Just gimme the monies!


  • :belt_onion:

    Here's what I found in my mailbox today. We didn't get a raise at the end of FY09 but we do get ECO passes. I have absolutely no use for these: my house is already insulated, we already recuperate rain water, we have enough bikes and trees around the house, our lightbulbs have all been replaced already. So now I have to go out and buy €125 worth of eco-design products. Just give me the money! 

    For non-Belgians: CP = Comité Paritair, which is a commitee in which representatives of employers and employees negotiate the boundaries for salary increases in the private sector. CP218 is the committee for employees in general.

     <<<<< start of mail >>>>>

    <font face="Calibri,sans-serif" size="2">A new collective agreement has been negotiated recently for our CP218.  In order to increase the purchasing power of the employees of our sector, all employees will get an Ecopass of a certain value. </font>
    <font face="Calibri,sans-serif" size="2"><font color="#1f497d"> </font></font>
    <font face="Calibri,sans-serif" size="2"><font color="#1f497d">What is an Ecopass?</font></font>
    <font face="Calibri,sans-serif" size="2">An Ecopass is an additional extra-legal advantage, exempted from taxes and can be compared to lunch vouchers or gift certificates.  Our CP218 has elected to distribute eco voucher to its employees.  </font>
    <font face="Calibri,sans-serif" size="2">The Eco Pass can only be used for purchasing products and / or services with an ecological value.  These products and / or services can be divided in 6 categories:</font>
    <font face="Calibri,sans-serif" size="2"><font face="Symbol">·</font><font face="Symbol">         </font>Energy saving (example: purchase of TL-light bulbs; purchase of products to isolate your home)</font>
    <font face="Calibri,sans-serif" size="2"><font face="Symbol">·</font><font face="Symbol">         </font>Water saving (example: invest in a tank to recuperate rain water; purchase of a special shower head);</font>
    <font face="Calibri,sans-serif" size="2"><font face="Symbol">·</font><font face="Symbol">         </font>Durable mobility (invest in an eco driving course, purchase of a bike and parts);</font>
    <font face="Calibri,sans-serif" size="2"><font face="Symbol">·</font><font face="Symbol">         </font>Waste management ( use of a compost barrel; purchase of 100% recyclable paper);</font>
    <font face="Calibri,sans-serif" size="2"><font face="Symbol">·</font><font face="Symbol">         </font>Eco-design (example: purchase of products and / or services that comply with the European eco-label);</font>
    <font face="Calibri,sans-serif" size="2"><font face="Symbol">·</font><font face="Symbol">         </font>Promotion of the attention to nature (purchase of trees and outdoor plants, purchase of bio-guaranteed fertilizer).</font>
    <font face="Calibri,sans-serif" size="2"> </font>
    <font face="Calibri,sans-serif" size="2">More details can be found on www.eco-pass.be</font>
    <font face="Calibri,sans-serif" size="2">Employees can get vouchers of 1, 5 or 10 EUR, but cannot exchange the Eco vouchers for money.</font>



  • Wow.  Maybe next year everyone will get a "cheese of the month" membership instead of a raise.



  • @Xanthus179 said:

    Wow.  Maybe next year everyone will get a "cheese of the month" membership instead of a raise.

     

    Some of those cheeses are expensive.



  •  It's environmentialism, it doesn't matter if it makes sense, as long as you're on board, you're a good person.



  • Money, money, money. That's all you capitalist can think about.
    Save the planet man!
    You don't need the money.

    Buy more light bulbs and give to the poor, or keep them so you have replacements when your old ones burn out in 5 years.
    Or get more recycled paper. That will help the Polar Bears.

    Jeez man, why do you need more money for? I expected that from fat americans, but you are in Belgium ffs!

    P.S. Do you have eco beer? Maybe you can spend your eco-pass on delicious belgian eco beer.


  • :belt_onion:

    @fatdog said:

    Money, money, money. That's all you capitalist can think about.
    Save the planet man!
    You don't need the money.
    I did my part to save the planet and it didn't work. Doesn't look saved to me. Besides, I have already done what I can in the categories that qualify for the eco pass. 

