Readers of my wibblettes over the years may have got the impression that I’m not exactly a fan of advertising (and that would be right). Even when such ‘communications’ give an honest portrayal of the product or service on offer, all advertisers share one feature upon which they all rely: repetition, repetition, repetition. They insert jingles in our heads to promote their brands, pervert memes such as ‘sustainability’ and ‘green’, and, utterly cynically, employ psychology and their thorough understanding of human nature to persuade us to buy their stuff.
It’s said that “there’s no such thing as bad publicity.” And I can believe it: on my litter-picking walks I’ve collected a great many cans, bottles, coffee cups and assorted packaging, all of which bear proud logos of their respective hawkers. How is it that the vendors aren’t ashamed that their litter is everwhere? It seems to me that the answer to that is simply that whenever a passer-by sees yet another logo, even on dirty trash in the streets, it reinforces that same repetition, repetition, repetition.
Perhaps we need to fight fire with fire. To turn the climate crisis ship around, those of us who care could take a leaf from the advertisers’ book and use the same ideas to inject green memes into the minds of the, let’s face it, mostly unthinking masses.
There are many things we can do. For the last couple of months, I’ve taken to doing a daily word puzzle, ‘A Greener Worldle‘. I figure that it kills two birds with one stone: I get a bit of brain exercise, and by posting my result on Twitter I’m doing my tiny bit to promote the drip-drip-drip of the green meme.
Other examples are the annual Earth Day (22 April) and Earth Hour (26 March) events. It’s true that turning off the lights all over the world (or at least in as many places as possible) for just one hour a year doesn’t save much energy; it’s a drop in the ocean. But that’s not the point; it’s about constantly reminding ourselves of the need to tread more lightly on our wonderful planet.
I’ve just added annually recurring entries into my dumbphone calendar for both Earth Day and Earth Hour. Can I persuade you to do the same?
days
hours minutes seconds
until
Earth Hour 2022 (26 March)
days
hours minutes seconds
until
Earth Day 2022 (22 April)
Wibble 
Kewl ideas. Imma no need reminders. Got my own logo crusade going on right here. Howsit work, you ask? Okay, you didn’t ask. I’m telling you anyway. Every time I walk past the kitchen countertop between my office and the garage, it seems there’s a new can, bottle, jar, piece of paper or cardboard box sitting there to be schlepped to the garage and appropriately binned against the time a necessary trip for shopping or some other appointment puts me in proximity to the recycle castle. Multi-pronged: Howda hell we got so much “trash.” Ain’t there a better way to buy asparagus so’s there’s not a package to tend afterward? Does EVERYTING we buy come in wasteful packaging? Is our switch away from commercially packaged goods and produce having any positive effects? Are Bob, Mary, Tim, and Julie sticking by the things Boss and I taught them about being good to our plant and in the end good to ourselves?
Just got the counter cleared of the “recycleables.” What’s this? Lookit the compost bucket! Stinker (not literally, good compost has no offensive odor) is nearly overflowing. Time to tote that to the big bins out in the garage, stir and check those bins for time to deliver to the backyard compost piles.
Yeah, ever mindful of our efforts to re-purpose, re-use, re-cycle, and re-duce everywhere and with everything.
Good post. Good read. Real message. Thanks!
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Yes! Brilliant post!
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Good idea! I knew of Earth Day, of course, but was unaware of Earth Hour! Apparently the advertisers didn’t do a very good job of promoting that one! I have now set my phone for Earth Hour and will turn off the lights and electronic devices on Saturday evening from 8:30 – 9:30. I will read a book by candlelight, or play an old-fashioned board game with the girls! Thanks, PeNdantry!
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Reblogged this on Filosofa's Word and commented:
PeNdantry … creator or Wibble … has a way of tackling serious topics with humour, and today is no exception. His reminder is timely … be in the dark for an hour tomorrow! Do your part! Thanks, PeNdantry!
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Industry might need to do the heavy lifting but every person CAN make a difference. If we all stopped buyinh fruit and vegetables in packaging it would be a start.
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