Little acorns?

In the spirit of pushing BTNs I share...

Sainsbury's and HP buddy up on recycling jamboree

However, a day at a store smacks of a stretch.

Every little bit helps..

... but it doesn't half make it hard when the big bits keep on hindering.

This morning was cold and crisp. As I left the house with the boys, I glanced back and felt a small surge of pride that the roof slates were still thick with frost, despite the central heating cranking up for the last few hours. All that investment in insulation was paying off.

However...

As I strolled back through town, I could only wonder how much energy was going out of a few stores' open doors. All I think, from chains, whose marketers will have paid a consultant to go to a conference that says this will bring in more customers. I believe all the local shops had, either through self-interest on the thermal or financial front, or simply common sense, closed theirs.

In this era of joined-up government, kids getting fined for putting thew wrong piece of paper in the bin, etc, I wonder what 20% who is doing, and how they think this is keeping it real.

Green. Greener, Greenest.

I think we need a new colour: Greener than green?

It's hard to keep up with it all, much less make much sense of it. Maybe that was the intention?
As I listen to last night's Newsnight (can't believe Ethical Man's piece has been called 'Costing the Earth') on the same subject, here's a selection to choke on along with me as I try and digest it all:

Guardian - You've checked the price and calorie count, now here's the carbon cost
Telegraph - How sinful is your shopping basket?
BBC - Tesco boss unveils green pledges
Indy - Tesco's entrance takes the climate change campaign on to another level altogether
Indy - Tesco invests £500m to create 'green consumer revolution'

Interestingly, as I write, I listen to one of Innocent's top bods struggling to defend their ethical stance that they actually exist to sell more and more, which causes more and more carbon. Interesting dilemma. I wonder if he felt it worth appearing.

Finally, I note that Tescos are planning on selling half price energy light bulbs.

I add here an ad (and their les than green original) I worked up and sent their marketing people over two years ago with a pitch for Junkk.com. I guess this is their reply... nick it.

Talk to the man himself

I'm going to try: Tesco Chief Executive - Your Questions

Here's what I wrote:

"What about supporting other areas of environmental good practice, such as repair and reuse?

There are sites such as http://Junkk.com which are trying to find second uses for your products as they are now in the first instance, and maybe later on could encouarge you to build in (or ask your suppliers/brands to do) second uses to the design.

And the best part is, it could add a new attraction to the product for almost no extra cost!"

Selling beans. No longer counting them. Apparently.

A few days ago I noted the coverage of the M&S green announcement, and felt this was one that needed time to settle.

Happily, others are still paying attention: No figure on M&S's green payback

To whom I felt moved to write (plus a ps on EDF snitching on pot growers):

"Thank you for your piece today, which will make a nice counterpiece in my blog to the mostly uncritical gush that has been accorded this announcement in other quarters.

It has not been my experience that anyone in marketing, especially retail, has not put a price, first, and as high as possible, on anything they do. This has to be a new one.

However, with this new found hue, maybe my little organisation, which does no more than offer free (with paid ads if they want to push something genuinely, planet-savingly, consumer-benefittingly green they sell or do - only not going 'carbon neutral' because, as you say, they should have done ages ago and it really only helps their own bottom line, PR and CSR at AGM time) opportunities for them to upload their product data for reuse and recycling info purposes (which one would have assumed a savvy marketer would see as a possible ADDITIONAL sales opportunity), as has such as ecover, maybe they may feel like getting back to us after 3 years trying to get through the minions, using such e-dm as our Folda-Holda.

We cost them nothing and could make them money, after all. But maybe looking good is more important and needs more attention than actually doing good.

Rgds, Peter Martin

ps: Shining a light on EDF's true role in joint supply-side issues

I was recently at a seminar at the Science Museum where one of my co-presenters was extolling the virtues of hemp as source of textiles, etc. In eco-terms it is even way ahead of bamboo for instance. However all our enthusiasm for the potential (myself included) was dampened slightly when the speaker was asked how we grew it at home... you know the rest.

Still if EDF does feel like making a contribution to global warming in synergistic areas, it may be worth looking at!"

Suits who, Aunty?

In my time I have had occasion to doubt, and take issue with the BBC's ability to remain objective. Or, more and more, the provision of free ads to those who may or may not deserve it. While one presume no money changes hands, one can only wonder what happens 'in kind' (I challenged a piece a while ago that devoted 30 minutes to cosmetic tourism, where a full crew had a week at one resort in South Africa showing little more than slappers having their t&a jobs to great acclaim, and doubtless ratings. No mention of any other options, or indeed the risks).

As it does cross into areas of enviro-concern (suit-miles, local trade, etc), I took issue (in the form of some questions) on its complaints/Newswatch site (which seems to have melded):

"I realise there is a continual fine line being walked in sharing items of consumer interest, but what is it, who sets it and who polices it?

Take this morning's Breakfast TV item on cheap suits.

While it could have been a legitimate piece on outsourcing, global trade, consumer demand and ethical practices, I felt it was little more than an ad for a one week store promo, for which the BBC happily provided free air time. I got the price, how long, where, and that they were machine washable. Even vox pops of impressed shoppers. At no stage were any of the other issues, or indeed alternatives mentioned more than in passing.

Some poor UK craftsperson's venue was used (at least in the slot I saw) to make the commercial, but at no stage was he offered an opinion on quality, etc.

Is my licence funding major supermarkets’ marketing now?

No wonder our retail industry is heading to out of town megamalls with such assistance."

Not just spin... this is M&Spin

And so the game of who is greener, quicker continues between the nation's retailers. I think I will reserve personal comment a wee while until I have had a chance to digest fully the slew of 'stuff' being issued, beyond saying that something is probably better than nothing. I just hope it is all sincere. Certainly it will be interesting to see what happens to the missive I will soon be sending - again - to senior management in these organisations. Maybe some gatekeeper minion will not pop it in the 'oo-er, too tricky' basket this time.

Here's a small round up of the last 24 hrs:

AP via Forbes: M&S Aims to Become Carbon-Neutral by '12
BBC - M&S Rose goes green in pursuit of profit
Indy - Take a close look at the produce on offer
Indy - slight fly in the ointment, though I thought they were in earlier with 'something' - Tesco follows M&S with climate change move
BBC Newsnight - Ethical Man

I merely note for now that aims are always good, if vague. As is 'much of'. And while there is some cautious welcome from commentators across business and eco-disciplines, there is also a fair bit of... warranted... eye brow twitch ready and waiting. A lot of this, like Tesco a while ago (and again, here) is merely housekeeping to boost internal profits. Not much of real value to the consumer. I also take the point about lumping ethical and eco together to get some rather murky mix of what is 'good'. The question is for whom?