I can't believe how crazy it sounds to hear that the nuclear industry is trying to build more plants and get more federal funding to do so.

The nuclear industry is actually trying to paint itself green! It is true that they don’t emit greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. But, do they think we’ve forgotten disasters like Three-Mile Island and Chernobyl? There is still no way to take care of nuclear waste that will remain dangerous for 240,000 years.

But this isn’t stopping the nuclear industry from trying to convince Americans and Congress that we need more nuclear reactors here in the U.S. Right now, they’re lobbying Congress for increased funding to build more and expand current nuclear power facilities. This is an outrage! Your taxpayer dollars should be invested in renewable energy sources like wind and solar, NOT towards dangerous nuclear power.

Take action now before the nuclear industry puts us all in danger! Tell your Representative that you don’t want nuclear power and that they should put an end to nuclear subsidies and support renewable energy instead.

This is just outrageous! I'm writing my Representative right now.

Fans and eager readers waited in long lines at bookstores in the middle of the night and children all across the world are staying up way past their bedtimes to read the latest Harry Potter book. And, I am just as excited about the final book as everyone else.

But, I’m not excited to find out what happens to Harry and his friends (I must admit I don’t know the difference between a muggle and a hogwart).  I’m excited because the publisher of the book, Scholastic, finally agreed to print the book with a “forest friendly” policy.

This is HUGE news—since the book sold 8.3 millions copies in just 24 hours here in the United States. That’s a lot of paper and a lot of trees to make the paper!

Readers will be happy to know that the greener “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” contains a minimum of 30% post-consumer waste (pcw) fiber, and nearly two-thirds of the paper will be approved by the Forest Stewardship Council.

As deforestation and global climate change take their toll on our planet’s struggling ecosystems—it is uplifting to know that “we” as consumers have the power to change the course of the future. By demanding forest friendly books, driving energy efficient cars (not gas-guzzling SUVs), and bringing our own canvas bags shopping we can set in motion positive changes that will help our future.

This weekend, I just may pop into my local library and pick up one of the Harry Potter books to see what all the hype is about. If Harry can go Green—I can learn why Voldemort is so scary.

The opportunity to speak directly to the CEO, top executives and the board of a corporation usually comes but once a year, at the annual stockholder meeting. Other times, communication to them is made through layers of bureaucracy that trickle up like water evaporating. One never knows what has been distilled, dissipated and even tainted before it reaches the real decision-makers.

The shareholder meeting presents an opportunity to communicate clearly and directly to the top brass. Today, we did just that. Richard Brooks, Forest Campaigner, Greenpeace Canada, Susan Casey-Lefkowitz, Senior Attorney, Natural Resources Defense Council and myself confronted Thomas Falk, K-C CEO, their full board and all the executives who steer the company and can make a decision not to use fiber from ancient forests like the Boreal.

As far as shareholder’s meetings go, K-C’s is relatively small for a multinational company of its size, with about 80 people and held for a second year at the fortified and exclusive Four Seasons Resort smack dab in Dallas suburbia. A relatively recent occurrence, their change in meeting venue took place last year due to the Kleercut campaign and the company’s uncertainty of what to expect from Greenpeace. Whereas in 2005 we were warmly greeted by the company’s executives (that is, if you pretended not to notice the sharpshooters on the hotel roof or the myriad of non-uniformed security), this year’s meeting was much less congenial. This change in meeting’s timbre was due in large part to unexpected visitors who courageously and peacefully blockaded tissue production at K-C’s Huntsville, Ontario factory and effectively shut it down.

These 19 activists from the U.S., Canada and Belgium, like many of us, had had enough of the company’s rhetoric and lack of real movement towards ending their contribution to ancient forest destruction. While the activists hung banners, dangled from metal tri-pods and chained themselves to railroad tracks, we were able to convey their brave acts to executives, who were clearly miffed.

We also announced the late breaking news that the Director of Facility Management (the purchaser of tissue paper products) at American University sent a letter to the K-C saying that they will not use their products. We then informed them of a recent poll where over 80% of U.S. and Canadian citizens said that they would buy recycled paper tissue products even at a higher price, if no harm was done to the forest. This poll starkly contrasts the company’s insistence that Americans only want softer and whiter tissues. K-C has yet to account for the fact that once people know the manufacture of tissue paper products contributes to ancient forest ruin, their knowledge of how vital forests are to the health of planet kicks into gear.

