cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/130750

Outreach pharmacy. Reasonable turn out last time.

I think they try to do this once a month?

  • southerntofu@lemmy.ml
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    2 years ago

    There’s a few things to note about these neighborhood cleaning campaigns:

    • they’re usually a form of greenwashing for big corps, such as soda manufacturers secretly sponsoring beach cleaning sessions, or “recycling” initiatives so that we don’t worry too much about the pollution they produce… they create a sense of individual responsibility for pollution: supposedly we individuals can make a difference, which all sciences denies (most pollution comes from industral lifestyle not individual choices)
    • they intend to replace local public cleaning services, which is good in some sense… but when it’s promoted by the local government or local corporation, you can assume the goal is not to empower local communities but to reduce expenses for the administration (cutting public services)
    • they are sometimes coopted/assimilated by reactionary political groups, so as to further ostracize already-marginalized groups: a “clean” district is supposedly one where nobody paints on the walls or sings/dances widely in public… a place which everybody is a part of but nobody can act upon or enjoy (unless you have the proper police permission). special mention to cities closing down all public showers and toilets then complaining about how the homeless are such dirty people (i mean it would be possible and easy to have 0 homelessness across the world, but even without that it’s possible to have facilities to help the lives of struggling folks)
    • sproid@lemmy.ml
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      2 years ago

      That’s general knowledge people need to know but, is it the case with this one? Also, regardless of its origin getting a public area cleaned is better than not getting cleaned at all.

      • southerntofu@lemmy.ml
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        2 years ago

        I don’t know about this one which is why i put this skeptical disclaimer :)

        I agree cleaning your community is good. I just think it’s worth it to frame this activity/discussion as a political one which has more ramifications than appears.

    • Aless246@lemmy.caOP
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      2 years ago

      secretly sponsoring beach cleaning

      Wouldn’t this Not make a big company look better since nobody would know the big company is involved. 😛

      The part of the city they clean up is pretty dirty from trash.

      I have thought these endeavors encourage the city gov to do even less.

      • rcbrk@lemmy.ml
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        2 years ago

        Because their drink packaging keeps accumulating in the ocean, in landfill, everywhere else that isn’t the beach.

        Meanwhile, Big Drink continues to lobby governments against effective measures such as container deposit/pfand and/or reusable container systems.

        It’s better for their marketing image if they don’t acknowledge that they acknowledge that it’s a problem.