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Greenpeace releases balloons in Apple Store
Greenpeace is trying to highlight Apple's choice to power its data center with coal by holding a series of demonstrations at Apple stores. The latest stunt involved bunches of black balloons that were released in Apple stores in NYC, San Francisco and Toronto. Greenpeace called the protest a success, but judging from the responses recorded in a New York Times report, I'm not so sure. First, the black balloons had an iCloud logo on the side and at least one customer thought it was an Apple promotion. Other people didn't even notice the protest because there was only a handful of balloons. Apparently in NYC, several protestors were late due to traffic and couldn't enter the store to release their balloons. Some applauded the event and others thought Apple was being picked on because of its high-profile position.
Daily Update for April 18, 2012
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Greenpeace's math is wrong, according to Apple
Rich Miller at Data Center Knowledge has a good rundown of how Greenpeace's math is a bit wonky in a report called "How Clean is Your Cloud?" For one, Greenpeace estimates Apple will use 100 megawatts of power at the Maiden, NC plant, but Apple states it will be 20 megawatts at full capacity. Miller later responds in the comments to another mystery that Greenpeace's Gary Cook (no relation to Tim, we're certain) has yet to answer: "If Apple's energy use in Maiden is adjusted from 100 megawatts to 20 megawatts, what would Apple's score be on the Clean Energy Index? I have posed this question to Gary Cook, but have not yet received a response." It would appear the fundamental suppositions presented in Greenpeace's report may be flawed, and have skewed their index. I would also ask the question: What would Greenpeace have Apple do? Close the plant? The fact that they are making an investment in clean energy but must face the realities of economics and science seems like good corporate citizenship to me.
Greenpeace: Apple falling short of sourcing clean power
Environmental reports can be all over the place these days -- at times, it seems like these reports tend to be more about politics than the environment. But while Apple has always said it's leading the charge on being environmentally friendly, Greenpeace apparently isn't so sure. The group has called out Apple in a recent report for not using environmentally friendly sources to power Apple's North Carolina data center. Google, Yahoo, and Facebook all got good marks from Greenpeace's report, because their buildings are in areas that use "clean" power like wind and solar power. But Apple's center uses mostly coal and nuclear electricity, which Greenpeace looks negatively on. Apple does deserve some credit. It leads the industry in using green power, even if this specific plant, according to this report, isn't doing what Greenpeace wants. Apple also got bad marks for transparency. The company says it uses clean power, but apparently it doesn't always share the specific evidence that Greenpeace wants. At any rate, there's probably fair points on both sides here. Apple does a lot to use "green" energy in all of its work, and of course, as Greenpeace suggests, there's always more that can be done. The North Carolina data center, as you know if you've ever used iCloud or Siri, is nice to have. But it would be even nicer if it was run on power that did not as negatively affect the environment.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: Flaming turbines, seven eco-chic gifts and a winter wonderland of LED
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. The past week saw several groundbreaking developments in climate news as the Chinese government said that it will control rainfall to generate 10 percent more precipitation by 2015. Stanford researchers developed a new type of concrete that removes CO2 from the atmosphere, and Facebook teamed up with Greenpeace to power future data centers with renewable energy. Japan also announced the cold shutdown of the damaged reactors at the Fukushima nuclear plant and the US solar industry got a giant boost as it grew more in the third quarter of 2011 than in all of 2009. Wind power in Scotland had a rocky week as a turbine burst into flames during hurricane force winds. In other news, it was an intense week in the world of architecture as renowned firm MVRDV apologized for its "Cloud" skyscrapers, which many people found to resemble the form of the exploding Twin Towers during the 9/11 attacks. We also brought you two high-profile architecture interviews - one with Gensler's Chris Chan on the tallest skyscraper in Asia and one with HOK's Bill Odell on the world's largest LEED platinum project. Meanwhile, BIG unveiled a luxury resort topped with a functional ski slope and we saw a winter wonderland of LED topiaries pop up in Atlanta's botanical garden. As the holiday shopping season reached its peak we also highlighted some of our favorite green gadgets - don't miss these 10 great green gizmos and these 7 eco-chic gifts for techies. We also shared an exclusive tutorial on how to make your own pair of texting gloves, and we checked out Pong's iPhone and iPad cases, which reduce exposure to cell phone radiation. Finally, we saw scientists in Japan create the world's first renewable bio-based polyester and we brought you N-product's iPod watchbands, which are made from discarded backpacks and inner tubes.
Daily Update for November 9, 2011
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen.
