Know your audience?

At the Backcountry offices we get a lot of marketing packages from manufacturers. Usually stuff like catalogs, brochures, CDs and the like are the norm. Recently though, we got a very disturbing package from Gore, of Gore-tex(tm) fame.

Quite simply, the Gore-Tex packet is the most wasteful, foolish thing I've ever seen. Triple fold cardboard and a plethora of brochures, not one of which has any substantive use, are wrapped around a CD. This alone would be mildly irritating for the wastefulness of it. What really burns me up though is that the CD is inside a metal box, which in turn is in a wrapper of sorts made of 1.5 inch THICK cardboard. Take a look at the picture and you'll see what I mean.



I can only assume Gore is sending these stupid things out to manufacturers and retailers all over the country. Attention Dummies! We are the OUTDOOR Industry. We are NOT impressed by your ability to spend money killing trees to package your CDs. CD's for heaven sakes! Next time, send us a CD in an envelope and donate all the money you save to the Sierra Club or something.

I start thinking, "How long has this been going on?" and I get really steamed. Yeah, I like my Gore-Tex Jacket but I'm feeling a LOT less good about it right now.

Consider this a call to action. This sort of wastefulness needs to stop now. We all have computers, and there's a lot more information that fits on a CD than you can pack into a whole box of paper. Get with the program, Gore!

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