The arts organisation Home has responded to questions put to it, without clarifying if they intend to have a ‘no-fossil fuels’ policy that would be in keeping with their vaunted “Carbon Literacy” status.

Having posted this story, MCFly then sent this:

Dear Mr Barnett,

statement for publication requested:

last night I attended a screening of “Sorry to Bother You” at Home. One of the adverts declared that Home’s staff are carbon literate and that Home takes its environmental obligations seriously.  (or words to that effect).

This was followed, about a minute later, by an long advert for… Emirates Airlines.

So, I have the following questions

a) have there been ANY discussions within Home’s decision-makers about refusing to accept advertising from fossil-fuel intensive industries (oil companies, airlines)?

b) if so, what was the outcome of the discussion.

c) if not, are such discussions planned for the near future?

Thanks so much!

Here’s the reply, received a few minutes ago

Hi Marc

Thank you for your email.

This is our response to your questions:

“We meet regularly to discuss from which organisations we accept advertising. There are organisations whose adverts we would not be comfortable screening, and therefore don’t. Advertising in our cinemas provides us with income without which we would not be able to screen the range of films we do.”

Thank you…

Mike

MCFly says:  While Home gets points for a quick response (unlike, say, the Labour members of the Neighbourhoods and Environment “Scrutiny” Committee), it is a response, not a reply.   It’s bland boilerplate, designed to close down a conversation.

But it can’t help but reveal that “carbon literacy” isn’t worth a bucket of warm spit, and that outfits like Home will continue to preen about their environmental credentials while taking the fossil fuel shilling, until the waters close over our heads.

People get well-trained and well-paid to deliver this sort of thing, which reveals nothing at all about the future plans (or LACK of future plans) of the organisation.  The final paragraph of the story linked to above applies….