15:49:26
Has anyone else heard the jingle on that advert? I think it's for 'EDF Energy' or someone, but it doesn't matter to be honest. The end line, sung high-pitched like the name of toilet roll or kitchen floor cleaner so often is on adverts (because we as consumers are more likely to buy things we are told about by people impersonating Barry Gibb)... Where was I? Yes. The end line goes, "it's not that easy being gree-een," as some renewable-powered superhero flies off in to the distance, presumably to save Louis Lane from a wonky turbine.
I don't like the advert, and I don't get the message in relation to a gas-guzzling, coal-burning, oil-sucking energy provider, and I don't like the overall idea. It IS easy being green - you just have to make the right choices.
Yesterday, I made the wrong choice.
Stocking up at Jamie Oliver's favourite supermarket, I whazzed some spring onions in the basket, mashed some broccoli on top and flipped in some egg-fried noodle and some soy sauces. (Prize on offer for what I had for tea - or 'dinner' if you herald from below the M62!). Last but not least though, two pints of semi-skimmed for the morning muesli.
But whoooah. Whooah nelly. Whooah there. What is that? Red top milk - yes. Blue top milk - fine. Green top milk - that's ma' boy. But milk... in a bag? Milk. In a bag?
For those of you reading this thinking it all sounds a bit Brian Potter (i.e. Garlic Bread? Garlic... bread?), that's exactly what it was. I was flummoxed. Mind-boggled. My flab was gasted. If I was Coronation Street's Ashley Peacock, I would have said something along the lines of, "Eh... 'ar Clure... 'ave you sin' this? They've put milk in't bag now. By 'eck Clure it's potty."
Hold do you hold it? How do you pour it? Where is the lid? How do I put it down on the counter? How do I rest it in the door of the fridge? The mind boggled... It was 38p cheaper though, so I rolled up the sleeves, wiped the sweat of confusion from my brow, and squinted closer - nervously.
I'll spare you the gory details, but my CSI-style investigation found one key fact. The milk was indeed in bags, but the idea is that the bag is placed into a jug-like receptacle. This holds the bag secure, pierces it, and allows the cow juice to flow freely on to the intended surface/food stuff with the classic pour motion most commonly associated with kettles, tea-pots and watering-cans.
Why, you ask?
The bag uses 75% less packaging. It is recycable as it is made of the same polymer plastic as carrier bags (all good supermarkets have a carrier bag recycling point), and the boxes the bags are transported in are recyclable cardboard. Oh, and did I mention it's 38p (about 30%) cheaper for a two-pinter?
Yes, the jug-type receptacle (a 'Jug-It') costs £1.98, but this means you make your money back and start saving money after you've bought five bags of milk! Save 38p two or three times a week and you've got yourself a few nights out, some fancy shoes or you could buy a bike on eBay and pedal to work. Then you start cutting more of your CO2 emissions and save money on petrol to boot... Clever, eh? See what I did there?
Yes, the jug-type receptacle (a 'Jug-It') costs £1.98, but this means you make your money back and start saving money after you've bought five bags of milk! Save 38p two or three times a week and you've got yourself a few nights out, some fancy shoes or you could buy a bike on eBay and pedal to work. Then you start cutting more of your CO2 emissions and save money on petrol to boot... Clever, eh? See what I did there?
So back to me making the wrong choice...
I bought a 'Jug It' device and a bag of milk. I'll make my £2 back inside three weeks, and it's the right thing to do.
But the wrong choice was deciding to open the bag with a knife before placing it in the jug. Don't do this. Milk volcano.
 |
 |
