Both BP and Shell’s cynical “reputation-cleansing” via sponsorship has once again been challenged by activists.
greenwashing
Rio – 20
First the gloss from Rio. This was the UN’s largest ever conference with 45,300 delegates from more than 180 nations. The UN says it has obtained pledges worth $500 billion from governments and companies for projects aimed at reducing the strain on the planet’s resources. There are nearly 700 commitments from governments to supposedly cut … Read More
Greenwashing +20
If you open a copy of the Financial Times this morning, you will see a full page advert from the “Friends of Rio+20” with a message to the delegates at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development. These “friends” say they are an assortment of big business, scientific and civil society leaders, but a quick glimpse … Read More
BP or not BP?
As part of the build-up to the Olympics, Britain is hosting the World Shakespeare Festival, that kicked off on Monday which would have been the Bard’s 448th birthday. The Festival is being billed as the biggest ever festival to celebrate his work: production companies from around the world will perform a total of 70 plays, … Read More
100 Days of Olympic Greenwashing
Organisers of the London Olympics are celebrating 100 days to go until the start of what they have called “the Greenest Games Ever”. As the real countdown to the games begins, the main sponsors of the games will be exploiting their association with the Olympics to the maximum. Take BP – Its brand is all … Read More
Tar Sands Monitoring is “To Boost Reputation”
Late last week the Albertan and Canadian federal governments announced a new monitoring programme for the controversial tar sands. The Canadian press are reporting this as the two governments listening to their critics and restoring badly needed credibility. The Ottawa Citizen reports this morning that it “is a positive step toward restoring Canadian credibility on … Read More
Sun Sets on BP’s Solar Business
Just over a decade after BP rebranded itself “Beyond Petroleum” and introduced its famous sunburst Helios logo in honour of a Greek sun god, the oil giant has fatally undermined its “green” credentials by axing its solar power business. BP argues that it “can’t make any money” from selling panels at a time when it … Read More
UK Arts Institutions Renew BP Sponsorship
There was widespread anger and dismay today from anti-oil campaigners after it was revealed that four of the Britain’s biggest cultural organisations – the British Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, the Royal Opera House and Tate – were going to renew their sponsorship deals with BP worth ÂŁ10m over five years. All four institutions have … Read More
A Culture Beyond Oil
“There is no money that is completely pure”, so says Nicholas Serota, the Director of the Tate gallery in London that is under fire once again for taking oil money from BP and Shell. Serota is right in many ways, there is no such thing as clean money but some funding is dirtier than others. … Read More
Saudis Slam “EthicalOil” Tar Sands Advert
I’m continuing this week’s tar sands theme. There seems to be no limits to how many people the Canadians will annoy in their attempt to impose the dirty tar sands on the world’s oil markets. There is also no limit to their hypocrisy either. We know the Canadians are using strong-arm tactics to threaten the … Read More