Greenpeace
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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practices over the years, including accusations from the ever-fickle Greenpeace last month that the company has withdrawn from its commitment to stop using PVC / BFR in its computers by the end of 2009 -- but why let little details get in the way of a good schoolyard fight?
Greenpeace: Sony is 'significantly greener' than Microsoft or Nintendo
Greennpeace, an environmental organization, had put together a report on how environmentally friendly a number of leading companies are. Each company is given a score out of a possible 45 points; the higher the score is, the greener the company is deemed. Included in them are the big three video game manufacturers: Sony received a 24/45, compared to Microsoft's score of 15/45 and Nintendo's abysmally low score of 4/45.So why does Sony deserve the higher score? Speaking to Edge Online, Greenpeace's toxics campaigner Iza Kruszewska cites a number of reasons, including high marks for "chemical management and take-back initiatives." Sony is the first company to introduce a take-back recycling program for all their products in the US, according to Kruszewska.But what about all those reports which indicate each PS3 uses as much power as a fridge? Kruszewska admits they are true, but reminds us that "there is a wider picture to look at than just the power consumption of a console." He offers this in the PS3's defense: "If you look at the graphics processor that your PS3 or 360 will have, it's hard to put them into exactly the same category [as the Wii]. I mean, the PS3 is being used by universities globally when they have lots of number crunching to do because it's that powerful. We're talking about a 9-core processor here." Well, there you have it, environmentally-conscious boys and girls -- now you know the PS3 is Mother Earth's console of choice.
Apple's new "green" notebook ad
Apple aired a new television ad here in the US earlier tonight. It touts the MacBook's low power consumption, recyclable enclosure and lack of some of the toxins present in other computers.Activist group Greenpeace has been pressuring Apple to adopt more environmentally-friendly production methods and materials over the last couple of years, and last month responded favorably to Apple's efforts to go green. Additionally, Apple has posted a page to their website describing not only their efforts toward environmental responsibility with the MacBook, but their overall efforts as a company. At the risk of sounding like a tree-hugging hippie, let me say, well done Apple!
EPA wants greener consoles starting in 2010
While they're not as crazy as, say, Greenpeace, the EPA is concerned about the energy uses of home consoles. They plan to introduce new energy requirements for home consoles starting July 1, 2010 as part of its Energy Star program. These new requirements include an auto off function, a sleep mode for television/display, power scaling and a wireless access point function that will use less than 10 watts of power. Seeing as how the Wii already uses less power than its competitors, it shouldn't be too much of a hassle for Nintendo to include these functions. Why 2010 though? The EPA hopes that's enough lead time for console manufacturers to institute these new features.[Via 1UP]
Greenpeace responds to 'Greener Apple' update
Greenpeace is reacting favorably to Apple's new, environmentally friendlier product line, but chides the company for not reducing the amount of some toxic chemicals more quickly. According to a blog post on Greenpeace's website, Apple's new MacBooks are not entirely free of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a kind of plastic. Apple says that internal cables now contain no PVC, but Greenpeace wants to see the entire computer free of PVC. Greenpeace also examines Apple's update to Apple's Greener Apple policies, some of which we highlighted on Tuesday. Apple has promised in this update to have its product line complete PVC free by the end of this year. The environmental activist organization releases a quarterly Guide to Greener Electronics, where Apple scored a 4.1 (out of 10) last month. Greenpeace's blog post hints that these new changes to its product line will increase its score. Nokia has the highest score of any company, 7 out of 10. Thanks, Tom!
