As a result of a grassroots campaign spearheaded by Greenpeace, the Cupertino-based tech giant, Apple, has agreed to reduce its dependence on dirty and dangerous energy sources.
Just hours after activists staged a protest at its headquarters, Apple released this statement on its website-
By the end of 2012, we’ll meet the energy needs of our Maiden, North Carolina, data center using entirely renewable sources. To achieve this, we’re building our own facilities that will provide over 60 percent of the clean power we need. It’s another example of Apple’s commitment to designing for energy efficiency — from the ground up.
This is a classic case of PR spin on the heels of a black eye delivered by the little guy.
Apple to Greenpeace: Shut up, hippies, we’ll go green, already
Apple has been the subject of protests by Greenpeace for using so-called “dirty” energy – power generated by the burning of coal – rather than through the use of renewable resources such as wind or solar.
images via Greenpeace Flickr
On Tuesday, Greenpeace staged a multi-pronged event to get Apple to clean its cloud. There were projections in the midnight hours on the building's façade.
Then, a giant survival pod or "iPod" was dropped on the front stoop with activists secured inside. Lastly several human-sized fully operational iPhones came walking up to interact with Apple employees on their way to work.
A good video can be seen on KTVU's website (cannot embed).
All aspects of the action were to encourage Apple to respond to its customers who want a cleaner future powered by renewable energy instead of coal. The tech-savvy campaign used multimedia to share messages from around the globe via Twitter, Facebook and the like.
http://greenpeaceblogs.com/...
For over a month now, our supporters around the world have been helping us tell Apple that they want a clean iCloud. Apple’s executives have thus far ignored the hundreds of thousands of people asking them to use their influence for good by building a cloud powered by renewable energy. So it was time for us to take your messages to Apple’s headquarters in the heart of Silicon Valley.
It appears to have made an impact. Although Apple claims they "want to ensure that our efforts to use renewable energy are transparent and that everyone can follow our progress," Greenpeace is seeking a firm commitment to use solely clean power in the future. Hopefully Apple continues to turn green.
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Full Disclosure: I was one of the activists who volunteered on this campaign.
1:33 PM PT: A few more links on the topic:
http://www.reuters.com/...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/...
http://www.wired.com/...