Apple jumps to 4th place in the latest Greenpeace survey
Tree-huggers who were feeling just a wee bit guilty about buying Apple products can rest easy today. Apple has jumped up to 4th place in the latest Greenpeace "Guide to Greener Electronics", up from 11th place just four short years ago. Apple is behind green electronics leader HP, Dell, and Nokia on the list, but ahead of a stack of other electronics firms. Not surprisingly, since they don't seem to be able to do anything right at this point in time, BlackBerry maker RIM is in last place on the list (Jim Dalrymple, take note). The higher score isn't making Greenpeace too happy with Apple, though -- they were given a severe spanking with the renewable green paddle for not setting a greenhouse gas emission reduction target or phasing out antimony and beryllium in manufacturing. Apple also got whacked for not excluding "suppliers that are involved in deforestation or illegal logging" when procuring paper for packaging. On the other hand, the Greenpeace report handed Apple a laurel made of granola and hemp for its global recycling program, sourcing of conflict minerals, removing PVC vinyl plastic and brominated flame retardants from products, and meeting or exceeding Energy Star requirements.
Apple has the "least green" data centers
Apple has come in last place among a list of tech companies in the latest Greenpeace tech report How Dirty is Your Data? [PDF]. While Apple has made some pretty big strides over the last few years in trying to eliminate environmentally unfriendly chemicals from its products, Apple placed last in this list due to its heavy reliance on coal power at its data centers. The report compares energy consumption and sources made by Apple, Facebook, Google, Twitter, IBM, Microsoft, HP, Akamai, Amazon and Yahoo. In it, Greenpeace points out that Apple's new North Carolina data center, which is set to open this year and will supposedly be primarily used for cloud-based computing services, will triple Apple's energy usage and use the same amount of energy as 80,000 US homes. Of that energy, 62 percent will be provided by coal (one of the dirtiest energy sources), and 32 percent of it will be provided by nuclear power. This isn't the first time Greenpeace has expressed concern over Apple's energy footprint regarding cloud computing. In March of last year, Greenpeace also expressed concern about the North Carolina data center that runs on "dirty coal power."
MobileMe may be Apple's least "green" product, packaging-wise
When I purchased my MacBook Pro in early 2008, I threw down US$69 for a .Mac (now known as MobileMe) membership. I expected to get an email confirmation of my .Mac order (which I did), followed shortly by another email with an activation code. Instead, I received the hot mess you see in the pic above (US size 9.5 shoe included for scaling purposes). First, a huge FedEx package, about the same size as the current MacBook's packaging. Rattling around inside of it was a cardboard box with .Mac emblazoned on the front, large enough to fit a CD or DVD inside. But instead of a CD or DVD, I found a small paper booklet with a sticker on the front page containing my activation code. In all, it was about a pound of packaging (at least) for something that really didn't need to be mailed to me at all. Nearly three years later, the situation hasn't improved. The New York Times notes that MobileMe's packaging needs to go on a diet, and they're absolutely right. Apple's made a big deal in recent years about its push for "greener" practices in both its products and its packaging, and they've made big strides. In 2006, Greenpeace gave Apple very poor ratings for its environmental practices. Greenpeace spent the next few years hounding Apple for its environmental record, until earlier this year when Apple got top ratings. Apple has since slipped to ninth place in the rankings.
