- McLibel -

working for change

Posted by: Cath ( Australia ) on June 30, 1997 at 01:39:52:

In Reply to: start with the ozone layer posted by Marty Luning on June 29, 1997 at 04:54:54:

: : : Sorry, but no one has found McDonalds guilty of any "global devastation" Have they been fined under any environmental act , either in the UK or USA? I know they haven't here in Australia.

: : Now it's funny you should say that. I haven't got the best filing system in the world, and I don't systematically keep everything I see relating to my interests, but I do have an old press cutting from "The Courier Mail", Brisbane, 17/10/89. It says that McDonald's had recently "been asked to give the Trade Practices Commission a written undertaking not to run full page advertisements again which stated that their packaging was ozone friendly". wrong if they thought HCFC22 was damaging the environment".

: This is to do with an advertising matter, not the environment.

It has to do with the environment too - McD were using ozone damaging packaging.

: The TPC have no control or jurisidiction over environmental matters. I note
: they were not fined or found guilty, merely "asked" to change their ad.- they
: weren't fined or convicted, What I am talking about is the Land & Environment
: Court,? I am sure you have heard of that haven't you?

So if they weren't fined or found guilty doesn't that say something about the system. Let those with lots of money get off scott free.
It doesn't mean that what they were doing was acceptable.

: Is this the best any of you "greenies" can come up with ?

No it probably wasn't the best example to come up with, but I never tried to suggest it was. The cutting was one I found when tidying the other day, and I remembered it when I read your message. Probably one of the big green organisations would have dozens of examples on their files. I'm just a small fish in a very big sea.

As to specifics about McDonald's packaging, the quantities involved and the damaged caused, again there are people in a better position to answer than me. I wont pretend to know all the figures, but since McD use an astronomical amount of packaging it's obviously going to have some impact on the environment. If every company just says, oh well we don't cause much in the scale of things then they all get off the hook and no-one is to blame. But the problem still remains.

The reality is that this planet is in a mess and something needs to be done about it. Nothing can change until the problems are exposed and people start thinking about them and then working for change. Refusing to recognise the sources of the problems doesn't help that process.



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