Best of 2007: Fun with Coal
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.28.07
This is the latest post in TreeHugger's series about the Best of 2007. More are on the way; stay tuned!
Coal isn't funny, but when the flacks and the parodists get to work, it is sometimes hard to tell them apart. We pick the best commercials and videos promoting and trashing coal for your viewing pleasure.
 | 1) This isn't really fair, the commercial from GE's eco-imagination campaign was dropped after GE received numerous complaints from coal mining families, and it is from a few years ago. However no collection of coal commercials is complete without it. Funnier than the coal mining scenes in Zoolander. Great Moments in "Green" Advertising: GE's "Sexy Coal Miners" Commercial |
 | 2) Watch this wonderful parody of coal; the Naib says "It is simply dripping of the same green washing irony that so many companies are rolling out now and days. These companies use the same kind of tactics to try and convince people that their otherwise dirty industry is now shiny and green because they have done some small token action."Coal: Cheap. Abundant. Cheap. |
 | 3) The full page ad in the New York Times placed by "Americans for Balanced Energy Choices" says "Our commitment goes beyond clean." and they must have spent hours on this zinger: "Our commitment to clean is matched by a commitment to keep energy costs affordable and to protect our security by using our abundant domestic coal reserves to meet America's growing energy needs." Watch the commercial at::AmericasPower Two more after the jump... |
 | 4)EcoGeek summarizes the message: "the worst new energy technology in the world is undeniably liquid coal. Some people (mostly people who own coal mines) want to replace 100% of America's gasoline usage with a fuel that comes from coal. It produces two times more CO2, consumes three times more water than gasoline, and gives us more incentive to tear down our mountain ranges." Mark Fiore says it with pictures and humour in ::Liquid Coal: The Stupid Fuel |
 | 5) After a laughable ad campaign complaining about Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius decision to bar two applications for new coal plants, opinion editors and writers of The Wichita Eagle made their own parody attack ad. ::Great Rebuttal of a Terrible Coal Ad and see the video from the Wichita Eagle. |
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