    I'll post a picture tomorrow of my box with replacement eco-lightbulbs :-)

    @fatdog said:

    P.S. Do you have eco beer? Maybe you can spend your eco-pass on delicious belgian eco beer.
    Now that's an idea assuming "eco" doesn't mean "taste like piss", like the "bio" stuff means "has worms in it"



  • @bjolling said:

    <font size="2" face="Calibri,sans-serif"><font face="Symbol">·</font><font face="Symbol">         </font>Waste management ( use of a compost barrel; purchase of 100% recyclable paper);</font>
    Is this a typo or is there non-recyclable paper out there that I haven't seen?


  • Discourse touched me in a no-no place

    @belgariontheking said:

    @bjolling said:
    Waste management ( use of a compost barrel; purchase of 100% recyclable paper);

    Is this a typo or is there non-recyclable paper out there that I haven't seen?



    Probably the omission of the word 'easily.'



    Waxed paper cannot easily be recycled (think McDonald's paper cups,) and the waste-of-space council where I live refuses to take glossy magazines on the premise that they 'cannot be recycled.' (Load of bollocks of course. They're just being lazy/don't want to 'waste' money - not that it stops them wasting it on other useless stuff.)



    The Yellow Pages, IIRC, cannot be used in conventional recycling either.


  • :belt_onion:

    @belgariontheking said:

    @bjolling said:

    <font face="Calibri,sans-serif" size="2"><font face="Symbol">·</font><font face="Symbol">         </font>Waste management ( use of a compost barrel; purchase of 100% recyclable paper);</font>
    Is this a typo or is there non-recyclable paper out there that I haven't seen?

    It's right next to the 100% asbestos free breakfast cereal


  • Buy 125 euro of recycled toilet paper. I'm sure you can figure out some fun uses for that.



  •  You don't have to buy eco products with them. I heard most shops accept the passes for any product. I heard of people buying microwaves and other electronic equipment that has nothing to do with saving the planet.



  • @PJH said:

    @belgariontheking said:
    @bjolling said:
    Waste management ( use of a compost barrel; purchase of 100% recyclable paper);
    Is this a typo or is there non-recyclable paper out there that I haven't seen?
    Probably the omission of the word 'easily.'

    Uh, since when can the easiness of anything be measured in percents?



  • @PJH said:

    Waxed paper cannot easily be recycled (think McDonald's paper cups,) and the waste-of-space council where I live refuses to take glossy magazines on the premise that they 'cannot be recycled.' (Load of bollocks of course. They're just being lazy/don't want to 'waste' money - not that it stops them wasting it on other useless stuff.)



    The Yellow Pages, IIRC, cannot be used in conventional recycling either.

    Yet not far South (Stockport), they'll take all sorts of low grade paper and cardboard, including Yellow Pages. I believe I heard it was used as fuel, rather than recycled as paper, so the quality requirement is less stringent. Now if they'd just get a sensible policy for plastics, we might get somewhere.



  • @Daid said:

    Buy 125 euro of recycled toilet paper. I'm sure you can figure out some fun uses for that.

    Wiping your ass is fun!


  • Discourse touched me in a no-no place

    @derula said:

    @PJH said:
    @belgariontheking said:
    @bjolling said:
    Waste management ( use of a compost barrel; purchase of 100% recyclable paper);
    Is this a typo or is there non-recyclable paper out there that I haven't seen?
    Probably the omission of the word 'easily.'

    Uh, since when can the easiness of anything be measured in percents?


    Um...



    "100% easily recycleable paper", as opposed to "100% easily recycled paper" which is what I'm presuming you're misreading those as.



  • "100% recycled paper".
    There, settled.

    Now either make fun of the belgian hippie, or let this thread die.



  •  @fatdog said:

    "100% recycled paper".
    There, settled.

    Now either make fun of the belgian hippie, or let this thread die.

