Environment

Spinning Nukes

by Bob Burton — January 18, 2006 - 10:38pm

Hill & Knowlton (H&K) has won a $8 million account with the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) to promote "broad policymaker and decision-maker support for nuclear energy broadly and specifically for the Yucca Mountain project." (Yucca Mountain in Nevada has been designated by the U.S.

Main Source: 
Holmes Report, January 16, 2006

Corporate Ads Grow Greener

by Laura Miller — January 18, 2006 - 7:17pm

"The 'green' advertising wave is on, as companies from Ford to General Electric to BP blitz the airwaves with concern for a clean planet," the International Herald Tribune reports.

Main Source: 
International Herald Tribune, January 18, 2006

Environmental Defense or Nanotech Defense?

by Bob Burton — January 18, 2006 - 11:38am
  • Topics: Corporations, Environment, Health, International, Labor

    • If you have concerns about the development of nanotechnology, you might want to keep an eye on the 'partnership' between the chemical industry giant DuPont and Environmental Defense (ED), the New York-based environmental group.

    The project, according to a joint media release issued in October 2005 by ED's Fred Krupp and DuPont's Chad Halliday, is to "identify, manage and reduce potential health, safety and environmental risks of nano-scale materials across all lifecycle stages." Once developed, the framework will "then be pilot-tested on specific nano-scale materials or applications of commercial interest to DuPont."

    To be fair, ED has flagged concerns about there being inadequate health and environmental assessments of nanotechnologies to date. However, ED hasn't mentioned publicly what they think about DuPont and other companies having products that are already on the market without such assessments.

    Skeptical Journalism?

    by Bob Burton — January 17, 2006 - 4:49am

    "Take a step back and get the science right first, writes a special correspondent," is the teaser for a 920-word feature on climate change in The Australian's Inquirer section.

    Main Source: 
    The Australian, January 14-15, 2006

    GE Brings PR, Lobbying Costs To Light

    by Diane Farsetta — January 11, 2006 - 11:09am

    From 1990 to 2005, General Electric spent more than $122 million on public relations, lobbying and legal efforts, "to fight demands that it clean up three contaminated polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) sites," reports O'Dwyer's.

    Main Source: 
    O'Dwyer's PR Daily (sub req'd), January 11, 2006

    Ruder Finn Lands Heavy Metal PR Job

    by Bob Burton — January 10, 2006 - 9:37pm

    The PR firm Ruder Finn has landed an account with the U.S. Tuna Foundation to counter public concerns about mercury in canned tuna.

    Main Source: 
    PR Week, January 5, 2006 (sub req'd)

    Fighting to Keep New Jersey Toxic

    by Sheldon Rampton — January 4, 2006 - 2:23am

    "If builders and polluters are on the dark side of New Jersey's environmental wars, Michael Turner is Darth Vader," writes Alexander Lane. "A public relations man and lobbyist, he has fought for the Windy Acres development in Hunterdon County, the Xanadu project in the Meadowlands and a strip mall near Edison Township's beloved Oak Tree Pond. He represents Shieldalloy Corp.

    Main Source: 
    New Jersey Star-Ledger, January 3, 2006

    Freeport Fronts Its Way into Activists' Emails

    by Bob Burton — January 1, 2006 - 10:06pm

    The New York Times reports that the Louisiana-based mining company Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold worked closely with Indonesian military intelligence officers to monitor the email and phone calls of environmental activists concerned about the impacts of the company's Grasberg mine in Indonesia's Papua province.

    Main Source: 
    New York Times, December 27, 2005

    It's Easy Being Green (washed)

    by John Stauber — December 22, 2005 - 9:29am

    The New York Times notes that corporations including Ford, Exxon Mobil, BP, General Electric and Alcan "appear to be spending ever-bigger chunks of their advertising budgets to promote" what critics call

    Main Source: 
    New York Times, December 22, 2005

    The Not-So-Sunshine State

    by Diane Farsetta — December 20, 2005 - 1:31pm

    "The monitoring of pesticide use in Florida has become make-believe. It is Disney-esque," said Alex Simons, a former environmental specialist for Florida's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

    Main Source: 
    Palm Beach Post (Florida), December 19, 2005
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