Mac Pros accused of emitting toxic gas, placing blame on someone else
Just when Apple has started to make some friends at Greenpeace, it looks like another one of its fine products might be a wee bit toxic. According to the French newspaper Liberation, that mysterious stench emanating from your Mac Pro contains benzene -- which can irritate the eyes, skin and respiratory tract. Instead of being a mere inconvenience, that smell could be a cloud of poison gas that threatens to dizzy up, nauseate and migraine-ify you and everyone you care for. Apple has yet to issue a statement on any of this, but until it's all straightened out, those of you with the stinky Macs might want to seriously consider wearing a hazmat suit when checking your email.Update: Apple tells Macworld that "We have not found anything that supports this claim, but continue to investigate it for the customer." Funny -- that's exactly what we used to say during long car rides. [Via the Guardian]
Greenpeace likes new iPod nano, congratulates self
Although they still rate Apple behind Sony Ericsson, Sony, Nokia, Samsung, Dell, Toshiba, Acer... (you get the idea) in its quarterly guide to greener electronics, Greenpeace tossed a bit of love to the boys from Cupertino for the new eco-friendlier iPod nano. In a blog post titled "less toxic iPods rock," Greenpeace praised itself as victorious in its own "Green my Apple campaign" before chiding Apple for not doing more to green all of its products. Hooray, a victory for Greenpeace, shame on you Apple for uh... oh never mind. [Via Pocket-lint]
Nintendo responds to Greenpeace (again)
Greenpeace has had it in for Nintendo for quite some time now. Despite the Wii being the biggest thing since sliced bread, they've taken up the position of the minority in opposing the system. No, not because of its features or games, but because of Nintendo's supposed lack of caring regarding our environment.Following the latest blow struck by Greenpeace, Nintendo has responded with, well, basically what they did last time. "Nintendo has not been badly rated by Greenpeace," said a Nintendo spokesperson. "Greenpeace chose to conduct a survey and produce a report, which graded companies upon the voluntary submission of information." Nintendo went on further to say that they "fully comply with all the necessary EU Directives on the Restriction of Hazardous Substances aimed at environmental protection and consumer health and safety. Furthermore, in order to ensure our products are safe for use by young children we also take into consideration the standards applicable to toys."[Via CVG]
Greenpeace disassembles consoles, checks toxin levels
Greenpeace is at it again. In disassembling the three major home consoles on the market, they came to some interesting conclusions regarding each system's toxic ingredients. Now, we'll save you all of the specifics if you're the kind of person who just wants to know the bottom line: the Wii beat out the Xbox 360 and PS3 for having the least amount of toxic chemicals within it. For the rest of you, check out some interesting details that Greenpeace found out, which have been organized by bullet-point for your convenience: The PS3's AV cables contain phthalates up to 21.2 percent by weight, as well as "the highest level of bromine found in all components tested from all three consoles" in the housing of the cooling fan, which comes to 13.8 percent by weight, as well as low levels of bromine in the controller The Xbox 360's power cable contains phthalates up to 27.5 percent by weight, as well as low levels of bromine in the controller The Wii has phthalates 12.5 percent by weight in its internal housing, along with no beryllium
Game consoles contain harmful materials, Greenpeace finds
We can see it now: Local news blips in commercial breaks during LOST, warning you and your family of the "invisible killer lurking in your house ... and you let him in!" But before you start throwing flour all over the house in the hopes of it sticking onto the hidden hitman, said invisible killer might be bromine and phthalates, toxic chemicals that Greenpeace recently found pervade some hardware components of the current generation of consoles.According to their lab findings, the PlayStation 3's AV cables contained phthalates up to 21.2 percent by weight, while the housing on the cooling fan had "the highest level of bromine found in all components tested from all three consoles," 13.8 percent by weight. The Xbox 360's power cable contained phthalates up to 27.5 percent by weight. Both console's controllers were noted for having low levels of bromine.The Nintendo Wii, while having bromine up to 12.5 percent by weight in its internal housing, was praised for having no beryllium, which can cause lung disease. Check out the Greenpeace page for more information. So we must ask, will bromine and pthalates blend?
Greenpeace report: PS3 contains hazardous chemicals
Environmental activist group Greenpeace released a video today to emphasize the need for greener manufacturing of today's game consoles. The three console manufacturers were found guilty of using various hazardous chemicals and materials, such aspolyvinyl chloride (PVC), phthalates, beryllium and bromine indicative ofbrominated flame retardants (BFRs).According to Greenpeace, "e-waste" is the fastest growing type of waste in the world, and game consoles contribute a significant portion to this problem. The organization emphasized that both the Xbox 360 and PS3 contain high levels of phthalates, one of which "is known to interfere with sexual development in mammals: including humans and, especially, males." Yikes!Things can get better, of course. PS3 uses "bromine-free" circuit boards. However, there are many steps for the console manufacturers to take before they can be classified as "green."
