I'M ON FIRE!

Iran's Exiles

This article follows the story of one Iranian protester, Negar Azizmoradi. Negar is a movie editor who was beaten while protesting the Iranian election last July. She's been on the run from a suspected retaliation from Iranian police since, spending time as a refugee in Turkey, and an illegal immigrant in Africa. The story also makes a brief mention of another subject, Heydari, but the author's comment on Heydari is brief. He does mention that he only read about the Heydari story, while Negar contacted him. The author leans heavily in favor of the protesters toppling the current entrenched government.

The modern common sense of things: Ordering off the kids’ menu… for the rest of your life

I'm a regular reader of Karen! Garcia's op-ed, The Modern Common Sense of Things. Although I don't always agree with her, I do identify with her sense of humor, and think she's one of the top Kaimin writers. This article is ridiculous. It's Garcia describing how she'd rather eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches until she dies than branch out epicurean wise. Funny though.

Mr. President, Keep the Airwaves Free

Wow, I loved this Rush Limbaugh article. I wanted to read something really conservative, and I instantly thought of Rush. Then I saw he wrote an article about broadcast fairness, and I was hooked. As a broadcast major, I felt dumbfounded at some of Limbaugh's claims throughout this article. I dare say I was almost personally offended. Awesome! I won't go into it too much, but basically Rush blames Obama for the FCC radio regulations created by the FRC (Federal Radio Commission, pre FCC)in the 1920's. Also, Limbaugh (not McLendon) popularized talk radio in the eighties (not Mclendon in the sixties) and thus saved AM radio. Again , Gordon McLendon, father of top 40, talk, and news formats did not actually invent and popularize talk radio. It was Limbaugh. I want to write a conservative op ed like this. I think it may turn into satire, but it'll be a fun project. I think the trick is to drop enough actual facts to make your narrative seem almost plausible.

Environmental Research

Houghes

This is Hugh Houghes manifesto. Houghes is the Pres. of Green Team Advertising out of New York. They're a well respected advertising group that works exclusively in the field of "Green" Ads. They were the group that helped to market the "Inconvenient Truth" movies, as well as holding contracts with various corporations. I've chosen to include this article because it explains a concept that Houghes has coined "The Awakening Consumer". A very important idea in Green ads.

NY Times

So here's an article from the new york times that describes one companies desire to clean up its public image. This article gives some weight to how powerful certain words are in controlling public image. I'm also interested in seeing more from this business professor that specializes in green marketing, Edwin R. Stafford. I wonder if green advertising has its own class.

FCC Regulations

The practice of intentionally misleading the consumer about a products environmental impact is known as greenwashing. This became such a serious problem that the FTC stepped up and smacked down the evil doers with the pimp hand of consumer protection. These are the guidelines they laid out for marketing products as "green". (By the way, for a hilarious read, check out green marketing on wiki. Read the section on confusion. Someone really needs to edit this dude out, and I'm sure someone will soon enough, but seriously, dude. Shit like that gives wiki a bad rap. "25 years of research done by me"...seriously)

"Six Sins Of Green Washing"

More on green washing. Terra choice may be a little biased in their research, they are an encvironmental advertising agency, but their study is still interesting. They outline in this article the various ways companies greenwash their products. They call it the "Six Sins". A very interesting read.

Finally, I've a couple of interesting peer review articles that I couldn't get to because my computer is being a total tool right now.

Ta-da

Green Advertising and You

I've chosen an aspect of sustainability that might not seem proactive, but plays an essential role in "greening" up the planet. Green advertising affects us on an almost daily basis. It changes the way people view environmentalism, and the way we consume. Green advertising agencies, like Green Team, pitch everything from cars and cell phones, to solar energy. Green Team has worked with companies like Jaguar, The Smithsonian Institute, and National Geographic. They are most well known for the promotional work that went into making the movie "An Inconvenient Truth" such a success.

I approach this topic with mixed emotions. On one hand, I think that the only way to create lasting environmental change is to change the public opinion on environmentalism. Green advertising has made phrases like "Carbon Footprint" a part of everyday life. The image of environmentally conscious consumers has also changed to include regular, often young, middle class, people. Think of car ads in the last couple of years. It's easier to think about lessening your impact when you view the process as normal and healthy. On the other hand, I worry that green advertising can also create complacency in the minds of consumers. After all, have you really done all that you can to help the environment just because you've bought a hybrid? Does green advertising provide a release from guilt through consumption? I'm going to try and approach this topic with an open mind, view it from all angles, and try not to draw any conclusions about the lasting effects of green advertising until I finish. If your still a little foggy about what is meant by the phrase "Green Advertising" here's a website with a collection of some entertaining ads. I particularly like the Planet Green spot. http://www.ecohuddle.com/wiki/great-green-advertising