Do gooders at Eurostar give Guardian excuse to slam greenwash
Ok, no big surprise that taking the train is massively better for the climate than flying. But the folks at Eurostar took it a step further. The Guardian uses their good example to take some poor performers to task:
Last Wednesday, November 14, was a big day for Eurostar. Not only did it open its St Pancras International terminus, it also made all Eurostar journeys carbon neutral at no extra cost to its passengers. Both Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace - who can spot the merest splash of greenwash - have applauded Eurostar for the eco-friendly changes it has made throughout its business, as well as for how it is communicating them.Through being transparent and truthful, Eurostar avoided accusations of "greenwash", a practice which receives an arresting definition in a new book, John Grant's The Green Marketing Manifesto. In it the co-founder of St Luke's advertising agency writes: "You can't put a lettuce in the window of a butcher's shop and declare that you are now 'turning vegetarian'."
p.s. Greenpeace UK's post about Eurostar.
Comments
Hi there,
I just received a petition from my sister,trying to get the irish government to lead the way on lightbulb legislation.I fully agree with bringing in sustainable lighting but i am concerned about the long-life bulbs we are petitioning to have brought in as mandatory.I understand such bulbs contain mercury,a highly toxic substance(there is no safe level of mercury) and there is no mention of this on the packaging.
There are no proper facilities for carefully disposing of such bulbs,in ireland anyway,and aboslutely no guidelines on what to do,should one break.Given the hazards associated with mercury,i don't know that there could be any guidelines,as the damage would start as soon as the mercury was released.
I hope you can clarify this for me.I have found myself caught in the position of buying the energy saving bulbs while simoultaneously worrying what to do with them down the line.
Many thanks for your time.
Regards,
Jennifer
Posted by: jennifer allen | November 21, 2007 6:17 PM
Hi Jennifer...,
...and that's an excellent point you've brought up. I hope I can offer some help here. My son-in-law is marketing these new energy saving bulbs. The new bulbs contain a very small amount of mercury, ...about 5 grams (which would cover the tip of a ball point pen), compared to about 500 grams in an older mercury thermometer. There is no mercury emission while the bulbs are burning, and I'll include a link here for you for proper disposal of these bulbs.
I know the risk of mercury is said to be high, but as a child these things were not apparent to us. We used to be able to buy large amounts of mercury in glass containers and used it to shine coins with, which would cause them to tarnish horribly later. No one ever thought of a health risk or wore any protection, and honestly, I don't know anyone personally that suffered from mercury poisoning. I'm certainly not justifying contaminating our planet with this now known toxic element, but nowadays they shut a school down if a thermometer breaks.
So for me, the bottom line is the energy saving and the cut in greenhouse gasses is worth the very small risk and amount of mercury released in case one breaks. Otherwise, they can be disposed of without any risk at all -
http://www.unitedpower.com/cfl.aspx
I hope this helps Jennifer, ...and thanks for a really great question, ...GC
Posted by: Grateful Child | November 22, 2007 1:37 PM