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Toxics

Steve Jobs makes the MacWorld speech we've been waiting for

So Steve Jobs, Apple guru and all-round groovy guy, has made his keynote speech at MacWorld. But there was something missing - no word on what Apple should be doing to sort out the toxics in its iPods, not to mention their shoddy recycling policy. So we've done a little bit of re-editing so we can all hear what Steve should have said.

If you like it, spread the word on Digg and Hugg.

Posted by Jamie at 6:29 PM | Permalink

The vinyl solution

Now this is fun. Top-notch design studio Freerange Graphics have produced another of their really quite cool online animations, and anyone who's seen cyberpunk animal welfare skit The Meatrix or organic sci-fi rip-off Grocery Store Wars will know they can put a groovy spin on ethically-minded issues. But for their latest viral masterpiece they've shifted away from foodstuffs and onto toxic chemicals in the form Sam Suds and the Case of the Poison Plastic, a pop at toxic PVC that has more than a touch of The Big Sleep about it.

What impresses me is that, even among the jokes and spoofs, they manage to squeeze in those key bits of info that will stick in people's minds. It's so easy to fall into the trap of being overly earnest and preachy, but then that's often what the news media expect and so that's what they're given. To inform while entertaining though, that's an art and arguably a more successful strategy although we'd need deep pockets to be able to afford this kind of razzamatazz for every campaign we launch. Go and watch the animation, then keep your fingers crossed for a positive outcome in the current REACH legislation being debated in the European Parliament.

Posted by Jamie at 1:44 PM | Permalink

How the toxic waste was won

Sitting behind a desk in London, it's sometimes easy to forget we're part of an organisation working in places all over the planet. The mundanity of everyday life acts a kind of blinker and even with email, the exotic locations some people work in still seem very far away. It's all relative of course, but then something happens to peel back those blinkers and put what we do in context.

A toxic spill has been plaguing the Ivory Coast since earlier this month. People in the capital, Abidjan, have been dying as a result of lethal waste shipped there by a European company for treatment. Latest reports say that seven have died and (wait for it) over 77,700 have sought medical attention. The uproar has led to the dismissal of the Ivorian government and if you ever need an example of the North dumping its rubbish on the South, this is it.

Read more »

Posted by Jamie at 4:40 PM | Permalink