Daily Dose of Common Sense

Not all claims of environmental friendliness are created equal. In fact, some are outright lies. That’s where Greenwash comes in. Greenwash is a blog in The Guardian that seeks to expose, “the exaggeration, absurd claims or downright lies that big business makes about its green credentials.”

For a sample of what the author, Fred Pearce, takes on, here’s a bit from a post, Green advertising rules are made to be broken:

Big companies can always drive a coach and horses through the rules, greening their corporate image by mixing a couple of heavily marketed green products into a range of many more thoroughly un-green products.

Again, oil companies are notorious. This column has returned several times to the greenwash strategies of BP and Shell, plastering the country with posters and double-page adverts extolling their involvement in green energy, which in truth makes up a tiny (and recently diminishing) part of their investment.

Yea! We love it when anyone exposes lies and untruths, whether it’s big business, small business, or no one’s business. A lot of Greenwash’s content relates more to Europe, but the environment is a huge topic worldwide right now. It’s great that someone is sifting through the green spin to find the truth.

We shouldn’t speed, drive drunk, or be aggressive/reckless behind the road. We know it, but sometimes it helps to be reminded–especially in a clever way. Australia has decided to use some off-beat humor in a viral campaign to get a safe driving message across to younger drivers. The tag line: “Don’t be a dickhead.” I must admit that some of these are amusing. You would almost think they’re Saturday Night Live skits.

The ads discuss the possible–yet completely crazy–consequences of unsafe driving. These include: red-headed angels will get their wings, you will live the rest of your life with a giant pole coming out of your stomach, Twitter and Facebook will be turned off, and more.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcIy8-EKW00

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCsPaW3Ghz0

And…wait for it…my favorite:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7CBJr0GReI

It’s great to see a company (in this case, the Victoria, Australia government) doing something out of the ordinary to reach a new audience. Think of how great it would be if someone would roll out the “Don’t litter or you’re a douche bag” campaign. It would make you think twice about littering, wouldn’t it?

All of the ads can be seen here.

[Via AdFreak]

Yesterday was World Water Day. Did you celebrate? No, we didn’t either. But, water is a huge issue globally. Did you know that dirty water kills more people than violence? It’s true, according to the U.N.

We’re not a fan of bottled water, so it was great to find this. “The Story of Bottled Water” is by The Story of Stuff Project, and it should make you think twice about buying that next bottle of water.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Se12y9hSOM0

We’ve talked about water more than a few times here on DDOCS. (See “Water, Water Everywhere” and “The Great Water Debate: Bottled vs. Tap“.) But this video, while slightly on the hippie side, makes it plain and simple: you’re a rube if you buy bottled water. Unless your community has proven unsafe tap water, purchasing water in plastic bottles is absurd.

Drink tap water and save the money. If you don’t like the taste of your city water, buy a filter.

[Source: BoingBoing]

Remember the Ouija Board? It’s a staple of the middle school sleepover, to fill up the minutes when you aren’t playing “Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board.” Well, Hasbro has released a pink version of the game and some folks are really…well…freaked out.

Meet Stephen Phelan, communications director for Human Life International, who believes that using a Ouija Board, “will leave a person’s soul vulnerable to attack.”

“It’s not Monopoly. It really is a dangerous spiritual game and for [Hasbro] to treat it as just another game is quite dishonest.”

Some comments on the product’s Amazon page chastise Hasbro for marketing Ouija Boards to young girls. Reviewers say Hasbro should be ashamed, and one person advises to buy this only if you hate your child:

Guns don’t kill people, people kill people, right? Why doesn’t Amazon.com sell automatic weapons or child porn? Because it is understood that these are very dangerous.

Um, what? Child porn and guns are the same as Ouija Boards?! That seems a bit ridiculous. And, actually, it’s not understood that these are dangerous. Has there ever, EVER, been an incident reported where something bad happened (legitimately) because of a Ouija Board? They have been debunked many times. How does a Ouija Board work?

What makes the pointer move? An effect similar to that which occurs in dowsing, known as the ideomotor effect. This is a fancy name for involuntary/unconscious movement, such as a dowser’s hand flicking enough to move his stick when he passes over an area he knows has water.

Sorry to get all “science-y” on you, but this should explain that a Ouija Board is nothing to be afraid of. It’s a game, and just a game. So, paint it pink, blue, purple, or yellow–it still won’t conjure up anything more than harmless fun. Don’t believe the experts? Then take Skeptic.com’s advice and debunk it yourself:

To prove this, simply try it blindfolded some time. Have an unbiased bystander take notes on what words or letters are selected. Usually, the results will be unintelligible.

I actually think it’s pretty smart of Hasbro to create a pink version and market it to tween girls. They know *exactly* who their audience is!

