Clean Technology : Activists

In the latest edition, only two companies score more than five out of 10, as opposed to the previous version, when 12 of the 18 ranked companies had more than six or seven points. Overall, companies earned higher points on their chemicals policies and few points on energy and greenhouse gas practices.

Read more about green electronics scores here. 

As gas prices spiral upward, ExxonMobil posted record profits for 2007: an astounding $40.6 billion in profits based on $404 billion in sales, and it looks like they are headed for obscene profits again this year, with $10.9 Billion in profits reported in just the first quarter of 2008.  Exxon defends these profits by saying they spent $80 billion on developing energy sources between 2002 and 2006, with an additional $20 billion planned for 2008.  However, almost none of this development money is going to renewable energy research and development that will break our oil addiction and create a secure and green energy future for the US.

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Greenpeace has given Microsoft and Nintendo abysmal rankings on their efforts to phase out toxic chemicals from their game consoles. Nintendo Co. became the first company to score zero out of a possible 10 points in the Greenpeace ranking of 18 leading electronics companies. It provided no information to consumers on the substances it uses in manufacturing or on its plans to cut back on hazardous materials, the environmental organization said.

Microsoft Corp., judged on its Zune MP3 player and Xbox game console, lost points for its pledge to eliminate toxic chemicals only by 2011 and for having no voluntary takeback program for electronic waste. It took 16th place.

Greenpeace judges companies on their mechanisms for collecting used hardware and on their timelines for eliminating vinyl, or PVC, and fire-retardants that can be dangerous when released into the environment. It does not weigh companies' overall environmental portrait though next year, it will look at energy efficiency, said Greenpeace spokeswoman Iza Kruszweska.

Climate change activists and students with the Freedom From Oil Campaign unfurled a dramatic 15-foot banner on the Rinke Toyota dealership in Centerline, Michigan. The group accused Toyota of "driving war and warming" and challenged mega-dealer Penske Automotive Group to demand that its suppliers—like Toyota—improve their fleet-wide fuel economy and reduce global warming pollution.

The banner was draped from Rinke Toyota for 20 minutes before police removed it and arrested two of the activists for trespassing.

The Freedom From Oil Campaign is urging Penske to join mega-dealer AutoNation in taking "soft orders" for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles, publicly supporting an increase in fuel efficiency standards to 40 miles per gallon by 2012, and setting a goal to increase the fuel economy of all vehicles sold at its dealerships.

The protest coincided with No War No Warming actions taking place on Capitol Hill, in which hundreds of activists from anti-war, justice and clean energy groups highlighted the connections between resource wars and global warming.