Where in the World is the Green in That?
I love the fact that “Going Green” is all the rage. The bandwagon is huge - room enough for everyone! The more the merrier, I say. I love that businesses, companies (small and large, including the one that employs me) are all clamoring to say, “hey, look at us! We are green!”
I can certainly think of suckier trends. And I really hope this one lasts long enough to make an impact. It has to.
What makes me a little nutty is when someone’s “going green” logo is right over a story/fact/issue that contradicts it. Say, for example, my boss’s bad habit of wanting priority emails printed out so she won’t forget to address them, or, something on a much larger scale like, oh, I dunno, Matt Lauer jetting around the world in the midst of NBC and its Today Show’s claiming they are “Going Green.”
Now on his ninth Where in the World trip, Fox reports:
Lauer has logged 210,721 miles on his trips, turning up at the base of Mount Everest, by the Pyramids in Egypt, at the casinos of Monte Carlo and at the Taj Mahal in India.
Taking trains, plains, boats, helicopters, you name it, to get around while he is wherever he is. Holy carbon footprint, Carmen!
Wondering what Matt’s latest jaunt equals in terms of a carbon footprint and environmental impact? Put away your calculators, Kevin at Pundit Review has done the math for us:
In the first two days of his five day tour, Matt has used up 9.196 tons of CO2. The average American emits 9.44 tons of CO2 PER YEAR.
So, with this in mind, is there any end in sight for our intrepid traveler? He says no:
“There will be a time when I say it’s a nice time to draw it to a close, but at the moment I’m not going to do it,” he said. “The nice thing is I have a lot of say over where I get to go.”
How do you feel about The Today’s Show’s travels? Do the potential economic benefits of the tourism it hopes to promote outweigh the environmental impact?
Image: Newscom
Tags: carbon footprint, environmental impact, going green, pundit review, today show, where in the world is matt lauerPOSTED IN: CO2 emissions, Eco Travel, Fuel & Energy, Pollution, Tuesday Travels
5 opinions for Where in the World is the Green in That?
Scott
Apr 30, 2008 at 9:37 am
I understand exactly what your saying Gabrielle…but you can’t blaim Matt Lauer or the NBC network for every bit of that carbon footprint because those trains, planes and boats were going that way anyway and chances are he and his crew are just catching a ride to wherever they are going.
It’s easy for people to say they are going green by not riding a bus, train, plane or boat but the fact is unless everyone does it and the movement of those transpo methods slows then it’s not really making a difference.
Perhaps I missed the point…what your asking is by NBC promoting travel are they really “Going Green”? I can see where it contradicts the point of being green. But let’s be honest, it’s becoming more of a trend and statement to try to market companies as eco friendly but all they really have to do to be labeled “green” or eco friendly is to do miniscual things like using recycled paper or have a recycling bin for aluminum soda cans and BAM! they call themselves “green” and “eco friendly” and use that to try and sell more product and make the consumer feel better about the brands they buy and the companies that are making them. The truth is a whole different shade of green though.
Gabrielle
May 1, 2008 at 9:15 am
Scott, you’re right. NBC does not have to carry the carbon weight of the entire transportation industry on their shoulders. I’m just not sure that they’re catching a ride - for a crew and operation that large, I am guessing they have some dedicated transport. And that’s the part that felt insincere when paired with their little “green” logo.
I 100% agree with your last point. Going Green is so much more than just sticking out a recycle bin (and that’s a point that I and other co-workers try to remind our own company often.) But it is a first step and if more places are finding that taking those first steps and talking about them means a new way to market their products/services, then I am fine with that. As long as the talk is backed by action.
Really appreciate your comments, Scott. Thanks for reading!
Jennifer
May 6, 2008 at 1:29 pm
Whether or not Matt or the show carry the weight of an industry is a moot point. If we all thought that way, we’d all not do anything. That’s like saying they make bottled water, someone will buy it and it may as well be me. Or bleach will be used even if I stop so I should just use it. If no one stops doing things that are bad for the environment, simply because they bad things exist already, then nothing will ever get accomplished.
The show could be one less thing contributing to the problem of mass transport, but instead they are. There is a distinction.
Jennifer
May 6, 2008 at 1:31 pm
PS I do agree with Scott’s greenwashing points. Too many companies are doing that.
Gabrielle
May 7, 2008 at 11:59 am
Jennifer, excellent points. Thanks for your comments.
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