[Via BoingBoing]

AdFreak has a great graphic of what you could buy instead of a Super Bowl commercial. While I don’t like some of the suggestions, the point remains clear: Super Bowl ads are a giant waste of money.

Yes, I know some of them are iconic and some of them are wildly popular. And, the ads are a main reason that people tune into the game. Agencies know the audience numbers are unbeatable on any other day in the modern television landscape. So, the ad dollars makes sense to some companies. (How else would GoDaddy be a household word?) But, most of the ads we’ll see on Super Bowl Sunday will only end up as a blip on our busy, over-programmed, short-attention-span radar.

I don’t begrudge the network for charging the amount they do for the airtime. I’m a firm believer that the free market should decide what the going rate is. If there are companies willing to pay it, then the network should reap the benefits. But, in this recession, does it really seem wise from the company’s perspective to pay $2.6 million for a 30-second spot during the game? Yes, that is over two and a half million dollars!

That’s why Pepsi’s decision to not place Super Bowl ads this year is so great. After almost 25 years of placing ads during the Super Bowl, they have decided to put the money towards a social media campaign. Pepsi usually purchases many 30-second spots during the game, so this is a huge chunk of change the company can use throughout 2010 and beyond. Plus, the announcement has been so startling that Pepsi is now getting more Super Bowl buzz than its rival Coke.

We’ll have to wait until next year to see what effect Pepsi’s pull-out will have on the ad rates. Could this be a trend other companies will follow? Until the economy bounces back and people have jobs again, I sure hope so.

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CNN is doing a week-long series on surprising ways your stimulus dollars are being spent. Not hard to imagine that most of what will be uncovered won’t make the taxpayers happy.

For example, in Ohio, $1 million of their stimulus dollars (that you gave them) is being spent just to tell you that they are spending stimulus dollars.

Ohio was given nearly $1 billion of stimulus money for roadwork. The money used for the signs is only about one-tenth of 1 percent of that money.

But critics argue that stimulus money — all of it — was designed to finance projects, not advertise them.

It’s crazy. And, Ohio isn’t the only state creating signs to let citizens know that stimulus money is being used for certain projects. It’s estimated that $3.8 million will be spent on signs nationwide. (Guess we should all be in the sign business.)

There are some 16 states, however, who are doing it right and skipping the signs. Vermont, for example, allows taxpayers to track their state’s stimulus funds via a Web site.

Some of these politicians don’t get it. Who needs signs? We want jobs and a strong economy. Stop wasting our money!

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[Via Consumerist.com]

This product cracks me up:

It’s a chewing gum that increases breast size. It’s so popular in Japan that it is sold in convenience stores. But, as with anything promising non-surgical enhancement, the jury is out on whether this works effectively. One British nutritionist said you may have to consume/use the product (whether pills, gum, or cream) every day for the rest of your life to maintain the effect. That doesn’t sound cheap. And it’s not known yet what the long-term side effects may be.

Save your money, ladies.

I was very surprised to see someone buying a pack of organic hot dog buns today. (Who knew they even made organic hot dog buns?) This struck me as really silly and a giant waste of money.

First, I’ve read all the recommendations on what organic products to buy. Mostly, these include apples, berries, spinach, and a few others. Nowhere on any of these lists are “hot dog buns.”

Second, I can’t see how the occasional regular hot dog bun (one or maybe two a week?) would really be detrimental to your system. Could there be THAT many pesticides in eating an infrequent, non-organic bun? Methinks not.

Third, do you know how much they cost? Almost double the price of regular hot dog buns.

Can you imagine how funny it would be if someone put a non-organic hot dog in an organic bun? Now that’s comedy.

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I wasn’t aware that labia color was a huge beauty issue. Apparently, some feel that the color fades over time and becomes less “youthful” and pink. Older ladies, are you horrified? Do you feel less attractive now that you know this fact? Yeah, me neither.

But, nonetheless, someone created this product:

It’s called “My New Pink Button” and it is a genital cosmetic designed to change the color of your labia. It even comes in different shades depending on your skin tone. The cost: $29.95.

I’m all for decorating and bedazzling your labia, if you wish. But, do it for the right reasons (fun, sex, a lark). Don’t let the “you’re old and no one wants your old-looking labia” marketing ploy be the reason.

[Via BlagHag.com]

Then, the EZCracker is here to solve all your egg-cracking problems!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CB2MVZgt5Y

Really? Is this how pathetic we’ve become? Cracking an egg is neither difficult nor time consuming. I think this product should only be purchased by amputees and people with severe arthritis. Anyone else who owns one has surely lost his or her dignity.

What’s next? A product that will shovel the eggs into our mouths for us? I can hear the informercial now…. “Using a fork is hard! And, how many times have you poked yourself in the eye? Well, put down that fork because now we’ll do it for you….”

[Thanks to Ken S. for the link!]