According to Greenpeace, “Sometimes companies need to be reminded of their environmental commitments–like HP’s 2007 promise to stop putting toxic chemicals in their computer products. That’s why our activists climbed to the top of HP’s global headquarters in Palo Alto California today, and William Shatner (yes, Captain James T. Kirk) recorded a special voice message for all the staff in the building.”
Greenpeace’s website proclaims:
We painted a huge message “Hazardous Products” onto the roof of the Hewlett-Packard building (the paint was toxic-free). Meanwhile a voice mail from actor William Shatner was delivered to all the phones in the building with an automated system.
HP was being called-out for backtracking on its commitments to phase out toxic chemicals from its products by the end of this year. It cost them a penalty point in our Guide to Greener Electronics last month, along with Dell and Lenovo. So to get them back onto the straight and narrow, we’re delivering reminders to the company at their buildings, in the press and online.
Today’s action follows similar demonstrations at HP offices in China and the Netherlands highlighting the continued presence of toxic chemicals in its products.
Earlier this year, HP postponed its 2007 commitment to phase out dangerous substances such as brominated flame retardants (BFR) and PVC (polyvinyl chloride) plastic from their computer products (excluding their server and printer lines) from 2009 to 2011.
It’s shameful that HP is continuing to put hazardous products on the market, despite the promises it made. It should be following the lead of companies like Apple, which has led the sector in phasing out these toxic chemicals.
Apple’s new computer lines, virtually free of PVC and completely BFR-free, demonstrate the technical feasibility and supply-chain readiness of producing alternatives to these hazardous substances. Dell, Lenovo and Acer have also stayed ahead of HP, putting models on the market that are free of, or at least significantly reduced in their use of, PVC and BFRs.
So it can be done, other companies are moving much faster that the world’s number one seller of PCs. If HP wants to remain a market leader and not just another purveyor of harmful products, it needs to get back on track and eliminate BFRs and PVC from its products by the end of this year, as promised.
Full article, including William Shatner’s message to HP, here.
MacDailyNews Take: The militant kooks at Greenpeace never fail to at least partially hop onto Apple’s coattails for some free PR. They lost sight of their original mission so long ago, it’s a miracle they can even remember to use the word “environment” in their self-promotional propaganda. They’ve obviously also never heard of the words “criminal trespass and vandalism.” HP needs to fire those responsible for building “security.” And William Shatner should know better: Vi estis manipulita.
GREEN PIECE OF SHIT is how i commonly refer to their organization.
What message did that loon Nancy Pelosi add. worst speaker ever.
Shatner should be ashamed of himself for associating with a bunch of eco-terrorists like Greenpeace. Even one of the founders of the organization left after claiming the organization turned it’s back on science.
They’re basically just one level under Scientology.
Did Scotty beam them up to the roof to do their deed?
Please help me prioritize my hate list.
– Green Peace
– Microsoft
– Scientology
– PETA
– Raiders
* Sorry Raider fans! You’re allowed to substitute Broncos in your list.
Good take, MacDailyNews.
“Greenies” should be careful what they wish for. First it was CFCs destroying the ozone layer and exposing us to harmful UV rays. Their solution was mass conversion to HFCs.
But now here we are 20 years later and we’re finding out that HFCs are up to 4400 X more damaging to our environment than CFCs were.
Relying on Greenpeace for good science is an oxymoron.
I’m confused… Err… confuzed.
I thought Green Peace liked to bash Apple, and Apple products…
Weren’t they recently bitching about the batteries that Apple uses?
Greenpeace are a bunch of media whores. They are made up of marketing graduates who were not good enough to be successful in the real world. They do a great disservice to people who really do care about what’s happening to our world.
You’re a reactionary bunch of fscks on here sometimes aren’t you?
Apparently you’d rather tolerate manufacturers utilising hazardous materials in their products than applaud anyone who gets off their arses- which you, of course, would never do, and tries to do something about it?
What is your problem MDN?
HP made a public commitment to eliminate these harmful materials from their products, then backtracked on that commitment when they thought no one was looking. Only Greenpeace was looking – BIG whoops!
So HP basically lied to the public in order to improve their public image in relation to their environmental credentials and someone has pulled them up on that. If this group had simply issued a press release with no visuals for the print and electronic media, no one would report it, and no one would know HP lied and took the public for a ride. No one was hurt with this stunt, no real damage was done (the paint will wash off with the next shower or a bucket of water and a broom) and HP were very publicly and quite rightly shamed for their deception.