And, lastly but certainly not least, we spoke in favor of our support for a shareholder proposal, submitted by a coalition of social responsible investment firms and religious groups holding $21,000,000 in stock, that requested the company to investigate the feasibility of producing environmentally friendly tissue paper products.  Surely, a company that purports to be the ‘greenest’ tissue maker in the world should not have a problem with a report of this nature, but they did, encouraging shareholders to vote against the proposal.

The proposal received 7.4% of the vote. Although a seemingly small percentage, for a first time proposal, this is quite good, and guarantees that the proposal can be submitted again in 2007.

At the end of the meeting, it was clear that the CEO, the VPs, and the board’s levees were breached allowing the flood of pleas to save our last remaining ancient forests to pour in. The collective voices of the many, combined with the peaceful civil disobedience of a few, spoke truth to power.

To see photos and video from the Huntsville action, please visit: www.kleercut.net and TV news coverage: www.achannel.ca/home/news_28467.aspx

Don't Say Anything at All!

That's the message the Bush administration is giving to its own scientists doing climate research.  Employees working for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have recently revealed that the U.S. government has "chastised them for speaking on policy questions; removed references to global warming from their reports, news releases and conference Web sites; investigated news leaks; and sometimes urged them to stop speaking to the media altogether."

Read the full Washington Post article.

Fortunately, not all Americans collect their paychecks from Bush, and have the freedom to speak out.  A recent Time magazine poll showed that 85 percent of all Americans now recognize that global warming is an urgent crisis.  And as Chevy Tahoe recently learned, we're spreading the word to that last 15 percent.

Chevrolet recently launched an online contest to get consumers to create ad spots for its Tahoe SUV.  Great idea, but perhaps it wasn't fully thought out.  The contest has attracted LOTS of creative submissions from environmental advocates linking the SUV to global warming.  You almost feel bad for them - almost.  Check out some of the best here.

(sorry about the 15-second ad that runs first) 

Keep an eye out for the final ad, submitted by our coalition: ExxposeExxon

Greenpeace went to HP's annual shareholders meeting in Los Angeles on March 15th to thank them for agreeing to phase out toxic chemicals from their products. We also planned to let them know that we are concerned about the "conditions" they included in their agreement to eliminate certain toxic substances by 2007. We want make sure that their "conditions" do not become loopholes.  We expected to propose that they publicly update their progress on phasing out these chemicals every six months.

However, before attending any shareholders meeting you have to either own shares or have the proxy of someone who owns shares.  Greenpeace had proxies from HP shareholders who support our efforts to detoxify the electronics industry.  With proxies in hand we had no problem attending the meeting. Kevin May from Greenpeace China was our star speaker.  He had prepared a 700 word statement to read to the HP board and shareholders during the question and answer period.  Unfortunately he was cut off after he used up the two minutes alloted to each speaker. I was standing directly behind Kevin and offered to give him my two minutes.  I also asked the chair to give Greenpeace the full 6 minutes that HP meeting rules allow for each subject as we had a third speaker Steve Smith from our media department. Instead they gave Kevin another 90 seconds after which they ejected him for going over time.  Later they ejected me for attempting to hand Kevin's statement to the board of directors while Steve spoke.  This contrasted sharply with the treatment of another gentleman who interrupted the meeting to challenge executive bonuses even before the question and answer period began. He was given four warnings but was allowed to stay.

We were amazed at HP's unwillingness to turn the Greenpeace "thank you" into a "good news" event.  However, the most important news of the day came when HP's CEO Mark Hurd responded to Kevin's statement by saying that HP "was fully committed and will follow through" on their pledge to phase out brominated flame retardants and PVC plastics.

With all the fuss over time, the meeting ended almost an hour early. Steve Smith was allowed to stay and met with reporters immediately following the meeting.  He was also approached by one HP employee who commended Greenpeace's "good work."

The next order of business is which electronics giant will agree to phase out toxic additives in computers and other products: Apple? Dell? IBM? Panasonic? Toshiba?

Greenpeace will be working with allies such as the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition and Basel Action Network on this next chapter of the campaign.

-Rick Hind
Toxics Campaigner