    Old threads never die, they just stay the same.



  •  meh, you socialists can't think outside the box, can you? It's simple. EBAY!

     Buy some fancy lightbulbs and sell them on the cheap in their original boxes!



  • @bjolling said:

    Here's what I found in my mailbox today. We didn't get a raise at the end of FY09 but we do get ECO passes. I have absolutely no use for these: my house is already insulated

    See, insulation is like sex. You can just never have enough. However, past a certain point it just gets messier and messier.



  • @tOmcOlins said:

    @Daid said:
    Buy 125 euro of recycled toilet paper. I'm sure you can figure out some fun uses for that.

    Wiping your ass is fun!
    Depends on who wipes my ass.



  • TRWTF:

    <a href="https://mail.avanade.com/OWA/redir.aspx?C=0dd6fe2b5ac2437fabb3bff5b2a55e04&amp;URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.eco-pass.be" target="_blank">www.eco-pass.be</a>



  • @wdl said:

    You don't have to buy eco products with them. I heard most shops accept the passes for any product. I heard of people buying microwaves and other electronic equipment that has nothing to do with saving the planet.

    Buy shares of XOM.  At least that's worth something.  And it might gain value over time.



  • @MiffTheFox said:

    TRWTF:

    <a href="https://mail.avanade.com/OWA/redir.aspx?C=0dd6fe2b5ac2437fabb3bff5b2a55e04&amp;URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.eco-pass.be" target="_blank">www.eco-pass.be</a>

    That's not a WTF, that's just something you don't understand.  Five seconds googling would have told you what was going on there.




  • @DaveK said:

    [quote user="MiffTheFox"]

    TRWTF:

    <a href="https://mail.avanade.com/OWA/redir.aspx?C=0dd6fe2b5ac2437fabb3bff5b2a55e04&amp;URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.eco-pass.be" target="_blank">www.eco-pass.be</a>

    That's not a WTF, that's just something you don't understand.  Five seconds googling would have told you what was going on there.


    [/quote]

    I don't understand that he accidentally included a link to his work email?


  • :belt_onion:

    @MiffTheFox said:

    @DaveK said:
    @MiffTheFox said:
    TRWTF:

    <a href="https://mail.avanade.com/OWA/redir.aspx?C=0dd6fe2b5ac2437fabb3bff5b2a55e04&amp;URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.eco-pass.be" target="_blank">www.eco-pass.be</a>

    That's not a WTF, that's just something you don't understand.  Five seconds googling would have told you what was going on there.
    I don't understand that he accidentally included a link to his work email?
    Outlook has the annoying habit of rewriting URL's like this. I don't mind people knowing from what exchange server this mail originated. Not enough at least to spend time anonymizing it.

    And the few colleagues of mine that dwell on these forums will have immediately recognized the e-mail in the OP.



  • @bjolling said:

    @MiffTheFox said:

    @DaveK said:
    @MiffTheFox said:
    TRWTF:

    <a href="https://mail.avanade.com/OWA/redir.aspx?C=0dd6fe2b5ac2437fabb3bff5b2a55e04&amp;URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.eco-pass.be" target="_blank">www.eco-pass.be</a>

    That's not a WTF, that's just something you don't understand.  Five seconds googling would have told you what was going on there.
    I don't understand that he accidentally included a link to his work email?
    Outlook has the annoying habit of rewriting URL's like this. I don't mind people knowing from what exchange server this mail originated. Not enough at least to spend time anonymizing it.

    And the few colleagues of mine that dwell on these forums will have immediately recognized the e-mail in the OP.

     

    It's worse when someone sends you one of those OWA-mangled URLs with an internal server name. How are you meant to connect to http://lucy/owa/UrlBlockedError.aspx ?



  • It's even better when "Outlook Web Access" is misconfigured and the links don't even work normally (endlessly asking you for username/password and claiming it is invalid). One of the places I worked at managed that somehow. Had to copy/paste all links out of emails when checking from home...



  •  Buy carbon credits.


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