If you missed this commercial because you fell asleep or had to bring up the 3rd glass of water to your young one for the night, here it is:

And not suprisingly, it is sparking all sorts of controversy.  The NY Times said, “This misguided spot put the “mental” in “environmental.”  The plastics council is upset that it unfairly demonizes plastic bags and bottles. The Daily Green thinks it’s funny.  USA today summarized the multiple points of view nicely here.

I thought one of the most thoughtful posts was David Roberts on Huffington Post, who said,

Anyway, not to overthink it (ahem), but the ad is not just another pot shot at greens. It’s an appeal to a new and growing demographic that isn’t hard-core environmentalist — and doesn’t particularly like hard-core environmentalists — but that basically wants to do the right thing. Audi’s effort to reach them, however clumsy, is actually a bit ahead of the curve.

What did I think?  Honestly, I laughed out loud the first time I saw it.  Because at some level, most of us trying to live green can relate. We have experienced a time when we felt really guilty for acting–well, like we used to. I remember the surprised look from a neighbor when she saw my grocery cart filled with paper bags (Reusable is now the green norm in 02459). And I’m feeling guilty and thinking, “Why did I have to run into someone the same day that I switched cars and forgot to switch the bags?!” Like any good commercial, it takes something people can relate to and creates a extreme version of it to provoke response.  The spot created buzz—whether it sells more clean diesel cars remains to be seen.

I totally understand that climate change, droughts, depleted resources, and toxins in our food/water/air aren’t funny. But I agree with David Roberts’ perspective that there is a large group of people out there who want to do the right thing, but also find the tone and perspective of some environmentalists judgmental, confusing, condescending, and yes–Green Police-esque. I know that’s how I felt initially—and sometimes still do!

That sentiment was part of the motivation for Practically Green. I just didn’t feel like something existed to make it simple to understand my options and the possible trade-offs based on where I was and what mattered to me. Something that gave me permission to be super green in one area and not so green in another and acknowledges that doing something is better than doing nothing.

At the core of Practically Green is a philosophy that acknowledges we’re all busy, that change is hard, that green can be confusing, and that eco-perfection may be the enemy of the good. We keep a sign on the office wall to remind us daily to be smart, practical, helpful, fun–and passionate, but never preachy.

And after yesterday’s commercial, never, ever Police-y.

So–what do you think?  Could you see the humor in it?  Or do you think it’s idiotic or downright offensive?