Greenpeace: Nintendo is nonresponsive
In an interview with Gamasutra, Greenpeace's Zeina Al-Hajj discussed the relative greenness of the major consoles and their companies. Nintendo still manages to rate below Sony and Microsoft despite having a console that uses far less electricity and standard (and thus more easily recyclable) parts. The reason? Nintendo has no stated policy about hardware recycling. Both Sony and Microsoft have made efforts in that area, but Nintendo has said absolutely nothing about the disposal of old consoles. "What is available right now," Al-Hajj said, "is that Nintendo is committed to the environment, so they recycle in their offices. Okay. Good work guys, but that's not the issue. The issue is the responsibility to their product."Nintendo is the only console manufacturer out of the three not to engage in communication with Greenpeace. Al-Hajj said that they have attempted conversation with the company multiple times, while both Sony and Microsoft are already in talks.We know that the first impulse for any gamer is to attack and ridicule Greenpeace for saying bad things about Nintendo, but, if nothing else, this interview makes Greenpeace's claims seem more sensible. This is far from tree-hugging or Would it really hurt Nintendo that much to at least talk about recycling, or offer some opinions on reducing energy consumption?
Nintendo still dead last in Greenpeace electronics rankings
Since Nintendo's big goose-egg ranking in environmental friendliness from the activists at Greenpeace last November, we've been on pins and needles waiting to see if the Big N could improve its standing. Well, we're happy to announce that Nintendo has indeed done better this time around, improving to a massive 0.3/10 in Greenpeace's latest rankings.The number -- which is a full four points below closest competitors Philips -- doesn't tell the whole story, though. Greenpeace itself notes that, since their last ranking, Nintendo has introduced a plan to reduce PVCs in its packaging and posted links to EPA and eCycling programs on its web site. Yet these "tiny improvements," as Greenpeace puts it, didn't even rank the company a single point increase in the corresponding Greenpeace rating categories. Is it us, or is there a scoring bug in the game Greenpeace is playing here?
Greenpeace: Nintendo still not eco-friendly
Greenpeace is at it again, as their latest report sees Nintendo still scraping the bottom of the barrel and falling in last place as the most ecologically unfriendly company surveyed. But it's not all bad, as Nintendo did improve over their last survey results. They went from a 0 to a 0.3 on Greenpeace's small, yet incredibly scientific, chart there.Actually, we're kind of sad, to be honest. No, we're not sad about Greenpeace grilling Nintendo or whatever, we're just sad we didn't get another ridiculously bad video to laugh at. Oh well, we're sure Greenpeace won't be leaving Nintendo alone anytime soon, so there's always hope!
MacBook Air: greenest Apple yet
Apple has received a lot of flack, especially from Greenpeace, for their supposedly less-than-stellar commitment to "green" design and manufacturing processes. However, the MacBook Air might be a sign of changes to come, as it is officially the most environmentally-friendly Apple product on the shelves. The latest, thinnest Apple notebook boasts the following: Fully recyclable aluminum case Apple's first mercury-free LCD display, with arsenic-free glass Circuit boards are BFR-free and PVC-free 50% less packaging than the previous MacBooks Meets ENERGY STAR requirements Receives a EPEAT Silver Rating Of course, the MacBook Air isn't quite perfect (it's far from the greenest computer out there), and there are more improvements that can be made. However, this is indeed a step in the right direction for Apple, and hopefully this indicates a new trend. I think it's about time that Apple gets on the sustainability train and starts implementing more earth-friendly materials into their products. Let's hope for more good things in the future.
