LOL x 2

Together chiefs hit back at us

Good one...

...campaign director of Together, has to say (sent to Greenbang by a press officer).

And two...

With so much noise around going ‘green’ nowadays, Together seeks to provide consumers with a trusted reference for what they can do to tackle climate change.

And... for heavens' sake, why do all these vastly over-funded (and hence staffed, and resourced - Campaign Director, plus press officer?) and overlapping gov/industry/quango things come across so gosh-darn po-faced? I know it's their careers and a box-tick under CSR and all come the AGM, but get real. There are scores of these things.

Does the normal consumer notice? Or care? Hey, it's their dough so blow it any way they feel like, but that's the second outing for a short list of stuff I heard when I was at school with IK Brunel. Next they'll have a full-blown campaign on 'bath with a friend'.

Is this really the best use of money, especially if (and I am not sure if it is) public funds are getting blown (what's a Campaign Director run to these days?) on yet more awareness at the expense of actually supporting DOING initiatives.

With all the tangible reduction/mitigation ideas out there ready to be supported, THIS is the kind of me-too initiative that most value is seen in?

No wonder this country has blown £60B on quangos and all the real innovators are upping sticks. The lunatics have hired accountants to pay consultants to review the state of the asylum so lessons can be learned, with a view to putting place a new layer of assessment to hand back whatever is left to the few poor sods there are out there actually making a few beans to count... and then tax.

Rant over. Carry on.

Join the clubs

I think I joined a while ago, but have done again, thanks to this reminder (I wonder if that gets counted twice, too).

Together we’ll succeed, but only if we tell the truth

I have no real problem with such efforts, so long as I don't have to pay for them, but (actually I do have a problem) not if they divert good money into yet more bl**dy awareness and luvvie-fests instead of tangibles:

Congrats all round. In fact, hardly a day goes by without me getting an email from one or other of the league of countless climate campaigns (of which this is, I am sure, 'a' noble member, if not perhaps the only only one). Getting a bit like food labelling schemes; tick a lot of boxes, lovely PR, oodles of meetings... but pretty much sailing past the consumer and sod all use or difference to making the planet future friendly (whoops, that's another campaign, isn't it? Same sponsors overlapping or competing I wonder?).

I'm just wondering if the pledges on this site get counted twice on all the other sites I pledge on? Is there a discount for quantity? Or maybe a multiplier to get the targets really up there so the bonuses kick in. I think I need one of those online jobbies you get to manage all the social networking sites you join and then ignore.

Speaking of figures and claims (elevated for 'emerging truths' or not), is there any indication as to how much money is going on a board, staff, admin. and PR (got to get your logos in there somehow to make those pledges worthwhile) and jollies and stuff, and how much goes on actual, 'making the planet better in any way... tangibly'?

I guess anyone lucky enough to be in London and gets invited to the big bash might ask when they are there. Or not. Shame to spoil a party. I'm guessing the whole thing will be offset and the canapes locally-sourced and such... which will then be PR'd for all the mere mortals to see how the other half in the VIP's-only Green rooms really 'do' the environment.

There is useful info, to be sure. But it seems an awful of of folk are now overlapping, and spending an awful lot of money to tell us about installing energy-saving lightbulbs and running the washing machine at 30 degrees. I mean, what about the cutting edge stuff... don't take baths, walk or cycle... and turn down the thermo and wear a woolly. There should be a 'drive your car more effectively' advisor (£35k plus pension) in every county, on top of all the driving instructors and testers and stuff, natch.

Anyway, I just had a PR* that says WRAP has signed up, so that's a sign that it must be in the super-quango league now, which must be nice.

Along, as suggested, with... well, if not truth... at least a bit of a gander in the mirror once in the while.

*WRAP joins 'Together' climate coalition