“Steve Jobs stepped into the light with another long essay [yesterday] (I still think he should start a blog) on Apple’s environmental policies. Remember if you will that little kerfuffle a few weeks back about how the environmental organization was using its considerable PR chops to smack Apple around a little for the nasty chemicals that go inside its computers, all the while making nice with Dell. I didn’t think much of its claims and for the most part, still don’t,” Arik Hesseldahl writes for BusinessWeek.
“Jobs finally shot back today in a signed six-page statement entitled ‘A Greener Apple,’ saying that after investigating the matter, it’s his opinion that Apple is either ahead of many of the companies that Greenpeace has graded higher, or soon will be ahead of them,” Hesseldahl writes.
Full article here.
Stephen Withers writes for iTWire, “Greenpeace’s response to Apple’s announcement fails to give full credit to the Mac and iPod maker, and to some extent appears to misrepresent CEO Steve Jobs’ open letter in order to justify the environmental group’s April 2007 report (as well as earlier editions) on mobile phone and PC manufacturers’ greenness.”
Withers writes, “The problem with the Greenpeace report was that it made no attempt to find out about the actual presence of hazardous substances in different companies’ products. Instead, it merely ranked companies ‘on information that is publicly available.'”
“When Greenpeace welcomed Jobs’ statement that ‘Today we’re changing our policy,’ it failed to make it clear that what he actually announced was a change in policy regarding talking about Apple’s efforts in reducing and eliminating hazardous substances and increasing recycling, not a change in its policy about those substances or practices,” Withers writes.
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers “LinuxGuy and Mac Prodigal Son” and “Judge Bork” for the heads up.]
awesome,
Take my wife, please.
Thanks to Henny
@loganson:
“… rather than using terrorist tactics and name calling,…
Utter crap. Americans scare me… and anally retentive, so-called Mac users even more [and I live in New York]. Stop throwing around the word “terrorist” when there’s something you don’t like… you show yourself to be immature.
Greenpeace has a role in this world. They’ve been quick to attack the oil companies for their record on the environment and oil spills [Exxon Valdez; Kharg 5 and many more]. They publicly denounced chemical companies who pump heavy metals into our rivers and campaigned against manufacturing plants that flout effluent laws, when these factories pump their effluent in our groundwater.
On this particular issue they are wrong in my view. But for god’s sake keep the jingoistic, belligerent and blinkered rhetoric out of this discussion. Frankly, it’s embarrassing.
If you can’t hold a conversation like a grown-up, then f*ck off back to the playground or get back to school. Juvenile.
Greenpeace acts like a whore pandering to media tastes to get their own brand of hits. Mention Apple and create attention to a non issue and you still get coverage for Greenpeace.
“I want to come to america,
is there anyjobs there”
There are four left. Please hurry.
ibookfast:
“such vitriol thrown at people who take ecological considerations into account. why so defensive? No kids, no care? future generations, if are there are any, will look back and think how selfish and short sighted many people act right now. Too bad we can’t trust businesses and governments to be naturally responsible when protecting our planet from destruction. Greenpeace and other groups like them are better than nothing, I suppose.
I’m guessing there is a silent majority reading this thread who don’t agree with all the whining about environmentalists.”
YIKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
where do I begin with this FUD???
First off, if your principle concern is COLLECTING MONEY, and NOT THE ENVIRONMENT, then either you are not an environmentalist (you’re a scam artist) or the term environmentalist itself implies fraud, deceit and not really caring about the environment at all. Take your pick, which is it?
Is Greenpeace an environmental group? If so, then the term environmentalist really should be mocked and ridiculed. The truth really does matter, sorry. If a group cares about protecting the environment then integrity and the truth will matter. That clearly was NOT the case here, they knowingly published false and misleading information about Apple because they KNEW it would generate revenue from their followers.
So, no, Greenpeace is NOT “better than nothing” they are WORSE than nothing, if environmentalism and protecting the environment MATTERS AT ALL, then they are harmful. Even you, IF YOU REALLY CARE about the environment would be disgusted with Greenpeace. Since you are not I have to assume you’re either not informed about this topic and how Greenpeace lied (I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that’s what it was) or you’re really don’t have any integrity at all, and care only for symbolism and not the actual environment.
Bottom line, the truth matters, and Greenpeace knowingly lies.
charlie:
“Greenpeace has a role in this world. They’ve been quick to attack the oil companies for their record on the environment and oil spills [Exxon Valdez; Kharg 5 and many more]. They publicly denounced chemical companies”
No.. no they don’t. Sorry, but Greenpeace was hardly the only group that got on Exxon’s back for the Valdez. Likewise other groups don’t like chemical companies dumping chemicals in streams.
“On this particular issue they are wrong in my view. But for god’s sake keep the jingoistic, belligerent and blinkered rhetoric out of this discussion. Frankly, it’s embarrassing.”
Frankly it’s embarrassing that people want to whitewash out the fact that Greenpeace knowingly published a fraudulent report on Apple, and continued to lie about Apple as they realized it was generating them income even after their lies were pointed out publicly.
If you run an organization that serves as a public watchdog, on any issue whether it be consumer product safety, the environment, public health, etc.. The most important thing you have is your integrity. If you lose that, you have nothing. Greenpeace has nothing.
I am a supporter of Greenpeace. I don’t always agree with everything that they do, but they have been working hard for many years to alert the world to the damage we are doing to the environment. If Greenpeace have increased Apple’s focus on BEING green, and TALKING ABOUT being green, then they have already achieved something important.
Over the years I have met several people who work for Greenpeace. They are usually volunteers, and believe passionately about the environment and the damage we are doing to it.
If you go back and look at what Greenpeace were saying 10 years ago, you will find that not only were they right, but they were often the ONLY voice which was raising public consciousness on these issues.
Whether their assessment about Apple’s greenness was right or wrong, it is unlikely to have been motivated by malice.
‘If you can’t hold a conversation like a grown-up, then f*ck off back to the playground or get back to school. Juvenile.’
(perfect irony)
Meanpeace
Sydney, can you state specifically what issues GP was talking about ten years ago that they were right about, and the only voice?
I have done pro-bono work for Conservation Int’l, and while there are certainly plenty of good people working as volunteers for groups like Greenpeace, please be careful ascribing characteristics of those people who work as volunteers, as they tend to be idealistic, with those paid apparatchiks who take the ends justify the means approach.
Towetone; T’moon:
whining b*tches, totalitarian, dirt munching, creep gene, enviro-terrorists, greenpiss, <i>extremist</b>, reg.acne.piss, assholes, terrorist tactics, apparatchiks, whore…
Interesting collection of words.
Juvenile, adolescent, immature… and wrong. Once again, let’s keep the jingoistic, belligerent and blinkered rhetoric out of the discussion. Greenpeace is an imperfect organisation that’s twisted facts to suit its agenda.
Hmm, now where have I heard that before…
Welcome to the real world.
Greenpeace is always pointing fingers for a good cause but has no solutions !!!
Hi LinuxGuy and Mac Prodigal Son,
What an analogy!
“Greenpeace is to Apple’s greening as a rooster is to the sunrise.”
I just quoted you in the comments section on the businessweek blog. Hope they publish that.
fart, i am soo hungry can someone please order aq pizza for me?
In Australia