I missed the boat...

... but it's good news.

In a previous newsletter, I said I was going to talk to clients of a certain supermarket. This supermarket brands itself as ‘the most sustainable’, while the numbers tell a different story. As the largest supermarket in the Netherlands, they’re part of a holding that would be responsible for €119 billion of climate damage until 2050 if they stick to their current plans. That’s why, all over the country, activists were going to talk to their clients and ask them to sign a petition this week.

It sounds easy enough, if you’re not thinking about logistics.

*hamsterééén is the supermarket’s slogan during their sales. It means ‘hoarding’.

We sorted it out and divided our group: two people on Monday, two others (including me) on Friday.

I was not looking forward to this. When I exit a supermarket with a sack of potatoes and sixpack of beers, I don’t want to talk to a stranger, I just want to get home. So how will people respond?

I was anxiously waiting for our brave pioneers to report.

I was actually starting to get excited. It seems I have a talent for pissing people off, why not use it for a good cause?

That’s when we got a message from ‘headquarters’.

Moral of the story: if you want to take action, do it today or someone else gets to be the hero.

More importantly, it worked! When people unite and use their voices, companies will have to listen.

We’re not going to bury our hamsters just yet. This announcement is important, but we’ll have to wait and see if they keep their promise.

And if they don’t… we’ll know what to do!

With love,