texas and had it shipped out here. My green beetle was so cute I wanted to show her off and I loved bragging about what a great price I paid for her. Two people offered to buy her on the spot, but I kept her and have so far driven 30,000 trouble-free miles on biodiesel. In February 2006 I received my Dealer License from the California DMV. While I still believe that cycling, walking, car sharing and public transit all represent better options for personal and global health, we Americans love and rely on our cars. Using biodiesel makes a dramatic reduction in the greenhouse gasses related to driving a private car, and I want to help people transition to biodiesel. Biodiesel is available and cost effective. All you need is the right car.

Steps to buying a car with Green Means Go: (This is a separate document, but it should be connected as part of this section. It falls under the heading "About us" and also under "Green Means Go Means".

 

Business experience and influences

Network of Bay Area Worker Cooperatives
http://www.nobawc.org

Feminist sex shop - no longer a worker-owned cooperative
http://www.goodvibes.com

Radical businesswoman and electric car driver
http://www.joaniblank.com

Philosophy of business promoting openness
http://www.briarpatch.net

Worker-owned bike shop
http://www.missinglink.org

Alternatives to private car ownership

Berkeley bike shop
http://www.missinglink.org

California bicycle coalition
http://www.calbike.org

Sienna's first green beetle
http://www.citycarshare.org

Transit information
http://www.511.org