August 23, 2007

Delta: Stop Saying Green, Start Doing Green

Delta-Is-Not-Green

There’s so much about this ‘gift’ bag we received on our flight from NYC to Moscow recently that just angers us. The brown paper back package contains corn-based toothbrush, toothpaste and earplugs. The print on the packaging tells us about Delta’s commitment to environmental mindfulness. What the heck? A few points:

* The pack also contains nylon eye mask and plastic headphones. These aren’t “Earth Friendly”
* Who really uses the toothbrush anyway? So, basically everyone on the plane is going to throw it away into landfill. Why bother?
* Wouldn’t it be better to make the stuff we really use on planes regularly with eco-materials?
* Everyone on the plane eats from the same old plastic trays with the same old plastic knives and forks and cups. We doubt that these items ever escape the landfill.
* “Environmental mindfulness” - quite frankly this phrase make us want to hunt down the design or ad agency who came up with it and burn their building down
* We’re sat on a plane going several thousand miles, burning a heck of a lot of fuel and all Delta can do is make our toothbrush green?

And probably what angers us more is the fact that they have to tell us how good they’re doing. Why can’t companies just get on with it and let it be a detail on their FAQ we can search out? And why oh why does all this greenwashing crap have to be wrapped up in a brown paper bag - is that really what green means to you Delta? Is it?

Article categories: Environmental, Ethical Consumerism, Transport & Travel