Sergeant Erich Pfiefer of the Green Police has a very important message to share with sports fans this Super Bowl Sunday. In a commercial to be aired during the game (now available on YouTube), he reminds people they should use one napkin per sandwich. "One equals one," he deadpans in his short shorts as Switchfoot sings a cover of Cheap Trick’s “Dream Police” – with the simple switch of a lyric to “Green Police.”
The Green Police’s humorous delivery has a serious underlying message. "If everyone followed this rule, more than one billion pounds of napkins could be saved from landfills each year," Pfiefer says. Audi’s Green Police campaign is geared to remind Americans that even simple eco-friendly practices can make a big difference in the nation’s conservation efforts.
The campaign is also part of a plan for Audi to show that tree huggers and the auto industry don’t have to be at odds. The Audi A3 TDI was recently named the 2010 Green Car of the Year. The vehicle receives this honor because it boasts fuel efficiency and energy-saving LED running lights while still maintaining the luxuries of a sports car.
"We consider the Green Car of the Year title one of the most important industry accolades," said Johan de Nysschen president of Audi of America. In an effort to promote their green car and general green practices, Audi is sponsoring the Green Police ads to be run at this year’s Super Bowl.
But the Green Police are not merely Audi’s imagined environment patrols – the auto industry leaders may have drawn inspiration from some real-life squads. In New York, a green police squad operates under the State Department of Environmental Conservation. This green police is an eco-task team that surprises city-dwellers with impromptu environmentalist lectures and issues fines in favor of pro-sustainability.
Moreover, the real-life Green Police have a global reach. The Ministry of Environmental Protection in Israel considers the national Green Police to be the main arm of green enforcement and waste deterrence.
Similarly, the UK’s environmental agency set up a Green Police force – complete with bright green jackets – that has the right to demand access to company property, view power meters, and demand bills from business owners who may not know they’re being watched.
No matter where in the world football fans are, they can enjoy the Super Bowl and the hilarious Green Police Audi ads soon to debut. But be careful about grabbing an extra napkin for those Buffalo wings.
While the idea of “Green Police” is a little on the cheesy side, I get the thought and think it is one of the underrated notions of the decade.
We as American’s (as thought leaders) need to start to embrace a collective environmental enforcement movement and common vision other countries can rally around. I’m not sure how the Audi green police thing fits into that.
But as far as local law(s) enforcement, it has to start somewhere, so why not here?! Even if that means that there are a few more green police cars on the streets. haha
cool, looking forward to seeing the green police ad during the super bowl.
if it’s anything like the audi green police videos on youtube they are kinda funny.