Environmentalists target "Ronald McHummer"

McDonald's has cooked up a deal with Hummer, and public health and environmental advocates aren't "lovin' it." Here's how a new parody website launched by the Environmental Working Group starts:

McDonald's often emphasizes its "long-standing global commitment to environmental protection and leadership."

So why did they give away 42 million toy Hummers in Happy Meals? The fast-food chain that helped make our kids the fattest on Earth cut a deal with General Motors to sell future car buyers on the fun of driving a supersized, smog-spewing, gas-guzzling SUV originally built for the military.

The website gives Five Reasons McDonald's Should Dump the Hummer:

1. Hummers pollute high levels of smog-forming chemicals that cause or worsen asthma, which hits hardest among children.

2. Hummers are the worst example of the lack of commitment to cleaner and more efficient vehicles by General Motors and other American automakers.

3. Hummers spew the pollution that causes global warming, contributing to killer heat waves and hurricanes.

4. Hummers are gas guzzlers, helping keep America dependent on oil from the Middle East and threatened by the region's extremist politics.

5. At current gas prices, filling up a Hummer H2 costs almost $100 - money parents could spend on healthier food for their kids.

The site also links to the useful Auto Asthma Index, which provides a chart of the smoggiest cities in the U.S., as ranked by the American Lung Association. Of the top 20 smoggy metro areas, six are in the South: Houston (#6 on the list); Dallas (8); the Virginia and West Virginia outreaches of D.C. (12); Knoxville (14); Charlotte (15); and Raleigh (16).

The EWG site has a form for readers to contact McDonald's headquarters with their concerns. Readers can also use the "Ronald McHummer Sign-O-Matic™ to say what you think of this misguided marketing marriage," which will project your thoughts onto the image of a real Golden Arches sign.

Go here to read previous entries and vote; according to the website here are the top three:

"Destroying the Planet, One Burger at a Time"

"No, In Fact We Don't Care about the Planet. Give Us Your Money."

"Would You Like a War With That?"