It’s time to come out. I am actually a closet environmentalist. I passionately follow issues around climate change and how consumerism and corporate greed accelerate what could be humanity’s own demise.
I am posting below a letter being circulated by Gary Granada and the Eco-Waste Coalition on McDonald’s refusal to reduce its use of styrofoam. (McDonald’s also refuses to divulge the nutritional content of its products, but that’s another story).
Why is styrofoam such a big issue? The Philippines produces 10 million tons of garbage every year. 5% of that is made up of styrofoam, while plastics in total (including styros) comprise of 76% of the total waste that we generate. Most of these wastes end up being burned or dumped in unhealthty dumpsites or in our seas.
We actually have a law on solid waste management that is not being implemented. The law advocates for recycling and supposedly regulates dumping of wastes. Under the law, open dumpsites (such as Payatas) should have been converted into controlled dumpsites in 2004, and dumpsites in general should be closed by this year. Unfortunately, local governments prefer burning wastes or dumping them somewhere, both of which have been found to be profitable. Just think of the contracts to buy or rent garbage trucks or to purchase incinerators (which are also illegal under the clean air act, but local governments have ways to go around this prohibition. the denr has actually been found to purchase waste burning machines that may be legal technically but still cause pollution).
One way to regulate the use of plastics is to urge companies, especially in the food industry, to use recycable or reusable materials instead. If McDonald’s takes corporate social responsibility serious, then it should strive to drastically reduce its use of plastics and styrofoam.
Gary Granada, whose love songs have the heaviness of light and the heart-rending sadness of clouds, is asking you to circulate his letter below.
My Personal Ordeal with the Arrogant Managers of McDonald’s
5 seconds
My name is Gary Granada, I am a KaalagaD volunteer, and I need 5 seconds of your time to help reduce the use of styrofoam in fast food chains.
What was meant to be a nice and simple Saint Francis Day motorcade-march to McDonald’s turned out to be a nightmare. We were rudely treated by McDonald’s, to put it mildly. Weeks before, we already sought a dialogue with them to reiterate our concern for their reluctance to reduce their use of styrofoam, despite their pledge to seriously attend to it during our dialogue in 2002! (Jollibee said the same thing, and while we are not satisfied with their response, at least they made some effort to shift to other packaging and serving materials.) We wrote to them, went to their office, made follow ups, waited for a response. The most we got from them was ‘you wait for our call’. They never called, never wrote back, but verbally said they will assign representatives to receive our motorcade’s representatives.
When we got there, their representatives turned out to be the Citibank Building’s security detail. Ill-mannered and impolite, they told us that they were told by McDonald’s that they were not expecting us. One of our staff went up to their 17th floor office to find out whether they were willing to sit down and talk matters. Told to tell us to wait, we waited. The giant that it is, the bosses of McDonald’s apparently regard little children, nuns, mothers, priests and concerned consumers as their employees. We asked how long we were supposed to wait and got no
straight answer. Finally they sent word for me to come up, just me, no one else. I thought these people must have seen too many spaghetti movies, perhaps they thought they had a hostage crisis. I was led to a conference room that could easily sit six or seven people and was greeted by two bright boys.Think about it. Naglakad kami papuntang McDonald’s, at pagdating namin doon, wala man lang bumaba para kausapin kami ng maayos. At pinatawag ako nitong dalawang batang managers!
It occurred to me that there were far more basic issues that plague McDonald’s than styrofoam. Like common courtesy. So I explained to these rich young rulers that the courteous thing to do was to go down, greet the delegation and ask how they may be of help. I even asked them where they were schooled, because in the public school in an obscure town where I came
from, they manage to teach such things in Grade One. Their bloated bright brains must have taken up the space that was meant for their ears. It felt like talking to an electric fan.Meanwhile I insisted that somebody from Greenpeace, the Ecowaste Coalition, Franciscan Movement for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation, and the JPICC of the Association of Major Religious Superiors of the Philippines (our partners in the activity) be present as well. They said they can only accommodate three people at most. Fine. So I said I and our staff will go down and we will send three people up. But at the lobby, the three representatives we sent were barred by security people from proceeding, again upon McDonald’s instructions we were told. It looked hopeless.
We decided to wrap up the program when out of nowhere a condescending woman materialized and introduced herself as the media relations officer of McDonalds. She said ‘Why don’t you go to Jollibee instead, they’re number One.’ To which Father Ben Moraleda replied, ‘We did, and at least they are doing something.’
On the side, irked by her audacity, Fr. Ben quipped, ‘And please take that hand of yours off my shoulders, I don’t like you.’
And all that commotion for a very simple and very reasonable plan: that McDonald’s reduce the use of styrofoam by 50% within one year. McDonald’s has once again demonstrated its arrogance and incapacity to appreciate the sincere and constructive efforts of common folks to protect our environment. Unlike them, we do not make money doing what little we can to help make things a little better for everybody.
5 seconds, that’s all I ask of you to help reduce the use of styrofoam. Sa mundo ng mga mayayabang, papansinin lang nila tayo kung tayo ay maninindigan. Take 5 seconds to think twice before choosing where to dine or order food.
WHEN YOU HAVE A CHOICE, DON’T CHOOSE MCDONALD’S
I feel sad for that woman and those two young managers. So young, so successful, so ahead of their game, so privileged; so rude, so arrogant, so lacking in character, so bland. And I have since stopped wondering why their burgers taste the way they do.
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It will take a bit longer than 5 seconds, but itwill go a long way if you can email this page to
friends. Thank you.
October 10, 2006 at 4:54 am
oh no, goodbye to twister fries. i always plan my trips to coincide with twister fries season. maybe i can make an exception, heehee.