Huh? Greenpeace calls the MacBook Air "a winner"
Apple and Greenpeace haven't exactly been the best of buds. However, MacWorld seems to have changed all that, at least for Greenpeace. In a statement issued on their US website, Greenpeace says the following:"The MacBook Air is a strong entry in the race to build a green PC. As a mercury and arsenic free laptop it exceeds European Standards (RoHS directive exemptions) and raises the bar for the rest of the industry."Sure, the Greenies still had their nits to pick with the use of PVC and BFRs. Nevertheless, they did give a nod of approval in noting their reduced usage. Had Greenpeace's statement not been laced with condescending phrases like, "It's a big step for Steve," the whole week might have ended with some herb being passed around the Kumbaya circle -- 'ere 'ippie, gimme a 'ug.[Via Macworld]
Greenpeace is out of their mind
Following the initial report from Greenpeace regarding Nintendo's apparent lack of care toward the environment in their business practices, some took the time to actually comb through the report, citing that a lot of the negative marks were due to Greenpeace just handing them out at their discretion. Now, after a few weeks of silence, Greenpeace has come up with some compelling evidence regarding Nintendo's affect on the environment: a parody cartoon.Greenpeace must have some great writers at the company, because the comedy in this cartoon is the kind of stuff that should be extracted and worn as jewelry. It's pure gold, we tell you! But, as hilarious as it is (for all of the wrong reasons, mind you), it's completely ridiculous. From Mario farting out a small brown mushroom (for serious, he does) to the Kratos saying he's the "friggin' God of War," this whole thing will make you cringe. Odd how they only focus on consoles and not handhelds, however. We guess the PSP and DS don't cause any kind of pollution or whatever else they claim is bad to the environment when they're being manufactured.See also: Nintendo (finally) responds to initial report[Thanks to Shaun for the GT link; via Joystiq]
Nintendo responds to Greenpeace pollution claims
It took a few weeks, but Nintendo has made a public statement regarding their recent dead last ranking in Greenpeace's "Guide to Greener Electronics." Not surprisingly, the company is quick to defend their environmental standards. "Nintendo takes great care to comply with all relevant regulations on avoiding the use of dangerous materials, recycling of materials etc.," the statement reads, in part. "For example, all Nintendo products supplied worldwide are designed to comply with relevant global standards."We're kind of surprised that Nintendo didn't break out the big guns and cite the company's detailed recycling policies or the Wii's relatively low power consumption. Then again, given Greenpeace's targeting of the game industry and history of violence, maybe Nintendo just doesn't want to antagonize the environmental group further. Hey, Greenpeace, look over there! Oil spill!
Greenpeace targets game industry
After gaining some traction by calling Nintendo out a couple weeks ago for being a massive environmental offender, eco-terrorist environmentally conscious group Greenpeace is calling for reforms across the game industry. Greenpeace says that console manufacturers are "lagging way behind" mobile phone and PC makers in reducing their "toxic load" in the last year. The group goes on to say that game consoles have many of the same parts as PCs, meaning the manufacturers can do "a lot more."The console manufacturers have yet to respond to the Greenpeace allegations. The campaign gives a list of toxic materials used in manufacturing and introduces issues such as Chinese and Indian workers in production facilities facing risk of exposure to chemicals. Greenpeace has also created a 90-second video aimed at gamers in which iconic characters compete for greener consoles -- when we find an embeddable version we'll place it after the break for those ethically opposed to giving Greenpeace traffic.[Thanks Ron for finding the vid]
Ars Technica defends Nintendo from Greenpeace goose egg
"Say it ain't, so, Mario!" was the cry that went out from green-conscious gamers when they heard that Nintendo had scored a big zilch-o on Greenpeace's guide to the greenest electronics companies. Now, Ars Technica has taken the group to task on the credibility of the guide, reaffirming what all rings of the Nintendo Defense Force have always known: Big N can do no wrong.Ars writes, "The research in general appears lazy. Nintendo's failing grade appears to be based entirely on this entry in the corporate FAQ, which briefly summarizes some of the steps the company has taken to protect the environment. Anything that's not covered there is simply rated 'No Information.'" While it's possible that Nintendo is as big an offender as Greenpeace says, their rankings would seem to lend no credibility to the claim.Now, as far as the Wii's shelf pollution ... well, let's just say they should be happy the score stops at zero.[Via GamePolitics]
