Milk and orange juice deliveries to our home are proving very successful. I still get a bit excited seeing the bottles huddled up on the doorstep twice a week! Perhaps I need to get out more....!
Anyway, the place where I work has just moved offices. Myself and a friend run the tea club, and we were forever lugging big bottles of supermarket milk to work to feed the voracious thirsts of our colleagues.
So I got thinking...and put our new office postcode into the Dairy Crest website (www.dairycrest.co.uk). Hey presto - it's on a local delivery route! So, just like I'd done for home, I wizzed off our order via the website, and 5 days later 6 pints of milk were waiting outside the main entrance when the first person got to work! It's early days yet, and it may take some tweaking to ensure the regular order meets our needs, but so far so good. An added bonus is that the tea club can pay by direct debit, so no risk of cheques left in bottles outside overnight going AWOL. And who knows, it may even make some of my colleagues explore the possibility of using their own local milkman.
Now, I wonder what the reaction would be if we introduced fair trade tea and coffee into the tea club... :-)
Friday, March 23, 2007
Kentucky Fried Chicken advert update
This is an update on my previous blog entitled Adverts (Feb 07)...
I emailed the Advertising Standards Agency last week to register my astonishment and disappointment that such a blatant endorsement of a disposable lifestyle was allowed in 2007.
This morning I received a letter from them. I'm very impressed at the speed with which they replied. Here is what they wrote:
'Thank you for your recent online complaint regarding the above advertisers [KFC]. I am sorry to hear that this has caused you concern.
I note that you object to the new KFC commercial because it does not encourage viewers to recycle the material supplied with their meal. While I appreciate your concerns regarding this matter, this commercial does not appear to have breached our Codes on the basis you suggest. While we do regulate the content of commercials, we do not regulate the creative content to this extent and do not feel that a brief shot of a child disposing of some rubbish is likely to influence consumer's [sic] methods of waste disposal. The emphasis in this instance appears to be on the fact that no washing up is required, therefore creating less work for the family, rather than an attempt to promote irresponsible behaviour.
Whilst I appreciate you maybe [sic] disappointed with our decision, please be assured that we have considered your complaint thoroughly.
Although we do not propose further action, I would like to thank you for taking the time to contact us with your concerns.'
Next stop - an email to KFC...
Watch this space!
I emailed the Advertising Standards Agency last week to register my astonishment and disappointment that such a blatant endorsement of a disposable lifestyle was allowed in 2007.
This morning I received a letter from them. I'm very impressed at the speed with which they replied. Here is what they wrote:
'Thank you for your recent online complaint regarding the above advertisers [KFC]. I am sorry to hear that this has caused you concern.
I note that you object to the new KFC commercial because it does not encourage viewers to recycle the material supplied with their meal. While I appreciate your concerns regarding this matter, this commercial does not appear to have breached our Codes on the basis you suggest. While we do regulate the content of commercials, we do not regulate the creative content to this extent and do not feel that a brief shot of a child disposing of some rubbish is likely to influence consumer's [sic] methods of waste disposal. The emphasis in this instance appears to be on the fact that no washing up is required, therefore creating less work for the family, rather than an attempt to promote irresponsible behaviour.
Whilst I appreciate you maybe [sic] disappointed with our decision, please be assured that we have considered your complaint thoroughly.
Although we do not propose further action, I would like to thank you for taking the time to contact us with your concerns.'
Next stop - an email to KFC...
Watch this space!
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Plastic bags
Grrr! I hate plastic bags! I've just walked to our local swimming pool, and the wooded verge of the pavement seems to be full of them.
About a year ago, we bought some tough canvas shopping bags, albeit from our local supermarket. I think they were about £2.50 for 4, which are enough to take a week's shopping for two people. We have since accumulated some others, but our favourites are two hessian ones we bought in an eco shop in York a couple of weeks ago stamped, in huge letters, with 'Say No To Plastic Bags!'. They're fab!! See www.sharedearth.co.uk
Plastic bags are bad on so many levels:
1. most are not made from any recycled material, meaning scarce oil resources are used in their manufacture, which also requires energy
2. there are limited recycling facilities available for plastic bags (in our area anyway, although some supermarkets do take them)
3. they result in litter
4. those that end up in landfill take an age to break down, doubtless releasing all sorts of nasties into the earth/air
Some of the big supermarkets have introduced bags made from (partially) recycled material, others offer more loyalty points to those who resuse plastic bags at the checkout. But so much more could and should be done. It is so depressing to see people staggering behind their trolley, stuffed to the gunwhales with groaning plastic bags. It doesn't help that canvas bags on sale in supermarkets seem to be behind the checkouts, so that by the time people see them, and have the chance to think 'oh what a good idea', they've packed everything up and off they go, sure to forget next time. I long for the day when we will follow the Ireland and introduce a plastic bag tax - 10p each would soon encourage people to at least think twice about using so many, even if they continued to use them.
