Thursday, November 22, 2007

You say whitewash, I say greenwash

In fact, I reckon it is a complete and utter sham.

Peter mentioned this a little while ago, in his post Responsibility 'du jour'. But this, from the Las Vegas Sun on just how Land Rovers are being marketed across t'other side of the big pond makes for very interesting reading.

"A $60,000, eight-cylinder, 12 mile-per-gallon Land Rover as the car for the environmentally conscious might seem like an oxymoron." No! It IS an oxymoron! It doesn't matter how much bloody offsetting is done; it is still an inefficient, highly polluting, CO2 emitting gas guzzler!

"offset programs like the ones Land Rover and Volkswagen America are offering on their cars are a good way to reach environmental newbies". Sorry, but that's just utter humbug!

"Much of what we do in society is ... insanity" Ahhh, some sense in the article at last; I cannot disagree with that one iota!

Powered by pond scum?

We have briefly mentioned the potential of algae for the production of bio-fuels before. This from Business Week paints an eyebrow raising picture of just how much investment is going into this particular pond. (Well, it didn't sound right to say field!)

Interesting to note just who some of the players are too. A number of the major industrial boys are already significantly into the race.

Another failing government initiative?

The Carbon Trust was set up by the government some five years ago with a target remit to reduce UK carbon emissions some 4.4 million tons by 2010.

So far it doesn't seem to be doing too well, as reported by epolitix.com.

Oh well, it only received funding of £100 million last year. Perhaps it needs a funding increase?

ADDENDUM - Junkk Male

Sorry, I had to leap in on the page here. This is EXACTLY what I have been banging on about.

I don't dispute there is 'some' call for 'some' support of 'some' initiatives, but what the hell is the actual enviROI+ to the planet and our kids of such as this amount of money going to guys like these... and countless others... to blow on....what!????

Just think what could have been done with £100M in tangibles as opposed to endless pointless ads in the Sundays and every banner ad I can think of.

If I had run my media spend like this I'd have been busted to the mailroom!!!!

From the BBC to here, the word 'Trust' is fast becoming shorthand for anything you should do but..

Lovely Peter, meter maven

I am not a big fan of ratings, at least as usually rolled out by 'the man', but this shows 'promise': New scheme to rate green energy

For a start, this is a major, if not one-off decision (unlike sussing out every tin of beans' carbon footprint/airmiles/health/junkk, etc) and frankly it is a blooming zoo getting to grips with who does what at present. It needs standardising for any meaningful comparison to be made.

Of course, we do have to trust that the regulator has the practice of enviROI+ to heart as opposed to 'pushing' fond agendas.