Environment Blog » Environmental Thoughts

Marketing vs. The Environment: Who Will Win?

Rob — Thu, 29 May 2008 12:19:59 +0000

Since I’m a marketer by profession I tend to notice Ads a little more than most people, so as I was researching my previous post, I was caught immediately by an unsightly ad.

It’s obvious with this ad that the war continues between marketing consumerism and the mighty environment. Despite it’s strength, we’re slowly erroding away at the environment – so, who do you think will ultimately win?

Oppinion Time: Who Will Win Between Marketing and the Environment? Leave Your Comment Now…

Tasmanian Pulp Mill’s Funding Cut

Rob — Thu, 29 May 2008 12:05:13 +0000

Today, an important victory was won for environment when Gunns Ltd’s Pulp Mill project in Tasmania, Australia was denied funding.

ANZ, which was the source of funding of the $2 Billion dollar project (yes, $2,000,000,000), cut funding today as it recognised the toxicity of the project on the environment the inhabitant around the area. For those of you who don’t know about this, the Pulp Mill in Tasmania has caused a lot of environmental problems in the area. Let’s take a look at what the Pulp Mill does for the environment:

Consumes millions of tonnes of logs each year
Clears native forests
Pollutes the air around the area
Contributes massivley toward greenhouse gas emissions
Releases organic and inorganic toxins into the Bass Strait

Now, you may think this seems a bit like me heralding doom and gloom, but it is very real and it’s affecting people around this area in unexpected ways.

Nearby farms have been shutdown due to toxins in the area
Forests have been consumed and many animals’ habitats have been lost – notwithstanding those of endangered species
Respiratory diseases have increased, resulting in illness and even death of many people in the area
The pristine environment of Tasmania has been tarnished as the quality declines
Fisheries are put out of business as toxins leak into nearby bodies of water which harbour fish

There is a lot more to this case than I will cover here. SO I recommend you check out the Tasmania “No to Pulp Mill” website. Thankfully, since the funding has now been cut, things should recover. Let’s just hope the scarring of this pulp mill will not continue to impact the residents and habitats of those living down in Tasmania.

Genetically Modified Species: Harmful or Not?

Rob — Sun, 18 May 2008 10:33:04 +0000

One of the hot topics on for debate over the past decade or so has been genetically modified foods.

People claim they’re bad for you and others claim they’re bad for the environment, whilst another group argues for Genetically modified foods. I’m going to have to take stance with those arguing FOR GM foods. But first, let me explain:

Bad For The Environment?

Sure GM foods can be more resilient and over-take their non GM counterparts, but surely it’s not too bad a problem if these crops are to be liscensed out to specific farmers. As long as those farmers keep it under control we shouldn’t have any problems that reduce global biodiversity.

Bad For Your Health?

Next, they can’t really be bad for you either, they’re fundamentally based on nature and scientists put these plants through rugged testing and it’s all based on solid research and empirical knowledge. If anything, they are probably better suited to us, if scientists take the necessary measures to get them right.

So, why are people so worried about Genetically Modified foods?

What is your stance on the issue?

Help Soldiers to Phone Home With Recycled Cells

Rob — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 22:51:00 +0000

US soldiers have been over in Iraq for some time now and understandably, they are missing their friends and family.

Help them connect with their loved ones by recycling your old phones. The Environmental Protection Agency predicts that by recycling the 100 Million dated cell phones in the US, they could save energy which is enough to power almost 200,000 Households – for an entire year!

Not only is this a simple task to do, there is likely to be a collection point near you. AT&T along with a list of partners is directly supporting this Cell Phones For Soldiers charity, so you can recycle your old phones at any AT&T company-owned retail stores throughout the US.

To find an AT&T phone drop zone near you, browse the official site. Otherwise if there aren’t any near you, why not setup your own drop-off point.

Of course, it’s understandable, that before recycling your phone, you may wish to remove all your personal data before donating it to the soldiers. Therefore, you should visit the Recellular website to erase your phone data.

There you have it, a simple way to help the environment and the soldiers in Iraq at the same time. For more information about this cause, please visit the Cell Phones for Soldiers website. If I were in the US right now, I have at least 2 phones I could donate, so dig deep!