[clue-talk] the recent "green" fads - or "Stupid Green"

[dennisjperkins at comcast.net]

 -------------- Original message ----------------------
From: Nate Duehr <nate at natetech.com>
> Taken out to the n-th degree (pun intended, since this relates to 
> server/datacenter cooling), with energy use on everyone's minds right 
> now -- even with gasoline just MATCHING the price of fancy bottled 
> WATER, not even above it yet... on a per gallon basis...
> 
> (Think about that one for a minute...)
> 
> Sitting at a computer reading e-mail or surfing for "fun" could easily 
> be frowned upon as a frivolous waste of electrons, someday.
> 
> You just never know...
> 
> But I had to share some "green" stuff I've seen at my company and 
> elsewhere that makes little sense.
> 
> I laughed out loud when my company DEMANDED that all employees add this 
> to our e-mail signatures:
> 
> "Please consider your social responsibility when printing this e-mail."
> 
> Yep... it's really on there.  (Well, I resisted and didn't add it. 
> Probably means I'll never get a promotion again.  Ha!  Damn cults.)  And 
> we really send that crap to customers.
> 
> Even scarier, there's a cult here of workers who live in the Boulder 
> area (not kidding) who've really bought into this thing.  They get upset 
> at people and have social issues with people who haven't put it on their 
> e-mail signatures yet.  Seriously!
> 
> First off... I haven't heard a printer printing anything all day, and 
> didn't before either.  So spamming ourselves with this phrase is doing 
> what, exactly?  And spamming customers with it?!
> 
> I edited it and sent it back to a few trusted co-workers and a boss 
> who's cool about such things:
> 
> "Please consider your social responsibility when using your computer and 
> burning tons of coal a day to keep our data center running and cool at 
> the same time.  Microsoft Exchange requires far more resources than a 
> phone call."
> 
> Other fun Dilbert-esque "green" policies include:
> 
> No official work from home policy, but banning the purchase of plastic 
> water bottles.
> 
> (I burn more in petroleum driving one way to work than all of the 
> bottles this facility went through in a year used, and all of those were 
> RECYCLED!)
> 
> Company picnics and parties 40+ miles from the office area.
> 
> (If I lived near the office, I'd care more... but I live 27 miles away 
> anyway.  I did suggest that I might be thrown in the gulag if I show up 
> at the company party in our family Suburban though -- someone might 
> lynch me.)
> 
> Company required training sessions 30+ miles away at the other company 
> offices, when we are a MANUFACTURER of videoconferencing equipment.
> 
> (Shouldn't using that equipment be MANDATORY, as in "eat your own dog 
> food?"...)
> 
> Tons of people driving Priuses (Prii? - GRIN)... don't get me started on 
> that.
> 
> Sigh... it's all so silly, bordering on truly retarded.  So many "green" 
> initiatives just move the energy use problem around, they don't 
> eliminate the actual use.
> 
> (How much power does it take to CREATE a solar panel?  Will it make all 
> of that back PLUS MORE in its lifetime?)
> 
> "Green" is the new "Dot Com" marketing fad, but it's being implemented 
> by idiots, without any real regard for where the biggest impact would be 
> seen.  Or more likely, it's implemented only as a way to sell things, 
> not out of true desire to change things.  Only to "appear concerned".
> 
> If you were to put in an IP phone system at a co-lo and a few virtual 
> desktops for customer VPN access, and half of this building could sit 
> empty or even be let go -- saving a lot of money and requiring one less 
> building to be heated and cooled.  Additionally, everyone's use of 
> energy to transport themselves to and from a separate building for work 
> every day, would be eliminated.
> 
> No need for the majority of the staff to be here physically, at all... 
> and all of the work could still get done.
> 
> Have a small space in an office building for the sales and/or whoever 
> needs face to face meetings, and lab space for things just too 
> big/expensive to take home with you to test with.
> 
> Add another small work area for anyone too irresponsible to handle 
> working from home, or anyone who demands to come into the "office" 
> because they need to get out of their houses for whatever reason, you're 
> still doing 10x more to save the environment than stopping buying water 
> bottles, and having a new e-mail signature line about printing.
> 
> Maybe we need a new phrase:  Like the cleaning product -- "Simple 
> Green"... let's just call this "Stupid Green".
> 
> Share your "Stupid Green" stories, if you dare... I'm curious how many 
> other lovely misguided corporations are implementing "green" things that 
> make no sense at all.
> 
> Nate
> _______________________________________________

We haven't implemented anything green at work.  They've talked a bit about letting us have slightly flexible schedules for carpooling, but nothing else.  I would like to work from home one or two days a week, but I doubt that will happen.  Besides, I interface to a lot of people.  Working from home might be hard.

No picnics tho, so maybe we are contributing. :)

Most people don't make things, so they don't know what is involved.  Even manufacturers don't usually know how their raw materials are made.  

A judge in Georgia stopped the construction of a coal-fired power plant today because it emits CO2, but I bet he and the plaintiffs still want their electricity, air conditioning, TV, etc.  

On the subject of stupidity, and marketing, I saw a bottle of organic Greek dressing on Sunday.  I couldn't care less about the supposed organicness of the dressing but I was curious about the spices so I started reading the ingredients.  One of the ingredients is "organic water".