Tag Archive for: england

Vote YES for bottled water here

Ryan on PicasaWeb notes, “I prefer to drink bottled water away from home” And along with his photo taken in England as evidence, we’re not prepared to argue with him!

The Value of Water, Explained by Two Grannies

Those witty folks at Yorkshire Water UK are at it again, with time with a kooky campaign centered on two thrifty Grannies. “Edna and Mary” urge us to “Look ‘ow much you get for your money!” and are backed by a spot on the telly, their own corner of “t’interweb,” and of course, Twitter and Facebook.

It’s a wide stream of slapstick silliness surrounding know-it-all Edna and disheveled Mary. But grounding it all is the fact that Grannies everywhere will definitely be paying a lot more for water in the future. It’s no joke that many people don’t comprehend the huge (and escalating) costs and complex infrastructure required to deliver the cheap, clean tap water we take for granted. From the video’s YouTube page,

Research has highlighted to us that nearly 40% of our customers don’t know what they get for their money when it comes to their water bill. It’s important to us that our customers understand what they get for their money so we’ve launched this latest campaign to explain where your money goes.

The website is loaded with campy jokes and stereotypical dialogue which sometimes goes a bit too far; despite this, the two frugal frumps are a gateway to a lot of valuble, concise information, like “How do we spend your money?” or “how we collect and treat your water.”

YouTube commenters have quickly piled on with the expected criticisms, mostly on the theme of you’re wasting the public’s money on this stupid campaign and advertising.

A mentor of mine once told me, “If you’re not being criticized, you’re not making progress.” He was right.

Embedded video below or view on YouTube here.

Friday 5 UK Edition: Good Stuff You Missed This Week

ONE: eBay Water Item of the Week:

A working water system…just perfect for tiny suburbia! This is a 1960s vintage toy sink, made by Casdon in the UK. Seller notes “The item is in very good condition and the box is OK but has lost one flap.” GBP 14.99

TWO: Weird Water News Item of the Week:

From UKPA: March 16, 2010: Radio 1 DJ Scott Mills has plumbed the depths with a torrent of filth – by trekking through a stinking sewer for a charity challenge.

The Radio 1 DJ was set the task of stomping through human waste in London’s Victorian sewer system for a mile by fellow radio host Chris Moyles.

Scott is being given a different “mile from hell” each day this week ahead of Sport Relief this weekend.

The afternoon presenter was kitted out with safety gear before descending underground with Thames Water’s chief sewer flusher Rob Smith, who has spent the last 20 years keeping London’s sewage moving. (screenshot from a hysterical video at bbc.co.uk/blogs)

THREE: Quotable Quote of the Week:

“That was one of the most bizarre two hours of my life – I’m sure I saw last night’s dinner floating past.”
Scott Mills, after his charity sewer trek.

FOUR: Water photo of the week:

Who Ya Gonna Call? by gazzat on Flickr (Taken in Budleigh Salterton, Devon, UK)

FIVE: Water Merch of the Week

Vintage Brit WWII propaganda on a modern Sigg water bottle, $28.00 from cafepress.com