Catalogs Are Heating Up Our Planet

I'm pleased to report that my little event in Santa Monica on the Third Street Promenade went quite well. Lots of foot traffic on this crisp but sunny Saturday helped a lot; and I just think that people in general are becoming more sensitized to the issue of global warming.

I made a couple of signs; one I held, with a lot of info, headlined by "Catalogs Are Heating Up Our Planet"; I also pasted the front page of a J Crew catalog on it, with an X through it. The other sign was bigger, a board with black plastic letters that read EVICTION NOTICE: J CREW - GET OUT OF ENDANGERED FORESTS. This caught people's eye; I propped it up against a table where I put brochures and a petition. First I handed out all the brochures to people who'd accept them (none were left to put on food court tables, which is just as well.)

Then I started on the petitions, and I was surprised at how many people wanted to sign. I wound up staying twice as long as I'd intended, because the signatures seemed to keep coming. Got 74 in all.

Last, I went into Crew and left an envelope addressed to the store manager, which contained the eviction notice. I also left a copy of the brochure, for their enjoyment!

Like I said, a lot of people were receptive, even eager, though of course there are always the ones who stick their noses in the air, set their jaw and continue on as if all's right with the world -- THEIR world, anyway. But a couple of people took it upon themselves to go into the store and express to the manager their surprise and indignation about their paper sources (one was, she said, a good customer.)