Saturday, June 02, 2007

Space. At a mall near you.

Ok, so you need to get to the USA first.

Into space - on a shuttle simulator


Love it. I hope this may be required reading for all billionaires
considering Virgin Galactic, whose contributions to atmospheric
emissions doesn't seem likely to be very positive to global warming.

ps: Is that the guy from Life on Mars? Appropriate if it is, considering
the topic

Hydrogen, hydrogen, the magic fuel...

...comes from nowhere, and goes back there too!

Or not.

As often mentioned, I like the idea of hydrogen, but not until its creation's enviROI makes sense, and that includes not viewing it, along with many other alternative fuels, as a substitute to just keep on doing more and more of what we fancy anyway.

Hydro boat turns sea green


And the sky, er, blue?

I'd like to find out more about how this eradicates its carbon footprint.
I can certainly see how hydrogen as a fuel will be kinder in terms of
exhaust emitted into the water, but how will this fuel be created in the
necessary volumes without some consequence to the atmosphere?

I wonder if they'll fly into collect the award?

Thanks to my latest issue of recycle now's newsletter (snappily entitled RCN Newsletter, showing they really know who to avoid the spam filter and delete key), I now know who are the country's green, er, 'heroes':

Revealed: the nation’s green heroes

A new survey for Recycle Now has revealed the nation’s favourite environmental heroes. We asked over 1400 UK adults which celebrities they felt were the greenest.

Here are the results:

1. Prince Charles
2. Bob Geldof
3. Sting
4. Chris Martin
5. David Cameron
6. Bono
7. Richard Branson
8. Madonna
9. Cameron Diaz
10. George Clooney

Who would you have picked?

I was sooo tempted to reply. But, like this fine example of journalism, will remain mute. Speechless even.

Your tax money at work

Politeness 'missing from society'
Britain needs to do more to promote good manners, Tony Blair's "respect czar" Louise Casey has said.

She gets paid for this?

Book 'em, R2D2: Mistaken segregation, 3 counts!.

It's about cars, but it could just as easily soon be about our waste system.

Call for car number plate revamp

"...horrendous. You are guilty until you can prove you're not. It's the first time that I've thought that English law is on its head."

Amazingly, it seems by taking the human element out of the monitoring, proof and prosecution...'the problem has grown because of the amount of camera-based enforcement... which relies on computer records on who [is responsible for what]'.

No mention of not going straight to fine with burden of proof being for the innocent to provide.

Welcome to the New Britain. You are... welcome to it.

Petard. By. Hoist. Own.

Sweet.

Dutch relieved but ruffled by kidney hoax


Who says they don't have a sense of humour?

The media and the message

Brands (and the planet) can benefit from going green

Thank you for an interesting and inspiring piece in Media Week (though if the comments about Eastbourne in MediaBitch are anything to go by, we are facing a tough crowd with the message), and for introducing me to John Grant, who seems a like-minded soul, and hence to buylesscrap... ditto. I've written to ask them if RED has replied to their letter.

You rightly raise the issue of greenwashing which, if you'll forgive projecting the metaphor, is in danger of staining a lot of good with some that is less so being carried out for reasons that range from the misguided to the downright venal. Trouble is, when they happen they get noticed (usually in the tabloids), and the consumer is not that sympathetic to unsubtle manipulations, especially when the intentions are murky. And mud sticks.

One of the biggest issues 'we' (those trying to navigate green issues ourselves, and also help others along the way by sharing our journey) is that so little that is green can be viewed simply in black and white. But all too often that is what we are served up, and called upon to do.

Though itself erring on being an absolute, I have tended to apply a measure of my own to any and all that comes my way by way of green claim, from government initiative to eco-advertising: the enviROI. So long as it is clearly explained as such, I have no problem with making a purchase or commitment that actually makes little financial sense... if it still genuinely makes the planet a better place for my kids. And I am finding a lot of stuff that fails in this regard.

But I'm also finding a lot of information that is clouding our abilities to make such fair judgements.

You mention Andy Bond facing the WI. That should be interesting. I saw one of his subordinates face a formidable lady from that estimable organisation a wee while ago, and frankly neither came out of the encounter very well as far as I was concerned:
http://junkk.blogspot.com/2007/05/banana-metaphor.html

But at least there is now dialogue, and that can only be a good thing so long as it is not used as a delaying tactic instead of action. And with luck both sides will be better briefed and hence engage in more useful debate.

The odd thing to me is how, despite all the evidence to the contrary, so many in marketing still seem to have a mindset that the environment is a problem to be 'dealt with' rather than an opportunity to be embraced... with genuine intent... with win-wins all round. And there are plenty of ways that brands (and the planet) can benefit from going green. As an example, I would point at the RE:tie design that we just did rather well with: http://junkk.blogspot.com/2007/04/whos-clever-boy-then.html &
http://junkk.blogspot.com/2007/05/couldnt-express-it-better.html

You just need to look a little bit into the (green) left fields to find them out there. And if you are interested I'd be happy to point some out to you.

Rgds,

Peter Martin
JunkkMale/Big 'Ed

ps: I look forward very much to next week's issue on the big corporates' green cred. Having lived with what they say, but often do differently, (with good and bad experiences on both counts to share - in many cases I think the media is unfair in its reporting of some measures) I will be interested to see how it pans out.