To Laugh or to Cry?

Ten out of ten for Dennis Aris for reporting the Environment Agency’s apparent faux-pas relating to their oh so questionable publicity stunt before Christmas. This involved the E.A’s distribution of huge red boxes, liberally lashed with synthetic ribbon, containing ‘just a few A4 sheets of press release,’ and presumably distributed around the area that the E. A. administer. No wonder Gillian Cowburn looked so baffled and stunned as she struggled to reach around the outsized, clumsy boxes.

So – nought out of ten to the Environment Agency, who, as Dennis Aris points out, we thought ‘had something to do with care for the environment.’

I would like the Westmorland Gazette to invite the E.A. to respond to my blog comment here by drawing to their attention our collective concerns relating to their ill thought through seasonal promotion.

Our queries would sound a bit like this: -

1. In an age when ‘joined-up-thinking’ is supposed to be at the fore, were the E.A.’s managers/executive at a senior level aware of the publicity stunt being organised somewhere else in the organisation?
2. If so, can they justify, from an environmental and resource point of view, the carbon footprint extravaganza of the big red box stunt?
3. Can the E.A. appreciate that this sort of publicity damages the faith and trust of the public towards the caring environmental philosophy that we thought was central to the E.A’s terms of reference?
4. Can we expect a public explanation and/or an apology as part of getting back on track again?

If my comments herewith upset or irritate the Environment Agency personnel, my apologies. Meanwhile I am one of many who have been angered by the E.A’s insensitive seasonal gesture. They should be reminded ‘It takes two to tango.’

I hope one day soon we can all dance again!

Over to you Environment Agency.