Freebies - should we think again maybe?

audioedition.org

CVID wrote:

Like most people here, I've sent off for free samples many times - but I'm beginning to have second thoughts from the green perspective.
Isn't there a big 'carbon footprint'

Firstly, I am an optimist.
"A pessimist says: 'It can't get any worse!'. An optimist says: 'Yes, sure it can!'"
Us having this discussion on this forum, among other things gives me hope. We are Times 'people of the year', remember, and can make a difference

Secondly, my own pet peeve is unsolicited free stuff. Check out the pic: one of the recycling boxes is full of free 'trial' 75c city newspaper. I didn't ask for it. They just 'bombed' the whole street. For a month.

The competing paper had phoned me, and asked whether I wanted the free paper. I said 'no', and they didn't send it.

RainbowsInTheSpray

Yes, absolutely it's a good sign that we're talking about things like this. At least half the stuff I've received was total rubbish and only served to generate more power and transport use, especially those stupid 'smelly postcards'. What a con!

This year I've made a decision to cut down on my 'carbon' thingy wherever I can compared with last year, if only in a small way. As far as MSE is concerned, this means I'll be sending off ONLY for things that seem to be really worth it. I don't want my grandchildren to grow up in fear for their lives for things my generation could have prevented if only we'd exercised a BIT more self-restraint.

CVID

RainbowsInTheSpray wrote:

Yes, absolutely it's a good sign that we're talking about things like this. At least half the stuff I've received was total rubbish and only served to generate more power and transport use, especially those stupid 'smelly postcards'. What a con!

This year I've made a decision to cut down on my 'carbon' thingy wherever I can compared with last year, if only in a small way. As far as MSE is concerned, this means I'll be sending off ONLY for things that seem to be really worth it. I don't want my grandchildren to grow up in fear for their lives for things my generation could have prevented if only we'd exercised a BIT more self-restraint.

I see we've been thinking alike on more than one thread! Thanks for that and thanks to everyone who made a contribution.

Middlestitch

Some freebies are worth having - and I sometimes order them (from reputable companies) for elderly/lonely people who don't get much mail and are genuinely touched that someone has 'bothered' to do something for them. Hardly onerous, but amazing how pleased someone can be with a free sample of drinking chocolate, shampoo or whatever.

Pantha_2

i have to say, i love the idea of recycling, and even get all my flatmates (im at uni) to colect all the cans, jars etc that were allowed to recycle on campus and then we take them all down when we got a few boxes full. And the envelopes off a lot of the freebees, which i do use especially the fragrance samples which are really useful when traveling and the bubble envelopes off some of them are ideal for posting cd-roms home with backup copies of my work on. So i think i do make the most of my samples really. I hope i do anyway (feeling a bit guilty now). :embarasse

GettingThingsDone

How about thinking of the freebie as the smarter, efficient targeted marketing option and a move away from mass 'lets just make everything cheaper' (also known as 'lets put a squeeze on our Chinese suppliers') promotions?

Maybe, when looking at the bigger picture, free is greener? I rarely apply for freebies anyway, but the real freebies that annoy are those that come with magazines (i.e. mass market - everybody gets one) because mine end up right in the (recycling) bin.

The poster 'James Bond' has a good point - the mess we're in now is largely down to the baby-boomers (50's - 60's) and the consumer society they created. OK, yes, we do love a lot of the benefits, but what's the way forward? Darn, maybe Marx was right all along - time for capitalism to eat itself? (sorry - just a bit gloomy after reading that post about oil running out)

So, what I'm thinking now is 'freebies are bad' and MoneySaving is the new way forward... Maybe this thing is bigger than we thought?

Phatmouse

I have got loads of phone calls and more junk mail than ever just for a bit of free shampoo, I gave up ages ago.

bucksliz

Don't forget the 3 r's..... REDUCE, re-use, recycle.

neil_the_hippy

lanyroo wrote:

When the large BT building near me doesn't leave EVERY light on all weekend and every night. When B&Q does not have ALL the lights switched on that are for sale.
When all the shops in the High Street that leave all the lights on all the time and TV shops have all the TVs on - then I might think about"doing my bit".

But I heard on the radio that Prince Charles flew somewhere to receive a green award - and took over the whole of a plane for his entourage to get there and back.

As usual, it will be the plebs (is that right) who will do there bit and the rest wont bother at all

That is a really stupid attitude, if everyone thought as you do then nothing and no-one would get things done and the whole world would suffer.
It is up to each and everyone of us to do "our bit" however small that may be. If those stores you mentioned are wasting energy then why don't you send them a message and tell them, threatening to not use their stores if they continue to waste energy. If enough people were to do that then maybe their policies will change, consumer power and all that. Many changes have been brought about because of consumers complaints.
Just because you are not a big shot doesn't mean you cannot make a difference.
Be responsible and together we can save this planet!!

DonGotti

CVID wrote:

Like most people here, I've sent off for free samples many times - but I'm beginning to have second thoughts from the green perspective.

Isn't there a big 'carbon footprint' implied by all this transporting around (not to mention the packaging aspect) of all these millions of tiny bits and pieces which MSE-ers alone must account for each year?

I'm beginning to think that I've been a bit selfish in seeing the £0 sign in front of my eyes rather than think about what this may be doing to the environment.

Maybe there's a positive side to this but the more I consider it, the less likely this seems.

Any views? What proportion of all these samples actually result in an ongoing, regular purchase of the item concerned?

I only order samples I need. I then recycle the packaging it came in, and re-use the envelopes to post my ebay sales!