Friday Funny: A Tasty Approach To Climate Change

Posted by Heidi Schwartz

The connection between buildings and climate change has been discussed many times on FacilityBlog. On May 28, 2015, I posted a story that reiterated the statement, “Buildings account for 39% of carbon emissions in the United States and are a major contributor to climate change worldwide.”

So if buildings are contributing to climate change, what can building occupants do to help? Well, according to Ben & Jerry’s, it’s all about ice cream (surprise, surprise)!

saveOurSwirled on iceThe company with a taste for social issues is now tapping into the power of its fan base just in time for the UN Climate Summit in late 2015. The company has created a flavor to bring attention to this historic issue and to send out an SOS for the planet.

The flavor is called Save Our Swirled, and it features raspberry ice cream, marshmallow and raspberry swirls, plus dark and white fudge ice cream cones. And according to the folks at Ben & Jerry’s it’s unlike any flavor before it. In the words of Chris Rivard, the Flavor Guru behind Save Our Swirled, “It’s sweet and refreshing with a chocolaty finish; truly a great flavor.”

But how will the company explain its position on this important issue using ice cream? Ben & Jerry’s says its stance on climate change and ice cream is one in the same: if it’s melted, it’s ruined! Save Our Swirled is more than just the company’s newest “swirled-class” flavor; it’s a climate change message customers can’t ignore.

In order to launch the message and the flavor, Ben & Jerry’s is partnering with Tesla Motors, which will be using its Model S to power the company’s US-based Save Our Swirled Tour. The tour is aimed at bringing climate action—and free ice cream!—to people’s doors all across the country in partnership with Avaaz. For a taste of Save Our Swirled, tweet to Ben & Jerry’s using the hashtag #SaveOurSwirled and the Tesla ModelS might just swing by as part of the @BenJerrysTour.

On a more serious (less fattening note), the company is also urging its fans to sign a petition supporting the global shift to 100% clean energy by 2050 and the complete phase-out of carbon pollution.