Apple Takes A Stand on Climate Change

Apple Takes a Green StandI love Apple. I write these blog entries on my Apple, I go take free classes about how to use my machine even better at the Apple store, and I proudly raise my hand as one of those people who thinks Apples are just better than PC’s and can’t understand why anyone would be using a PC- I mean, you do what you want, it’s not a judgment of anyone as a person- but for me, Apple is the only way to go. And I love the statement they are making, joining with other Utility companies in walking away from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. I feel like it’s similar to some EU nation walking away from the UN or something.

Apple sent a letter of resignation to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce CEO Thomas Donahue. Here is some of the text, quoted from the Reuters story:

“As a company, we are working hard to reduce our own greenhouse gas emissions … We have undertaken this unilaterally and without government mandate, because we believe it is the right thing to do. For those companies who cannot or will not do the same, Apple supports regulating greenhouse gas emissions, and it is frustrating to find the Chamber at odds with us in this effort. We would prefer that the Chamber take a more progressive stance on this critical issue and play a constructive role in addressing the climate crisis. However, because the Chamber’s position differs so sharply with Apple’s, we have decided to resign our membership effective immediately.”

1.    Cheers to Apple for making a stand on this issue. 2.    When will the Chamber of Commerce start responding to these defections from their ranks? 3.    What will be the new organization that takes over for the Chamber of Commerce as the world’s businesses start to deal with climate change on a business level?

It’s unthinkable that the major U.S. body of business says the science about climate change is questionable so we aren’t going to do anything about it as an organization. Ridiculous. The Kyoto Protocol exists, the UN is hosting a summit to create the next version, and the President of the United States just issued an executive order for federal agencies to cut carbon emissions in their operations by 2020.

Apple is withdrawing form the Chamber of Commerce along with instituting a new set of practices in environmental accounting. The system attempts to calculate what they are calling their entire carbon footprint, accounting for everything from the design and production process to the emissions that result from use of their products. Revolutionary in the most basic terms, as business is usually intent on counting less rather than more as far as an environmental impact.

While utilities like California’s PG & E have resigned from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Apple is the first high profile B2C organization that I have heard of leaving, which could make serious ripples in the for-profit world and make an even bigger statement to consumer culture- this issue is important and needs to take on that high profile in order for action to happen.