Where is Alanis Morissette when you need her?
Last Saturday, March 28 at 8:30 "your time", was the third annual Earth Hour. Originally conceived by the WWF (which used to be known as the World Wildlife Fund but they now go by just their initials), this event has gained momentum, I'd guess, mostly by an online, viral sort of presence. I was in a conversation with someone recently who'd never heard of it, and I mentioned that I'd only been aware of it for about 3 years or so, so I looked it up and realized this was only the third year, so that's pretty good! My own awareness of it came about from either blogging or BookCrossing. I can't remember which.
So anyway, the deal is that when it gets to be 8:30 in your timezone, you turn off your lights (and perhaps other electricity too, if you want to get carried away) for an hour. That's it. Just one hour. Does it really make a difference? Probably not (in my unscientific estimation), but it's an idea that makes a point.
So... jump in the wayback machine with me to March 23. I get an email from one of the communications people in another division that they are hanging posters for Earth Hour in the Big Chicago Building (where at least 4 of our divisions are represented). The email includes only communications people, and has a PDF of the poster attached. Since there is nothing for me to do or take action on, I am about to delete the email, but all I can think is why are we printing posters for this?. So instead of deleting the message, I hit reply to all (keeping in mind that it's going to my counterparts in the other divisions) and say something snide like, "gee, I wonder how much energy and printing chemicals that will take?" and I hit send.
A half hour later, I get a note from the Ecology Lady, who says, "I'd be happy to discuss our communications strategy with you, if you'd like, Ant."
Seriously?! Do I really need to explain to you:
It's funny to me that I'm really not a conservationist. I'm not really very "green". I'm not even much of a save-the-planet kind of person at all. I recycle what my waste company will take (cans and phone books and magazines only), I turn off lights when I leave a room, and I try to run errands in groups. And yet, I understand more about environmentalism than most of these Poseur Greenies! They are all about fake, self-righteous conservationism, and I'm sick of it. My sister lives in Seattle with another bunch of Poseur Greenies -- they pretend they're all concerned about the environment, but no one takes the bus! In fact, someone even told her husband once, "why should I take the bus? I have a job." Frickin Poseur Greenies. I'm watching you.
So anyway, the deal is that when it gets to be 8:30 in your timezone, you turn off your lights (and perhaps other electricity too, if you want to get carried away) for an hour. That's it. Just one hour. Does it really make a difference? Probably not (in my unscientific estimation), but it's an idea that makes a point.
So... jump in the wayback machine with me to March 23. I get an email from one of the communications people in another division that they are hanging posters for Earth Hour in the Big Chicago Building (where at least 4 of our divisions are represented). The email includes only communications people, and has a PDF of the poster attached. Since there is nothing for me to do or take action on, I am about to delete the email, but all I can think is why are we printing posters for this?. So instead of deleting the message, I hit reply to all (keeping in mind that it's going to my counterparts in the other divisions) and say something snide like, "gee, I wonder how much energy and printing chemicals that will take?" and I hit send.
A half hour later, I get a note from the Ecology Lady, who says, "I'd be happy to discuss our communications strategy with you, if you'd like, Ant."
Seriously?! Do I really need to explain to you:
- the irony of printing posters for anything "environmental"?
- the fact that everyone who hasn't been living under a rock for the last 10 years knows that printing chemicals are bad?
- that we have electronic mediums (like the effing intranet) that could communicate that information to the entire, global company? (seriously, WHY just Chicago?)
- that our employees are not generally in the office on a Saturday night at 8:30?
- that if one of our employees IS in the office on a Saturday night at 8:30, they probably need the lights on?!
- the meaning of irony?
It's funny to me that I'm really not a conservationist. I'm not really very "green". I'm not even much of a save-the-planet kind of person at all. I recycle what my waste company will take (cans and phone books and magazines only), I turn off lights when I leave a room, and I try to run errands in groups. And yet, I understand more about environmentalism than most of these Poseur Greenies! They are all about fake, self-righteous conservationism, and I'm sick of it. My sister lives in Seattle with another bunch of Poseur Greenies -- they pretend they're all concerned about the environment, but no one takes the bus! In fact, someone even told her husband once, "why should I take the bus? I have a job." Frickin Poseur Greenies. I'm watching you.