July 4, 2008
I AM WRITING THIS ARTICLE IN DECEMBER, SO I HAVE NOT HAD THE PRIVILEGE to read the stories in this issue, but the subject has always been near and dear to my heart. I live in a piece of God's paradise, and I appreciate it more every day. Wind and sky and trees and flowers are all free to be looked at, but nothing makes me angrier than to see trash caught on a Ponderosa Pine branch. So, I wish to rant and rave on the subject of "green" this month, and offer some of my opinions and experiences from my 32 years at McDonald's.
The most important topic to me is littering. For the life of me, I can't understand anyone throwing anything out a car window down a beautiful country road. How hard is it to throw it in the back seat and clean the car out when you get home? My boss was a great believer in that very doctrine. His back seat had Big Mac cartons from three days after it was invented.
It all has to do with educating our kids about what they are doing to the environment when they throw that Coke can out the window or leave it at the campsite. It seems to me that the food industry could get together on this one. Everybody chip in to produce a program that is so cool and high tech that kids would be enraptured by watching it. Can you imagine major stars and music people and video games telling kids not to litter? Can you imagine the number-one hit single and number-one selling video game telling kids not to litter? How about one of our famous rappers taking a break from obscene lyrics and doing one on litter. I think the food industry should take the lead, and make it ultra cool not to litter. I remember the campaign of the 1970s in which a Native American watched paper being thrown out of a car and a single tear rolled down his cheek. That made a huge impression on me as a young person. I know we could do it again if we all got together. I would volunteer my time to work on such a campaign.
So, what else can we do? Here's a simple one for fast food. Have enough trashcans in the parking lot. I can't tell you how many times I have searched for a trashcan at a fast-food restaurant. And, empty the blame things oftener than once a day. I know it takes crew time and it is a thankless job, what with the disposable diapers and all, but if we in the food industry are really to have an impact, it has to be done.
Something McDonald's used to do: We used to take the crew that was not scheduled at that time and send them out to the block around the store to pick up the trash, whether it was ours or not. Everyone was in full uniform, and there were rewards for the most brought in. The crew turned it into a competition, and people loved seeing their streets get cleaned up. It was tremendous publicity for the restaurant. Many, many public service awards are on McDonald's restaurant walls to this day.
Another easy one: If folks won't bring their own litterbags for their cars, let's give them one. Make it small and easy to use with a reminder of who gave it to them and offer to take the trash and replace the bag the next time they stop in the restaurant. Again, McDonald's used to do that.
Maybe as a part of our big international litter campaign, we could design a plastic mug for soft drinks and/or coffee that you would bring into the restaurant and use instead of paper in fast food and glass in sit-down. We could sure save a lot of trees and dishwashing water if everyone brought their own drinking vessel. Maybe we could even convince people to bring their own napkins and utensils. Who knows? I've seen goofier things work. You just have to make it the thing to do. And advertising can certainly do that. Did you ever think you would pay $3 for 12 ounces of water bottled from the same source you get your water from? I saw it happen.
And, a couple of other things.
I have never understood why fast food insists on the biggest logos they can get on their packaging. We don't buy the food for the package like cereal. Why do you want your logo wrapped around a rose bush in someone's front yard? If it were up to me, all bags and stuff would be earth colored with no logos whatsoever. Or better yet, let's continue on the technology to find packaging that dissolves in the rain. If we can put a million songs in a box three inches wide, we can figure out packaging that maintains food temperature and takes ink and goes away sometime before the next millennium.
Let's stop over-packaging too. I have seen a sandwich wrapped and then put into a box and then put into a bag. The sandwich was then consumed in the car in the parking lot. That's stupid. And wasteful. And the reason the cans are overflowing.
You know what? It all comes down to education. Let's convince our kids that it is dumb to litter and let's, the food industry, put together the program. If it will play in Payson, it will play anywhere.
Happy trails, and peace.
