One of my favorite newsletters is “The Weekly Spin” from the nonprofit Center for Media and Democracy. They cover a couple of ‘green’ subjects each week with useful cross links. Here’s an example:
Green Ads Raise Red Flags Worldwide
Source: Wall Street Journal (sub req’d), January 30, 2008
Saab Australia ad, which has since been ruled misleading
An increase in “green” marketing has led to scrutiny by watchdogs around the world. Britain’s Advertising Standards Authority recently ruled that television ads from the Malaysian Palm Oil Council were “likely to mislead viewers as to the environmental benefits of oil-palm plantations.” The ads claimed that palm oil trees “give life and help our planet breathe,” but in reality many palm oil plantations are on illegally cleared rainforest land. In September 2007, Norwegian regulators “banned all cars ads from stating that their vehicles are ‘green,’ ‘clean’ or ‘environmentally friendly,'” since car production means more carbon emissions. In the U.S., the Council of Better Business Bureaus ruled that “a distributor of infant feeding bottles had to drop ads that claimed that the plastic used in a competitor’s bottles was unsafe for both the environment and kids.” The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is also planning to update its environmental advertising guidelines, which currently include standards for what can be marketed as “recyclable” or “biodegradable.” As mentioned in an earlier Spin, there are no FTC standards for “carbon neutral” or greenhouse gas emissions offset programs.
And here’s another:
Big Oil Tries to Inspire Warm Gooey Feelings
Source: Rebuilding Together press release, February 1, 2008
As ExxonMobil breaks its own record to post the largest annual profit by a U.S. company, the American Petroleum Institute (API) is trying to tap some goodwill. At the Super Bowl U.S. football championship game, API is sponsoring “Kickoff to Rebuild,” highlighting its work with Rebuilding Together, a nonprofit organization that promotes homeownership. API and Rebuilding Together are launching an “Energy Efficient Homes Initiative,” which aims “to incorporate energy-efficiency measures in the more than 9,000 homes revitalized each year by Rebuilding Together.” API has been battling the oil industry‘s negative public image for years, with increased outreach to journalists and bloggers. In related news, O’Dwyer’s reports that Saudi Arabia’s oil ministry paid the PR firm Hill & Knowlton $1 million, to promote OPEC‘s “message of hope and reassurance” around its November 2007 summit in Riyadh.
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