So we did our Dirty Santa at work yesterday. I successfully stole and retained a Vodka 360 (ever heard of it? I hadn’t) gift set, which includes a 750-ml bottle of vodka and a compact fluorescent light bulb. There is also a booklet that tells you stuff like buying used clothes is better for the earth, and that it takes an 8,000-calorie expenditure of energy to produce a 400-calorie hamburger. There’s a prepaid mailer for you to send them back the attached bottle stopper for reuse.
Beyond avoiding severe and sustained impact to my pocketbook, I can’t say I do a lot of day-to-day worrying about the environment. If I want to grill steaks or run the heated drying cycle on the dishwasher, I’ll do it and never give a thought to my carbon footprint. Ditto full-throttling my V8 pickup once in a while just to hear and feel it. Ditto clubbing baby seals.
But I’ll certainly do my part and take an inch or two out of this bottle while I do Christmas cards tonight. Drinking premium liquor to save the earth is a cause I can enthusiastically support.
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Like you, I’m not against being eco-friendly….to a point. I recycle, and I use green bags at the grocery store. But I also drive a gigantic gas-guzzling SUV. They’ll have to pry the steering wheel from my cold, dead hands to get me to give that one up.
I’ve got an idea that will save the planet. If every “greenie” who truly deeply cares for the longevity of the Earth and all its resident species, and wants to dial back human civilization to the pre industrial age as a “fix” would simply insert the barrel of a loaded .45 into their mouth and pull the trigger, the whole carbon footprint “problem” would pass away with them. It’s the perfect solution. They get to martyr themselves for their religion, the strain on the world’s resources is lessened, and I no longer have to listen to, nor be impacted by, their moronic whinings. Come on guys. Take one for the team!
Oh….forgot to add….Al Gore should lead the way.
Bo, as always, you have an excellent (and tipsy) point. I will drink only environmentally friendly — excuse me a moment [sip] — liquors and [glug] beers. If theresh one [pour] thiing I canl cget bahind iss [chug] teh viornmnt. [burp]
I’m trying to get the connection between the vodka and the lightbulb.
There’s nothing wrong with changing one’s habits so as not to be wasteful. However, like you’ve pointed out before, if India and China aren’t joining in, it really doesn’t matter what we do here. I have some friends who really cannot fathom that we aren’t going to be the biggest oil-using country.
You make me laugh! Is it any good?
Jenny: Yeah, Lea uses green bags too, and we have a bunch of CF bulbs, and we have a programmable thermostat. Sheesh, we’re practically tree-hugging dirt-munching druids, now that I think about it. Ha!
Lee: Now that might be a little harsh. ‘Sides, where are they going to get the handguns after they’re all banned?
Jeremy: Dude, it’s all about doing one’s part. I’m heartened you agree.
‘seester: The vodka is itself eco-friendly. The label is 100% post-consumer recycled paper, and the bottle is 85% post-consumer recycled glass, and they have all sorts of eco-friendly practices when they make it and stuff. Plus, there’s the bit about reusing the stopper.
Jenny B: I didn’t end up trying it tonight. I’m sure I’ll find it fine, though I’m not much of a vodka connoisseur. I tend to think either “lacquer thinner” or “yeah, that tastes all right.”
Ah. Bet it smacks of cloves with a slightly oily taste to it.
‘seester: Heh! Great reference. I’m impressed.
So, deflowered the 360 tonight.
As I mentioned earlier, I’m not a big vodka guy. Generally I’ll get a big bottle of Finlandia or Absolut, and it’ll last a year. The 360 is far inferior to either of those. I’m not sure it’s even as good as Skyy. I tried it neat and chilled. It’s vaguely medicinal, with way too much burn. If liquor’s going to bite me, I want it to be brown.
It does vanish nicely into a glass of Sunny D, though. 🙂