At least for a change Greenpeace are praising Apple.
I agree with knowhowe. Fsck off you do-nothing wankers.
Oh MDN, Greenpeace LIVES on criminal acts and trespassing. It’s the only way they get any attention. If Greenpeace wasn’t militant, it would have been forgotten long, long ago.
What a shit organization. Weren’t these the guys who praised all of these companies a couple of years ago for having wonderful environmental road maps? At the same time bashing Apple because they wouldn’t give in to their demands and produce a similar environmental road map of their own. Even though at the time Apple was clearly one of the most environmentally friendly, award winning companies.
And now? Wow! Wait! You mean a road map doesn’t actually mean it’s going to get done as promised!? Greenpeace has got to be one of the most gullible and worst run organizations on the planet. If non-profit organizations had their own version of pollution, Greenpeace would be it.
I am totaly committed to recycling, but vandalism is much more repugnant. Captain Kirk should be confined to quarters!
Nancy Pelosi – worst speaker ever???? – obviously you don’t remember Mr. Tom Delay. I do – and he was one of the worst.
The “reactionaries” are those that use flawed science to promulgate a political agenda.
You can tell when its flawed science by who signs on the the research. When all the signatories make their living chasing government grants for universities and private firms, and those that don’t won’t sign on, its flawed science.
Much of what has been banned in the past, because ti was ‘bad’, has later been found to not be harmful at all.
@knowhowe & Blue Suede Suze, et al.
I think it’s unfair to accuse the people here of not caring about the environment. I would wager most people on this list prefer to be on the right side of the law. If someone wants to make it public that HP has backtracked, they should do so in way that is LEGAL. The fact is that Greenpeace has become so radical, the only way they get any attention nowadays is by breaking the law.
Me personally, I hate terrorists, and so I can’t support Greenpeace, no matter how noble their cause.
To all those who think the Greenpeace bashing is anti-environment, learn a little history with regard to Greenpeace Vs. Apple. Like I posted above, Greenpeace was all over Apple for not kissing their ass by making promises. They had a big love fest with all of these other PC manufacturers based not on environmental performance, but on promises. So they targeted Apple for no other reason than to gain attention. It was unwarranted at the time because Apple’s environmental policy was on par, if not better, than the other manufacturers. Steve Jobs was an LCD dropping, pot smoking, non-meat eating, Bob Dylan loving hippie for christ’s sake.
Ok, what does ‘Vi Estis Manipulita’ mean?… even Google has not heard of it.
“Me personally, I hate terrorists, and so I can’t support Greenpeace, no matter how noble their cause.”
Agreed. You can tell how ‘noble’ Greenpeace’s motives are by the way they conduct their “work”. Make a sizeable contribution to them in order that their “work” is furthered, and they will take their “work” elsewhere, leaving their blackmailed “contributor” alone.
Greenpeace is all about making its next payroll (especially for those at the top), hence their terrorist tactics.
I am sick and tired of constantly hearing about these hippie bubblegum-head socialists who try to inflict their retarded agenda on all of us. Greenpeace should have been outlawed many years ago. The mere fact that they can commit such acts of public vandalism with impunity is unsettling. This incident should be investigated, HP should prosecute those responsible, and they should do some serious hard time in a maximum security facility for nut jobs.
Thank god that there are some good and decent hard working americans like MDN, who can expose these shills for what they are!
Blue Suede Suze’s brevity shows his/her preferred method of dealing with opinions that differ from his own.
Unleashing brilliant commentary such as …
“… I agree with knowhowe. Fsck off you do-nothing wankers … “.
You would obviously do whatever it takes to make sure that your voice is heard, and then run into the night. Hit and run – much like your ELF brethren.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/ecoterrorists-burn-ski-resort-1180024.html
Apple products are “virtually free of PVC”… as in “almost free of PVC”… as in “contains PVC”.
Hmmmm… interesting choice of words.. virtually!!!
“HP made a public commitment to eliminate these harmful materials from their products, then backtracked on that commitment when they thought no one was looking. Only Greenpeace was looking – BIG whoops!”
That is HPs choice to make. Unlike Green Peace, HP didn’t break the law. If you don’t like it, write to HP, and/or stop buying their products. Don’t commit crimes to make a point.
Today, for instance, I witnessed an employee of a local pest control company throw his Subway bag, drink cup and other trash on the ground of the local 7-11 and drive off. I picked up the trash, called the company and cancelled my service with them. I did not follow him and spray paint his truck, throw rocks through their windows or paint their roof.