Apple drops from 5th to 9th in new Greenpeace rankings
After taking a lot of public criticism from Greenpeace early in the last decade, Apple has redesigned its hardware and climbed up in the environmental rankings in recent years. Last year, Apple made it all the way up to number five on Greenpeace's Greener Electronics list. Unfortunately, as in so many other aspects of a highly competitive industry, standing still is akin to moving backwards. While Apple's score of 4.9 on the Greenpeace index is the same as it was in 2009, other companies, including HP and Samsung, have improved significantly this year and pushed Apple down from fifth last year to ninth this year. Apple is called out for failing to state a public position on the EU Restriction of Hazardous Substances in electronics directive, as well as where it stands on the trade group TechAmerica. If Apple wants further improvement, it will also need to disclose more about chemical use in its supply chain and its plans for future improvements. Apple also needs to do a better job on e-waste recycling programs to dispose of older hardware. Apple also quit the U.S. Chamber of Commerce this year over the organization's stance on greenhouse gas emissions limits, but the Cupertino company has failed to publicly support mandatory reductions in emissions. [Via Macnews.com]
Apple number 65 on Newsweek's list of green companies
Newsweek has published their list of the most environmentally-friendly companies, and Apple is ranked number 65 out of 500. While it didn't make the top 10 (Dell is number one), Apple improved significantly from last year when it placed 133rd. The rankings considered a number of scores, including green score, environmental impact and green policies. Other tech companies in the top 10 include HP, IBM, Intel, Sprint, Adobe, Applied Materials and Yahoo!. Apple has made vast improvements in their environmental friendliness over the past few years, as organizations like Greenpeace have put the pressure on. Last January Greenpeace ranked Apple first in their list of the top 18 consumer electronics company in terms of reduction or elimination of hazardous chemicals in the manufacture of its products. [Via Macsimum News]
Greenpeace 'unappy' with iPad cloud
Oh, Greenpeace. We thought you and Apple were buddies again. How fragile friendship can be. The iPad's tenuous association with cloud computing has prompted the environmental group to criticize Apple for a carbon footprint that's "...much larger than previously estimated." The concern is that the proliferation of devices that make use of data centers requires ever larger facilities, most of which run on what Greenpeace calls "dirty coal power." In the report, the group emphasized that they are not picking on Apple specifically. "We are not picking on Apple [and] not dissing the iPad. But maybe someone can come up with an app that calculates the carbon footprint of using different web sites based on their location and energy deals." Apple has received both criticism and praise from Greenpeace before. For example, Greenpeace hit Apple with a mock Apple website a few years ago and had fig-leaf clad representatives visit the first Apple Store in continental Europe. Conversely, the group praised Apple's resignation from the US Chamber of Commerce over the group's resistance to limit greenhouse gasses last October. The iPad isn't alone among Apple devices as a stand-in for the environmental flaws of the entire electronics industry and computing infrastructure. Mother Jones magazine, a standard-bearer for progressive causes, has posted a rather blunt "scary truth about your iPhone" page; the app buttons on the mocked-up iPhone 3GS reveal details like where the tin, tungsten and tantalum used in the device are sourced. It's a clever approach, but the iPhone's components and manufacturing process aren't markedly different from those of thousands of other cellphones; MoJo's use of the iPhone, like Greenpeace's targeting of the iPad, is as much about harnessing buzz as it is about raising awareness of environmental challenges. [Via AppleInsider]
Acer Aspire 3811TZ and 3811TZG get Greenpeace stamp of approval
So Acer's new Aspire 3811TZ and Aspire 3811TZG may not be puke-green like Sony's VAIO W Eco, but that doesn't mean they aren't some of the greenest -- as in eco-friendly -- laptops out there. Part of the company's thin-and-light Timeline series, the two 13.3-inch laptops have been named by Greenpeace as being completely free of those bad-for-the-environment materials, including PVC (polyvinyl chloride) and BFR (brominated flame retardants). Powered by Intel ULV Core 2 Duo CPUs, they are more power-efficient than most and last longer on a charge. There doesn't seem to be an official statement from Acer on availability and price on these models, but we assume like the rest of the Timeline bunch there will be models both north and south of a grand.
Nintendo to Greenpeace: We do care about the environment
Greenpeace harshed on Nintendo's eco-coolness last week, and this week the House that Miyamoto Built is firing back. It's released a statement to Gamasutra saying that it takes environmental responsibilities seriously, and that the company is committed to saving energy, making both of its consoles energy efficient and using carefully picked and clearly-labeled materials in an effort to make post-usage recycling easy. To be fair to Nintendo, most of Greenpeace's argument against it was that the company didn't share information about what it did for the environment, and let's be honest here: Nintendo's not really one for sharing. While Nintendo did get blamed for increasing its CO2 emissions, most of Greenpeace's other complaints (as you can see in the PDF) were not actually about mistakes Nintendo was making, but its failure to share information or release reports about its operations. We can't really blame Nintendo for that -- on at least a few of its points, it seems Greenpeace's methodology was more responsible for the big N's bottom-of-the-barrel listing. [Via GoNintendo]
Greenpeace calls out Nintendo, Microsoft in 'Greener Electronics' report
We were really hoping that Nintendo and Microsoft could rally after their near-bottom finishes in former annual iterations of Greenpeace's green business practice rankings -- after all, we bet they're pretty sick of getting beat by Nokia. (Ewwww!) Unfortunately, this latest "Guide to Greener Electronics" report (.pdf link) looks a lot like all the previous ones: Nintendo finished dead last, and Microsoft finished not far behind. Sony, on the other hand, finished a bit closer to the middle of the road. Nintendo gets bashed for its increased greenhouse emissions and for failing to control its e-waste recycling. Microsoft, which fell from 15th place to 17th since last year, lost points for not following the statutes set by the "Restriction of Hazardous Substances in electronics directive." Sony did relatively well in most categories, but also lost a few points for its e-waste management. You know what this means, right? Greenpeace is obviously just a shadow organization for PS3 fanboys. We knew it all along!
