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it all comes from the BGG - lots of ends sort of came together - it is now so clear that government is not prepared to do a damned thing towards renewables - and in many ways is actively discouraging their uptake
. We, the people, actually do possess immense power, but we choose not to use it - given the right support, us peasants could achieve a quiet revolution that no government could stop..........if it suddenly became "cool" to be green - Beckham in wellies at a local allotment, that sort of thing........."how little power I use to run my home" bragging in the local pub - and people selling Porsche designed turbines on carbon fibre towers designed by Starck....... 8)
We have to make being green "sexy" - your ideas?

My thought is that it will never happen. What's "cool" is decided for the majority by marketing/media people. So "cool" is driven by what the marketing people want to sell. Some green stuff can be cool - as long as someone is making a profit somewhere. It could one day be cool to have solar panels on your roof, but that will probably happen when a big corporation starts making them and can chuck millions into advertising. But it will never be cool to shop at Oxfam for example because Next, Gap, Armani etc want you to shop there instead and they have more money to spend on advertising.

Hi Martin,
I think you are absolutely spot on, if something becomes fashionable or cool, then the marketing just runs away with itself. Can I ask what BGG means, I don't know that term? Sorry I don't have any bright ideas, but I agree with you in as far as where this needs to come from (so...lets get beckham being filmed digging over his veg patch..........)

The Big Green Gathering! 8)
It's simple really, just an extension of the "if nobody bought battery eggs, there'd be no caged hens" thought train

well it should be possible, at least some bits should be. A load of models partici[ated in the 'rather go naked' campaign (although fur is now back in fashion) and a quick search for 'eco celeb' brings up a load of celebs who are happy to be known for driving prius's, support solar energy etc.

The big issue is to get them to make the small things sexy. Selling hybrid power or solar roofing tiles is great but your average teenager isn't going to be able to copy that. We need things like the Beckhams giving the kids their own veggie patches or being pictured at the recycling centre.

Perhaps there are other things we could do though - how about a campaign to get channel 4 to incorporate eco-measures into next years BB house (I presume there aren't any in this years)?

For want of a better phrase, I think Chickpea is on the money. The greenest approaches are about reducing what you use, reusing rather than buying new when you can and then recycling the small amount that's left over. It is the antithesis of the "must buy more... must have this year's label" mentality that big business seems to run on.

If a country were to go green, it would mean a huge economic downturn (in monetary terms) although life would be richer in so many ways. That's not an outcome likely to appeal to those who invest in advertising based on "sexy".

However, it would be good to see more celebrities exploring greener, more ethical ways of living.

Wulf

I think being green is getting cooler 8)

When I had my son, all those years ago, I used terry nappies and people - including the midwife asked why. The 'why' back then was because we were skint, now actions that would have had you labeled as a skin-flint, now are 'environmentally friendly'.
It's far more acceptable, so we are getting there.

Also - my son knows alot about reduce reuse recycle thanks to Bob the builder

ok so perhaps its not cool yet.. but not quite as nerdy as it was.

and in the end - its a matter of making your personal vote.. usually with your wallet

Red

I'm not sure about this "coolo to be green" idea. Not there is anthing wrong with it in and of itself, but it will carry the tag "celebrity fad". I think we need something a bit more, if you'll pardon the expression, sustainable!

Nev

I agree with Wombat more, I think. I think that the changes and continual pushes forward could and should come from the grass roots - ie us, the people who are out there doing it, learning about it and willing and able to pass on the knowledge. The least the "celebrities" are involved the better, IMO. I am constantly cheered by the numbers of young people who come on here, INEBG, River Cottage, etc looking for help and knowledge.
I feel a lot of the lag may be due to the type of people a lot of us are - quiet, conscientious, just getting-on-with-it and not shouting about it types; not to mention we are all very busy most of the time I think we need to be more forceful in getting our ideas and ideals across; even something as simple and quick to do such as writing to the local press - a leter, or a short article, etc, opening your garden for the HDRA or local gardening club, getting involved in local sustainability events, getting out and about and putting your name and ideas about - people will get to know you and what you do. Start small and local. Then, if all the small and local things could somehow be loosely linked into a cohesive nationwide whole under some "green" umbrella, then it can move up a notch to national, then join up with international actions, etc. There is a huge amount of work going on in this country by a huge number of diverse organisations, but not one communal point under which they could all come together, to my knowledge; anyone know different?

Just my thoughts.

but surely, at least from the environmental side but also from promoting organic and ethical etc, the more and the younger the people who get interested the better? And if a teenybop pop group are prepared to tell 12 year olds how great it is to be environmentally friendly then that gets them way younger than a letter to the editor is ever going to do?

About that .

We always hear about the 3 x Rs ..

But normaly isn't Reuse Reduce Recycle Repair as well ?

I'm not sure about this. I get where you're coming from Martin, but the "fur being back in fashion" thing suggests that the "cool to be green" thing would be driven by brand if it did happen. You'd get lipservice being paid to effectiveness, and facts hidden behind a wall of confusion. Prada wind turbines would dominate the skyline, their sleek lines and tibetan-prayer-wheel-authentic hum conning the owners into thinking they're "doing their bit" while chinese 15-year-olds half-kill themselves to churn out a badly-made product designed to fail at fourteen months, right after the warranty expires. And the owners won't mind because next year's model has a slightly different spoiler.

Camile wrote:About that .

We always hear about the 3 x Rs ..

But normaly isn't Reuse Reduce Recycle Repair as well ?

I would add 'refuse' in there too, as I've done on the Neeps! forum... although I haven't got repair in there... maybe I should add that one in too.

Refuse to buy things in excess packaging in the first place, refuse to buy things that you don't actually need... refuse to create excess refuse!

being one of those people who grew up with Meccano - I reckon this is downright sexy!


ps, no photoshop - straight photo!