Strike a light! Brussels Bulb Ban Bourgeois Backlash

The traditional incandescent light bulb is on the way out - and some people aren't happy. (It's probably not just the middle classes, but never pass up a good headline.)

From September 1st in the EU it will be illegal to manufacture these bulbs, or for shops to buy in new stock. Shelves have already emptied in various countries and whenever reported, lots of people have been up in arms, trotting out all the tired old, ignorant stories about how different variants of energy-saving bulbs are all rubbish.

For example, they must have been a bit torn at the Daily Mail, what with this being an excellent opportunity for an 'EU stamping all over our choice' piece, yet having to balance that up with the 'we don't want to look like evil planet-hating bastards' angle, resulting in this fairly restrained entry. Check the storm of comments though, they are fab.

Really though, whilst the change hasn't really been publicised much in the UK, this ban is undoubtedly a good move. Energy will be saved and people will save money. All good.

It inspired me to write a little verse...

Arc! Light a candle!
We are gathered here today to fi-lament the passing,
Of an old fixture watts lux run out.
Brilliant in their day, truly incandescent, they would have volted forth, stuck a tungsten out at their usurpers,
Possibly even ballasted or lamped them.
But they grew dimmer, passed into the shade - and now argon.
Switched off.
We commit them to the halide ground.
And now we turn the spotlight on to to those who have LED the way to be energy-saving,
To stop the climate getting edison-screwed.
Reflect in peace.
Lumen.

Big Tissue

Hello folks!

Greenpeace have recently chalked up a victory for their Kleercut campaign.

One of my last posts a couple of years back concerned Kimberley-Clark (the people who bring you Kleenex and other paper tissue products) and their consistent plundering of wood from endangered forests in order for you to blow your nose on them (or whatever).

Kimberley-Clark have done the standard greenwash thing in the time since then, pointing out in adverts how many lovely trees they do plant etc. However, they have finally bowed to pressure from Greenpeace and others and decided to adopt some much improved environmental policies.

They've "set a goal of obtaining 100 percent of the company’s wood fiber for tissue products, including the Kleenex brand, from environmentally responsible sources." I like that word 'goal' don't you? Anyway, this includes sourcing FSC certified timber and more recycled fibre so it's actually a bit of a result. It's going to take them at least a couple of years to sort much of this out though.

Some people criticise Greenpeace for not being hard line enough, but there's no doubt their policy of being open to talk with big industry has reaped rewards over the years. In line with their 'no permanent enemies' stance (and I presume much smarming from K-C) they have also suggested people praise Kimberley-Clark's stance and made this comedy 'making up' film:



That said, I won't be adding Kleenex to my shopping list anytime soon. Once they've actually achieved their 'goal' I might think about it. How about you?

Happy returns...

Hello!!!

Your Recruiting Officer has returned! My apologies, I really was gone for some time. Nice to see the blogosphere is still standing. Although it's been an interesting couple of years for our world I note that not all ills have been righted - so let's see if we can lend some more weight, condemn the bad, praise the good, and generally have a good time in the process.

RO

Act II

Night's dark fingers crept into the settlement and tightened their grip, as the waning sunshine drew far and away, over the edge of the boundary walls, the reddened sky marking its vow to return good and strong the following morning.

The sentry and his lad stood watch, the father all alert and the boy hugging himself against first chill of the evening.

A long time passed without event, until, suddenly but faintly, a song could be heard, far off on the forest road, and with time it grew louder.

"Hark!" said the sentry, "I know that song! It's an old tune our Recruiting Officer would sing, to put cheer in our hearts on the hardest of days. But he's been gone too long now, it cannot be. Or can it?"

The song grew steadily louder...