13 February, 2008
· Filed under Culture · Tagged eazy beanzy, heinz madness, I try not to rant but this is too much
I don’t want to get carried away. But there’s something just terrifying about Heinz’s new ‘Eazy Beanzy’ campaign. Not just because the idiotic need to repackage an already over-packaged item is a pure unadulterated illustration of exploitation-tastic consumerism gone mad, but also because I really want to know who the hell can’t deal with a regular can of beans?
In a tin, beans are easily prepared (stick ‘em in a pan, or zap ‘em in a microwave). They’re easily stored for a few days by squeezing the lid back down on the remaining beans. And they’re easily recyclable, as it just takes a quick rinse of the can before it can be thrown straight into the weekly recycling collection. So why (WHY?) do we need a four-pack, plastic-packaged rebranding?
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13 February, 2008
· Filed under Activism, Green · Tagged builders, eco, Green, hippie!, velvet activism
It’s easy to be branded an eco-pain. Before Christmas, I sent out an email to everyone I had ever met at my work, reminding them in as self-conscious a way as possible that TVs, plugs, PCs and whatnot needed turning off before we all left. So I’m used to having “Hippie!” bellowed jokingly (or not so much) at me from across the office.
Which is why I didn’t feel too awkward trying to sort out a problem that, in reality, isn’t a monumental issue. The epic building site outside where I work is ringed with a fence, and the fence is dotted with electric lights. Which are on 24 hours a day, every day, all week. Sure, it’s hardly the end of the world. But it was still worth looking into.
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