October 10, 2006 at 12:36 pm
i always make sure i had a meal from mcdonalds almost everyday when i am at the office. I think i should slower or stop eating from the food chain who is selfish. All they think is their personal gains. Goodbye McDonalds!
October 10, 2006 at 3:03 pm
i never like mcdonalds! from the first glance of their fried chicken you would know it has been reheated from yesterdays mass production, much more after taking a bite so gummy…
October 10, 2006 at 3:31 pm
i know how rude mcdonalds is wayback 201 i complained to the manager and staff of mcdonald’s st. francis aquare owned by the film queen mother lily, their comfort room especially the ladies room is a mess so what i did was i complained to them but the manger and soem stuff didn’t mind me so what i di was to call the operaiton manager of mcdonalds in citibank center and i told him the dilemma, buti na lang the ops manager listened to me and said sorry he even send me a bunch of this burgers and spaghetti in my house in makati. but al i can say mcdonalds philippines is not that good not unlike mcdonalds abroad remeber that the philippines franchise is wholly owned already by george yang a filipino 100 percent owned kaya ganyan katigas ang ulo nila well sana karmahin ang mcdonalds philippines and thank God jollibee which is our philippine pride is the numebr 1 and will still remain number 1 malasin sana ang mcdo philippines ng makarma sila
October 10, 2006 at 4:33 pm
i’m beginning to like mcdonald’s burger because it taste better than any other food chain (somehow)… but i am certainly disgusted when i read this posting… gosh, with that simple thing being asked from them but they can’t do something to that and yet they treated people with such manner…. oh no.. with this klind of company, services they offer should not be tolerated… goodbye mcdonald, as well…. hmmp… :-/
October 11, 2006 at 11:58 am
hey everyone,
thanks for your passionate comments. may i suggest to those who feel strongly about the issue to print gary’s letter and give a copy to the nearest McDonald’s store in your area?
I mentioned, too, that it refuses to divulge the nutrional content of its product - just like other fastfood chains in the country. the issue is about public health: obesity is growing among Filipinos because of increasing consumption of fastfood products. People should be aware that the food they eat from McDonald’s and Jollibee are full of cholesterol, fat, and sodium. Go slow, cook your own food if you have time (or find time to cook your food), or at least consume products that are low in sodium. use spices instead of salt. heart-related diseases are among the leading causes of death in the country.
what i am saying is, between environmental concerns and our own health, there are intersections - the less we consume, the better for our own health and the environment. buy less fastfood products to reduce risks to your health and the environment.
October 12, 2006 at 5:45 am
i have copy-pasted gary’s letter
in my letters to friends.
actually, i am a fish endocrinologist.
i am aware of the many dangers
that plastics and their solvents and
components pose to the health of
humans as well as to the other living
creatures that share our planet.
i have read many scientific articles
on estrogen mimics and styrofoam or
polystyrene with its single molecule
form styrene is one of them. below
is an article about the ill effects of
styrene:
HEALTH EFFECTS OF STYRENE
Once styrene gets into your food or drink—
and then into you—what does it do? Studies
suggest that styrene mimics estrogen in the
body and can therefore disrupt normal
hormone functions, possibly contributing to
thyroid problems, menstrual irregularities,
and other hormone-related problems, as well
as breast cancer and prostate cancer. The
estrogenicity of styrene is thought to be
comparable to that of Bisphenol A, another
potent estrogen mimic from the world of
plastics.
Long-term exposure to small quantities of
styrene is also suspected of causing:
low platelet counts or hemoglobin values;
chromosomal and lymphatic abnormalities;
neurotoxic effects due to accumulation of
styrene in the tissues of the brain, spinal
cord, and peripheral nerves, resulting in
fatigue, nervousness, difficulty sleeping,
and other acute or chronic health problems
associated with the nervous system.
Because many of these effects can be more
pronounced on developing bodies, extra
caution is advisable for women who are
pregnant (or considering becoming so) and
for prepubescent children.
October 17, 2006 at 2:10 am
hi there. unrelated, but, mind a link-up? nicely-written posts.
October 19, 2006 at 7:13 am
made a blog entry about this blog entry. and i listened to my gary granada CD after.
thanks for the info! keep on writing.
-jonas
October 21, 2006 at 4:38 am
Remember the old days when we ask our parents to buy us a Happy Meal? One of the best memories during my childhood.
November 3, 2006 at 3:31 pm
When did this take place exactly? I heard about this about a month ago, and I was kind of disappointed because although I try not to eat fastfood, McDonald’s has always been a preference of mine as opposed to Jollibee. So the next few weeks I got some takeout from Jollibee - the usual burger steak was packed in styro. A few days after I had a craving for McDonald’s crispy chicken - and it was in cardboard packaging. I don’t know it’s different in Manila, but in Cebu it’s really the other way around. Jollibee’s still using styrofoam in spite of their reputation of being one of the largest pollutants in the country.
August 15, 2008 at 12:30 pm
excuse me, may i know where did you find these
“The Philippines produces 10 million tons of garbage every year. 5% of that is made up of styrofoam, while plastics in total (including styros) comprise of 76% of the total waste that we generate. Most of these wastes end up being burned or dumped in unhealthty dumpsites or in our seas.”
i just need a source ’cause i want to include this figures in my paper.
salamat
August 23, 2008 at 2:47 pm
hey. i got my figures from the Eco Waste Coalition. you may search for their website, but you may also get excellent figures from Greenpeace.
September 18, 2008 at 6:07 pm
Congratulations! very proud to say that in our institution De La Salle University Medical Center we say no to STYRO! you cannot go inside our hospital if you have one…..if we order froom jollibee or mc do they know they have to put our orders in a paper box….lets keep our passion as stewards of GODs creation!
godbless!