Change your world, change..... the world.

national | environment | opinion/analysis Wednesday December 24, 2008 15:34 by Conor. M - S.E.E.D liberalconormurphy at ymail dot com

Do your part too

The Government spent tax-payers money on an advertisement we have all, more than likely, seen. It is the ad saying, change your world, change the world.
The Green Party now holds office, giving Ireland that positive hope of a greener future. Theres no denying, the Government has not completely failed us. There is a 'landfill' of criticism out there but we do have good and accessible recycling centres, green bins, and some like myself have brown bins.
This is not the point. While we go out of our way to recycle, and are somewhat responsible for our part in changing the world for a more greener safer future. Where do the big businesses and Corporations come into all of this?

McDonalds in Swords main street is a small but effective example. You walk in, buy your food for five or six euro. Sit down, eat, then throw your waste into the bin. One of the staff takes the rubbish, brings it behind McDonalds and puts it where all the black rubbish bins go. The bin truck collects it and dumps it in a landfill. You dont have to stretch your imagination to think about how many fast food chains exist nationally and internationally. They are the Burger Kings, the Pizza Huts, the Apache Pizzas, the Super Macs etc etc. They all do the same thing. Buy, eat, rubbish, landfill.... While we gather and separate our waste to ensure we 'do our part', what responsibility do they have.

I rarely, if ever, venture into fast food restaurants for moral reasons, just as I dont drink Coca-Cola and only buy fair-trade and organic products. This is because I feel a moral obligation to help, even if it is as little as possible, by doing something like not drinking Coke. We feel, or some of us feel that moral struggle inside us. 'What do I do, what do I not do'. It is not too easy to break away from the norm of consumer society, nevertheless, it is not too hard. One thing I would urge recyclers and all people in general to do is when you next eat at Burger King, or when you next dine at Super Macs. Instead of throwing your waste into their all-purpose bins ask them if there is any possibility the waste is going to be recycled. I could easily name and shame an array of places or people who fail to act responsibly but, this is different. One thing I noticed about fast food chains, and its not an amazing observation, is that their waste is almost exclusively food and cardboard.

Forget about the Government telling us the people, or as we are now known 'the consumers' to recycle. Tell the places that are the main perpetrators of this crime against the environment. Of course the last thing our elected representatives want to do, is put pressure on the Corporations that will suddenly disappear under such pressure. This of course, is why we have the American military on their way to an illegal war. All because our Government thought not letting them use us as a pit stop was somehow hostile and the businesses would 'pull out'. This couldn't be further from the truth. Corporations will stay here, just so long as its cheap!

We have to pressure these businesses and Corporations to act, and get the Government and local representatives to join in along the way. I would urge all environmentalists and like minded people to take a moment to ask the managers of a fast food chain to please recycle.

We, S.E.E.D - (for Social Equality and against Environmental Destruction) [This was the 'new left group formed'] are going to start a campaign locally in the new year. We dont want it to start and end in North County Dublin, we want and hope all such businesses to take responsibility nationally and urge everyone to get involved or start their own campaign. I hope you read this post and act on it, or contact myself or a environmentalist group. We dont want this to be our campaign, we want everyone and anyone to help or take their own initiatives to make it their own.

We wish all Indymedia readers and volunteers a happy holidays and best wishes for the new year.