Greenpeace and Apple: Can you feel the love tonight?
Environmental activist group Greenpeace and Apple haven't exactly been good buddies in the past. For example, in the past Greenpeace slammed Apple with a mock Apple website, had fig-leaf clad representatives visit the first Apple Store in continental Europe, and "greened" the flagship Apple Store in San Francisco. Radical representatives of the group had been ejected from MacExpo London in 2006 for being disruptive, and Greenpeace had assigned Apple low scores in a 2006 e-waste report. Apparently, the greens and the geeks have kissed and made up, since Apple was ranked #1 in the top 18 consumer electronics company in terms of reduction or elimination of hazardous chemicals in the manufacture of its products. As seen in the Greenpeace table on the next page, Apple was squeaky-clean across its product line, including desktop and laptop computers, phones, and monitors:
Greenpeace praises Apple's US Chamber of Commerce exit
Greenpeace has decided they'll get more attention from praising Apple than by trying to bury it. The environmental organization is singing hosannas and heysannas to the Cupertino-company for taking a green stand and resigning from the US Chamber of Commerce. Apple walked away from the organization on Monday over Chamber actions seen by Apple as opposing efforts to limit greenhouse gases. Chamber President Thomas Donohue says his organization does want to see "legislation to address climate change," though the Chamber is against current proposals that, he says, will "significantly raise energy prices, (and) throw more Americans out of work." Greenpeace revels in the kerfuffle, saying in a post on its website, "Apple has stormed out of the biggest lobby group in the United States. At issue is the US Chamber of Commerce's use of funds to oppose climate change legislation. Apple has done the right thing, and IBM and Microsoft should think different too." (See what they did there?) The environmental organization says the Chamber should consider the number of jobs that would be created by helping clean up the environment. It's hard to see these two groups hugging it out. Still, it's praise and adoration for Apple, with the "save the whales" set saying, "The stakes have never been higher for the climate. Apple's move will throw an uncomfortable spotlight on any company that stays on in the Chamber but doesn't act to change its policies." Interesting. I wonder if Apple thought of that. [via cnet]
Greenpeace takes a break from issuing reports to vandalize HP corporate HQ
As readers of this site know, Greenpeace has quite an active sideline in rating (and berating) technology companies that generate excessive toxic landfill. In fact, we've seen so many of these reports that we almost forgot what the organization does best: chasing down whaling vessels, trespassing, hanging banners, and generally bedeviling polluters in the name of Mother Earth. And now, after repeatedly calling out HP for using PVC and hazardous chemicals in its devices, the group has taken matters into its own hands -- specifically, by slipping into the company's Palo Alto headquarters and painting "hazardous products" on the roof, in really big letters, with non-toxic children's paint. Congratulations to the activist group for finally finding a way to spread their message to low-flying pilots in the San Francisco Bay area! One more pic after the break.[Via Switched]
Greenpeace slams HP, Lenovo, and Dell in latest report
HP, Lenovo, and Dell haven't fared too badly in some of Greenpeace's previous e-waste reports, but it looks like three companies have fallen well short of the organization's expectations this time around, with each getting called out for failing to live up to their promises. Specifically, all three had said that they would eliminate vinyl plastic (PVC) and brominated flame retardants (BFRs) in their products by the end of this year, but they've now apparently told Greenpeace that they won't be able to meet that timeline, and only Lenovo has come forward set a new deadline (the end of 2010). The big winner, on the other hand, is Philips, which has jumped from 15th place to 4th as a result of some new recycling initiatives, prompted at least in part by public pressure. And, as you can see above, Nintendo is once again dead last, although we're pretty sure that's simply a result of sheer mass at this point.
Dell VP criticizes Apple's 'green' initiatives, pot and kettle laugh in unison
Dell VP of Communities and Conversations Bob Pearson is ragging on Apple for its MacBook "Greenest Family of Notebooks" ads. In a post titled "The Real Meaning of Being Green," Pearson accuses Apple of not discussing environmental issues, making inaccurate claims and stating no goals, while touting Dell's energy efficient Latitude E-series and use of PVC / BFR-free components. Of course, the PC maker has had its fair share of eco-unfriendly practices over the years, including accusations from the ever-fickle Greenpeace last month that the company has withdrawn from its commitment to stop using PVC / BFR in its computers by the end of 2009 -- but why let little details get in the way of a good schoolyard fight?