So what can we do?
1. REDUCE the number of plastic bags used:
- consider using canvas/cloth shopping bags, and get into the habit of taking them with you when you go to the shops/town - perhaps keep a couple in your car if that's how you normally travel to do your shopping, or in your hallway where you'll see them as you go out
- say no when shop assistants offer you a bag, if you can easily carry the item, or pop it into a bag you already have with you. They will sometimes look at you like you're mad, but persevere! You never know, you may encourage others to do the same!
- do you really need to put a hand of bananas, stalk of broccoli etc into a little bag at the greengrocers/supermarket? Consider just buying them 'loose' - you'll end up washing/unpeeling them before you eat them anyway and a bit of polythene will do nothing to protect against bruises whilst in transit
2. REUSE plastic bags you do take:
- as small bin liners
- to clear up after your dog
- at the shops. There's something a bit deliciously naughty about using another company's bags in a rival store, and we've even left a few behind at the checkout before as we giggled out. Childish I know, but fun!
3. RECYCLE plastic bags where possible. Tescos stores offer facilities (usually inside the store)
4. CHOOSE paper bags if you can, and then recycle/compost them
So next time you see a plastic bag caught in a tree, fluttering and fading in the breeze, seek out some funky alternatives. If we all used even a couple of cloth bags, the overall impact would be great and perhaps the staggering figure of over 240 plastic bags each person in the UK is estimated to use every year could be reduced.
Happy shopping!!
About a year ago, we bought some tough canvas shopping bags, albeit from our local supermarket. I think they were about £2.50 for 4, which are enough to take a week's shopping for two people. We have since accumulated some others, but our favourites are two hessian ones we bought in an eco shop in York a couple of weeks ago stamped, in huge letters, with 'Say No To Plastic Bags!'. They're fab!! See www.sharedearth.co.uk
Plastic bags are bad on so many levels:
1. most are not made from any recycled material, meaning scarce oil resources are used in their manufacture, which also requires energy
2. there are limited recycling facilities available for plastic bags (in our area anyway, although some supermarkets do take them)
3. they result in litter
4. those that end up in landfill take an age to break down, doubtless releasing all sorts of nasties into the earth/air
Some of the big supermarkets have introduced bags made from (partially) recycled material, others offer more loyalty points to those who resuse plastic bags at the checkout. But so much more could and should be done. It is so depressing to see people staggering behind their trolley, stuffed to the gunwhales with groaning plastic bags. It doesn't help that canvas bags on sale in supermarkets seem to be behind the checkouts, so that by the time people see them, and have the chance to think 'oh what a good idea', they've packed everything up and off they go, sure to forget next time. I long for the day when we will follow the Ireland and introduce a plastic bag tax - 10p each would soon encourage people to at least think twice about using so many, even if they continued to use them.
So what can we do?
1. REDUCE the number of plastic bags used:
- consider using canvas/cloth shopping bags, and get into the habit of taking them with you when you go to the shops/town - perhaps keep a couple in your car if that's how you normally travel to do your shopping, or in your hallway where you'll see them as you go out
- say no when shop assistants offer you a bag, if you can easily carry the item, or pop it into a bag you already have with you. They will sometimes look at you like you're mad, but persevere! You never know, you may encourage others to do the same!
- do you really need to put a hand of bananas, stalk of broccoli etc into a little bag at the greengrocers/supermarket? Consider just buying them 'loose' - you'll end up washing/unpeeling them before you eat them anyway and a bit of polythene will do nothing to protect against bruises whilst in transit
2. REUSE plastic bags you do take:
- as small bin liners
- to clear up after your dog
- at the shops. There's something a bit deliciously naughty about using another company's bags in a rival store, and we've even left a few behind at the checkout before as we giggled out. Childish I know, but fun!
3. RECYCLE plastic bags where possible. Tescos stores offer facilities (usually inside the store)
4. CHOOSE paper bags if you can, and then recycle/compost them
So next time you see a plastic bag caught in a tree, fluttering and fading in the breeze, seek out some funky alternatives. If we all used even a couple of cloth bags, the overall impact would be great and perhaps the staggering figure of over 240 plastic bags each person in the UK is estimated to use every year could be reduced.
Happy shopping!!
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