There Comes A Day in Activism

when you have to get off the sidelines and get onto the field. This means no longer waiting for the wayward petition to come strolling by your way, where all you have to do is sign your name, and maybe pass it on to a few more friends. When you have to start sending it to EVERYBODY on your contacts list, especially the ones you know are proponents of the thing you are petitioning.

Likewise, you have to stop relying on others forwarding you causes. You have to find your own causes. And you have to be the initiator, the one who types up the petition and is the first to sign it, and the one who ensures it gets all the signatures it needs and gets to the person it needs to get to.

Today, I took a step in that direction.

If you see something that is not right, then dissent. In this day and age, most things are not right and that is the norm. As it is, civilization - capitalism - does not encourage environmental stewardship. That is not right, but that is the norm. We have to speak out against it as a whole, but for real change we have to speak out against the small contributions.

Like just now I composed a message to the business Planet Smoothie regarding an email I just received:

Yes, this isn't right and I just had to speak out against it to their faces. Here is my message:

I would like to comment about your "Earth Day Special."

I appreciate the fact that you have reusable MacDaddy Mugs available for your smoothies. This is somewhat in the spirit of Earth Day, but not quite there..

Please answer me: Where do the mugs come from, and what are they made of? How much do you pay per mug? Cheap products are not good for the environment.

If you really care about the environment enough to recognize and celebrate Earth Day, then instead of using it as a marketing ploy to draw in more customers (what American can deny a freebie?), then please consider the impacts of the production (including transportation to your stores) and the materials of your mugs. This concept of a reusable mug is a good start, but maybe by next Earth Day you can offer reusable mugs that involve all aspects of being earth friendly - choosing a country of origin that has strict regulations of manufacturers, and also choosing a material that is sustainable - like from recycled  plastic bottles. If you already do this, then Kudos to you, but typical American business ethics would imply otherwise..

While I enjoy your smoothies greatly, I will not be participating in this special. When I do come in again, I will be bringing my stainless steel insulated Klean Kanteen and asking you to fill that instead.

If you offer a discount on smoothies purchased by people who bring in your "MacDaddy Mug", I hope that you would extend this discount to the other customers bringing in their own containers.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

So here's a task for you:
-next time you see something that you isn't right, speak out against. And let others know about it too. Strength in numbers. Our voice needs to be heard, but first we must speak.

And please, if you see any other marketing ploys violating the spirit of Earth Day, let me know, and like I did here, send them a comment about what you see that is wrong and suggestions on how to fix it. Some businesses do listen to their customers. And they don't know what the customers want, unless you tell them yourself.