I recently saw a large backlit billboard promoting the environmental efforts of a major oil company. We all know companies are jumping on the green band wagon in their advertising to customers and we are delighted when their actions confirm their messages; but they do need to be very careful how these messages reach their green aware customers. There are plenty of people ready to cry foul and worse if a company is not seen to be living its environmental claims. This poster was backlit with fluorescent lights - unnecessarily burning masses of energy and creating a recycling and disposal issue for its owners. No doubt the bulbs will break on a regular basis and a van will be sent to sort the problem out. More carbon, more wastage. Had the brand insisted on a low energy lighting solution (like ours) then up to 80% of the energy would have been saved, and there would have been no maintenance costs. Their claims would then have been consistent with their actions, and they’d have avoided potential and reasonable criticism. Oh, and the media site owner would have also saved money. Green aware companies really should dump the fluorescents.
