From a Star Wars Death Star to Cinderella’s castle and every wonderful creation in between, LEGO’s colorful blocks offer endless possibilities. Brick by brick, these tiny toys inspire the imaginations of future architects, engineers, scientists and other problem solvers who want to build and shape the world for the better.
That’s why it’s so important that the beloved toymaker has recently decided to end its 50-year-long partnership with Shell following a viral Greenpeace campaign that targeted the oil company’s plan to drill the Arctic coast of Alaska.
Earlier this summer, the international environmental organization released an emotional video where our favorite plastic bricks and little yellow faces drown in slick black crude as a gut-wrenching rendition of “The LEGO Movie” theme song “Everything is Awesome” plays in the background. The message is this: “Shell is polluting our kids’ imaginations. Tell LEGO to end its partnership with Shell.”
Since its release, the video has chalked up nearly 6 million views, sparking protests around the world and garnering nearly 1 million petition signatures to stop LEGO from associating with a company that’s planning to exploit the polar region for more oil.
MORE: Discover what LEGO is doing in classrooms across America. Take Action
Remarkably, Greenpeace’s campaign succeeded. Following public pressure, LEGO will no longer have Shell’s logo on its toys, and the toy company will stop distributing free sets at Shell’s gas stations around the world, according to Salon.
LEGO’s departure really matters, as James Turner, the Head of Arctic Communications for Greenpeace writes, “By placing its logo in thousands of playrooms around the world, Shell tried to insulate itself against anyone who claims that oil companies have no long term place in our society. Children who grow up with Shell toys are less likely to criticize the brand in later life, and are more inclined to believe the company when it claims that spills, fires and accidents are just the cost of doing business.”
Turner points out that while LEGO’s bricks are made from oil, the Danish company is currently searching for “alternative, non fossil based materials for its bricks in the coming years” and pledges “to use only renewable energy across all of its factories and offices.”
LEGO President and CEO Jørgen Vig Knudstorp says in a statement following his company’s breakup with Shell, “We are determined to leave a positive impact on society and the planet that children will inherit. Our unique contribution is through inspiring and developing children by delivering creative play experiences all over the world.”
Meanwhile, Shell is still gearing up to drill the Arctic (so maybe everything isn’t awesome quite yet). However, more and more companies are distancing themselves from Big Oil, as Salon notes. LEGO is following in a wider trend of large companies such as Google, Facebook and the Rockerfeller family in cutting ties with corporations that exploit fossil fuels or worsen climate change. This kind of corporate responsibility is absolutely tantamount to protecting our fragile environment, as well as a safer world for future generations.
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DON’T MISS: These Kids Studied 600 LEGO Sets and Found Something Very Unsettling
Tag: viral videos
The World’s Most Difficult Job and 4 Other Videos That Inspired Us This Month
You can not take any breaks, you are constantly on your feet and during the holidays your workload doubles. Watch an interview for the world’s most difficult job and four other videos that inspired us this month
Let’s Do Something For the Holders of the World’s Toughest Job
Last week, a video about the “World’s Toughest Job” made a big splash on the Internet. For anyone who hasn’t seen it yet, a fake company called “Rethom” (read it backwards) posted a job listing for a “Director of Operations” position that had some pretty insane requirements:
– Must be able to work 135+ hours a week
– Willingness to forgo any breaks
– Work mostly standing up and/or bending down
– Demonstrate knowledge and experience in negotiating, counseling and culinary arts
– Have an understanding of finance
– Have an understanding of medicine
– Maintain a positive disposition at all times
The position is unpaid, you will be on call 24/7 — and the work will actually increase during the holidays. As Adweek writes, the ad for this position got 2.7 million impressions from paid ad placements, and 24 real-life people actually inquired about this job. On the day of their interview, they got dressed up, were told about the requirements from this job from you know where, and all their reactions were caught on video (which has gone viral in the few short days it’s been out and blogs have applauded it as a tearjerker and amazing). Of course, there’s a big emotional twist.
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Turns out (if you haven’t already guessed or watched the video, which was created by Boston ad company Mullen for the greeting card company Cardstore.com just in time for Mother’s Day next month) there are billions of people around the world who already have this grueling job. (Spoiler alert!) They’re mothers.
MORE: Are Cars the Key to Single Mothers Achieving Self-Sufficiency?
Critics, however, have attacked the video for being schmaltzy or sidelining the dads who take on this role. Point taken, but perhaps the video struck a chord because it highlights the oft-ignored and thankless labor that women go through.
There are an estimated 85.4 million mothers in the United States, not to mention the millions of fathers and caregivers who also hold this position. Maybe instead of buying a greeting card or just forwarding the link of the video with the message, “I love you, mommy,” we should also do something that would really show how much they are appreciated?
Since mothers work 135+ hours a week, how about improving access and affordability of daycare centers or after school programs?
ALSO: Here’s Why We Should Be Investing in Single Moms
Since there’s no vacation, what about increasing maternity leave? American moms take off about 10 weeks on average after giving birth compared to 52 weeks in the United Kingdom.
Since moms need to be medical, culinary and financial experts, what about making sure they actually have the means to keep their families healthy? We’re talking access to adequate health care and leaving welfare, food stamps and WIC programs untouched.
Since the job of motherhood goes unpaid, what about increasing the pay of their day job (or jobs) or closing the wage gap? It’s still 77 cents to every dollar a man earns. For all the talk about “Leaning In,” what about actively promoting more women to top jobs? Maybe then, women could really have it all.
Watch a Month’s Worth of Inspiration in 2 Minutes
With a Lego kit, a thumbtack and a few supplies from Home Depot, 12-year-old Shubham Banerjee built a budget-friendly Braille printer to help the visually impaired read. Watch this and four other amazing videos that inspired us in this month.