It has been interesting watching Greenpeace target the high tech industry. Greenpeace has gone after Dell, HP, and Apple for their products use of components that have an environmental impact. Mike Manos and I talked years ago how it was only a matter of time when Greenpeace target data centers.
Why Data Centers? Because, they are big expensive buildings run by rich companies (Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Twitter, and Financial Companies) that use huge amounts of power. Greenpeace has a difficult time changing the behavior of electric utilities as they have protested nuclear power plants, hydroelectric dams, etc.
As an alternative Greenpeace goes after the biggest consumers of a product they consider bad for the environment. One of Greenpeace’s recent targets is Palm Oil and Nestle. Here is Greenpeace’s post on Nestle on Mar 23, 2010.
Nestlé doesn't deserve a break
On this page
Feature story - March 23, 2010
Nestlé has remained relatively silent since issuing its initial statement of contract cancellations with palm oil supplier Sinar Mas. This is despite the fact that it is still receiving a barrage of complaints and criticism via its Facebook page from people who recognize that Nestlé's concessions made last week are not enough to protect Indonesia's rainforests.
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Nestlé is buying palm oil from companies who are destroying orang-utan habitat.
The contract cancellations do not go nearly far enough to protect Indonesian rainforests because Nestlé will still be using Sinar Mas palm oil, but just getting it from other suppliers.
In response to the ongoing criticism it has faced online Nestlé also began to circulate a Q & A on its palm oil use, which also included its commitment to using only "Certified Sustainable PAlm Oil" by 2015. Again, this is not a solution and it does go far enough. 2015 will be far too late for the already endangered orang-utan and Indonesia's rainforests - which are being deforested at the fastest rate of any major forested country in the world. Earning Indonesia an unfortunate place in The Guinness Book of World Records.
And here are reported results.
NaturalNews) Nestle recently announced that it would stop purchasing palm oil from the world's second largest producer out of concern over rainforest destruction, but Greenpeace alleges that the company has failed to keep this promise.
Following a Greenpeace report accusing Indonesian palm oil producer Sinar Mas of responsibility for widespread destruction of endangered rainforests and peatlands for palm oil plantations, Nestle announced in March that it would cease doing business with the company. In December, Nestle rival Unilever had cut ties with Sinar Mas over the same issue.
"We will continue to pressure our suppliers to eliminate any sources of palm oil which are related to rainforest destruction and to provide valid guarantees of traceability as quickly as possible," Nestle said.
NYTimes reports on Soros donating $100 million to Human Rights Watch
Soros to Donate $100 Million to Rights Group
Published: September 6, 2010
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George Soros, the billionaire investor and philanthropist, plans to announce on Tuesday that he is giving $100 million to Human Rights Watch to expand the organization’s work globally.
As the NYTimes reports, Soros action drives other money to his causes.
Last year, in the depths of the recession, Mr. Soros gave the Robin Hood Foundation, a charity that fights poverty in New York, a $50 million contribution that helped it raise significantly more than that amount. He also gave every family with children on welfare in New York State $200 to buy school supplies, a grant worth $35 million that enabled the state to gain access to some $175 million in federal money for which it would not otherwise have qualified.
Now, go back to the Greenpeace post on Palm Oil I put above.
Note the “Support Us” in red above.
Greenpeace cannot survive without support for its causes.
In Greenpeace’s core values.
- In exposing threats to the environment and finding solutions we have no permanent allies or adversaries;
- We ensure our financial independence from political or commercial interests;
Greenpeace needs power and money to be independent.
Going after Facebook’s coal data centers let’s Greenpeace raise money and show its power to create change.
Do you think Greenpeace is going to back down until they get Facebook to change its power composition proactively?
Oct 1, 2010 is the opening of “The Social Network” the Facebook movie. Just wait until October for more pressure from Greenpeace.
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