An Apple a day won't do much good if you're breathing in air polluted by coal.
Sorry for the pun. But really...Apple isn't struggling, it can afford to do this.
After pressure from Greenpeace, Apple declared its newest data centre would all be powered by renewables. Not bad. But they could do better. I'm sure they've got more than one data centre.
Did you know: If you used a web service like Netflix, Pinterest, Dropbox or Instagram today, you were routed through Amazon’s cloud platform? (source)
A recent study estimated that one third of all daily internet users will access an Amazon cloud site on average at least once a day; Greenpeace believes 64% of Amazon's electricity comes from coal.
There’s hope! The tech industry is led by a few very large companies who can choose to quit the coal habit. Thanks to you [people supporting Greenpeace campaigns], Facebook already has. So we're kicking off a campaign to see Microsoft, Amazon, and Apple — three of the largest owners of data centres in the world — make the switch."
As Chairman of Microsoft, Bill Gates still has a lot of clout. I'm going to recycle yesterday's post and send a letter to Bill.
Clever error message in Israel office
To: Bill Gates
Thank you for all of the amazing work the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation does in the world! However, the world today cannot be changed by non-profit foundations alone. Businesses can increase their value by making the world a better place.
A couple years ago, the Facebook group "Unfriend Coal" appeared. 20 months later, Facebook announced a goal to run on renewable energy. That's huge...Facebook uses more electricity than some small countries.
Facebook even purportedly asked Google for help with designing more energy efficient servers (yay! I love it when our Internet overlords collaborate for good causes).
Greenpeace has a timeline on how they made it happen (actually, how we made it happen ... campaigns are only as successful as people like us supporting)
Here's the video they used to launch the campaign:
Despite former CEO Bill Gate's extreme love for philanthropy, Microsoft isn't doing too well yet in this regard.
It's been slow churning out these letters, so I’m going to cop out and take more ideas from Greenpeace. They’ve got lots of good things going already. Hopefully the blog will diversify organizations a bit in the future....but GP has made it so easy! And that’s why their campaigns are so successful.
The below video's finest moment is when the Colonel drawls in his Southern accent "Shove it, hippy!"
The Letter
To: KFC CEO David Novak
It has been called to my attention that KFC's packaging is made from rainforests in Indonesia, including the habitat of the endangered Sumatra tiger.
Please change your packaging to include mainly recycled material, and ensure fibers used are from better managed forests (or from some of the many alternative sources of packaging materials).
I will make sure to discourage family and friends from purchasing KFC until this has been corrected.
Thank you.
Sent to:
KFC's Corporate Address for Customer Comments
P.O. Box 725489
Atlanta, GA 31139
An important demographic which hasn't gotten much mention during this project re: Enbridge is First Nations.
Enbridge says that 60% of First Nations are on board with the pipeline (they will get 10% ownership); although many believe this to be inflated. Enbridge isn't winning a lot of trust, given the oversimplified-to-the-point-of-deception video about the tanker routes:
I'm not really sure who to write to that is of particular relevance to First Nations, so I'll just send some support to Heritage Minister Moore, who was "the first cabinet member to publicly express doubt and criticism of the project" (source).
Another article says Clark may actually help Enbridge because if her conditions are met it may move a chunk of the population to supporters (currently 51% are "moderate" on the pipeline).
“Clark’s demands are more than reasonable in a province where environmentalism trumps cash, tourism and the fishery are economic mainstays, and aboriginal treaty rights remain unclear.”
BC's Premier Clark rocked the Enbridge news in the past weeks with her definitive stance, refusing to partake in national energy strategy discussions "until we see some progress in the discussions between British Columbia, Alberta and the federal government with respect to the Gateway pipeline."
"Deploying world-leading marine oil-spill response, prevention and recovery systems for B.C.'s coastline and ocean" and
"Ensuring British Columbia receives a fair share of the fiscal and economic benefits of a proposed heavy oil project that reflects the level, degree and nature of the risk borne by the province, the environment and taxpayers."
Of course, the latter condition is the one which has been the most controversial. More money?!
No one is happy, though....many environmentalists and First Nations say the conditions are token, won't prevent spills, and put BC on sale to the highest bidder. Pipeline supporters are unhappy about the more money part.
I applaud your tough stance on the Enbridge Pipeline. While you have been plagued by criticism, I think it is important that someone takes a stand. Please keep going and don’t listen to the naysayers! Your stance was an important factor in Enbridge committing to another $500m in safety measures. Still, it’s not enough. As Suzuki said: “B.C.’s premier should have renounced the [national energy strategy] proposal because it’s focused more on tar sands, pipelines, and markets than on getting Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions under control by shifting from fossil fuel dependency to a more efficient system based on conservation and renewable energy.” Whatever the case, thanks for trying hard!
The Honourable Christy Clark
Premier of British Columbia
Box 9041
Station PROV GOVT
Victoria, BC Email: premier@gov.bc.ca Phone: 250-387-1715
