The other day we told you about Google’s Earth Hour silliness, which probably ended up wasting more electricity than it saved. And you know that Google, despite its eco-friendly lip service (click service?), is an energy glutton. Well, the search-engine titan still isn’t done using up vast resources to tell everybody else how to live. According to Fishwrap:
A group of environmental activists has enlisted Google to help flood the congressional switchboard with one million phone calls on Earth Day urging lawmakers to enact eco-friendly measures.
“We’re really excited about this because Congress keeps saying they don’t hear from the American public on climate change,” said Kathleen Rogers, president of Earth Day Network, which bills itself as an eco-activism group connecting some 17,000 organizations in 174 countries. “The [presidential] candidates are not being asked about climate change. Climate change is the biggest threat to humanity that we’ve ever faced.”
Rogers said her group is finalizing talks with Internet giant Google to coordinate online advertisements and other publicity measures in support of the calls. Details of the arrangement are still being worked out and are scheduled to be released on April 14.
Yay, screechy Global Warming hysteria. If we don’t flood Congress with artificially generated phone calls, WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE!! Hey, do phones use electricity? They’re solar-powered or something, right?
Maybe this is another one of Google’s April Fool’s gags. If so, ya got me.
(Thanks to Deceiver reader Jenn for the tip.)
P.S. Thanks to reader Jailbones for reminding me about Google co-founder Larry Page’s trip to Richard Branson’s private island in the Caribbean last month to discuss Global Warming. They were joined by several other rich jerks, including none other than Tony Blair. (Do you think they all swam there?) Here’s the lede from the New York Times story:
Richard Branson was lounging under the starry midnight sky on this palm-dappled speck of an island recently when he popped a sobering question.
“So, do we really think the world is on fire?” Branson, the British magnate and adventurer, asked several guests, as a manservant scurried off to fetch him another glass of pinot grigio.
Read the rest, if you can stand it.
How dare you snark on Google’s environmental goodness! Just because Brin and Co. burn more fossil fuels and spew more carbon into the atmosphere on a good day than you will in your entire lifetime, you shouldn’t question their intentions - which are Holier Than Anything. Brin may burn more natural gas heating homes he doesn’t even live in than you do for your family, but he flies his private jet to Richard Branson’s private island to help the glitterati decide if and how to save the world, so that makes up for it.
Can we power the world safely by burning environmental activists? How much carbon does a flaming hippie produce?
Doesn’t Larry and Sergey’s private party 747 have a CFL bulb in its aft toilet? So they save energy too.
well, I agree that flying to a distant island may be a bit extreme and possible more wasteful than other locations but, although you can tele-conference, it still is a shaky technology that can never replace face to face negotiations or planning.
On the wasting of energy with phone calls…the white house isn’t actually ever turning the phones off so the most waste there is in the manpower to answer phones.
Bottom line: Nothing is ever black and white and there’s a lot of showboating and bull mixed in with important truths. However, you’d have to be blind to not understand how important the climate issues are.
Or manservants with wine gourds. Or bikini girls!
Whatever you say, Al.
So what are you doing about the problem? Yeah, the big wigs are problem just typical rich pieces of bat guano but, really, the problem lies with the ordinary man. So,if you do see a problem with your world, all you have to do is look into the mirror to see who is really at fault. I’m not saying you have to be perfect or a saint but all it takes is changing a few bad habits. It doesn’t have to happen overnight but just getting you and a few friends to say no to things like over-packaging, take-out food packages and making a conscious effort to start bringing your own grocery bags to the store is all you need to do to make an impact. So, instead of whining about what the richies are doing, let’s take a lesson from them(awareness in itself can be a good lesson to learn)and try and inspire those around us to take action. I’m not even a hippie and I know that. Even if you aren’t an environmentalist, shouldn’t you at least make a limited effort to take care of your world? You don’t just throw your trash on the ground, do you? It’s just so easy to make the change.
Also, although there were some really great points to gleen from Mr. Gore, I firmly believe in the motto ” don’t believe in most of what you here and only half of what you see”. A lot of that movie and Al’s efforts are based on valuable, well-researched information but, with most politicians and people in the spotlight… you can’t just take everything as true. I make my decisions based on logic and the reality of the world I see. Not on the absolute words of any one.. or a few individuals.
You’re lookin’ at it.
Hey meow, if thats the way you want to live fine. good for you. Why not just live your life and stop scolding others about what they should do to solve the problems of the world?
You know scolding very often has the exact opposite effect on a lot of people. If you want to talk to someone like they’re a child often they’ll act like one. I for one have already changed my wallpaper to almost all black. You know to save energy. Like Google. Want one? You can find it here.
http://www.socialdistortion.com/images/wallpapers/sd-skeleton-1024.jpg
hey pastafarian-
Haha. Sorry about the rant. It was a response to Simon’s “Al” comment. Before the rant, I was just really expressing my opinion that even the big guys can make a difference and that nothing is black and white. I still think some people act a bit cynical to the point of being naive but, at least I’m trying to do my part to make a difference. Just think if you multiply that effort by 100… or 1,000… or more?
However, cool wallpaper idea.I like it and I think i might go black, myself. Oh wait, my wallpaper *is* almost all black.lol
Thanks for the heads up on the public mothering. I’ll behave now:P
haha..on further research of black screens vs. color… it doesn’t make a darn bit of difference.lol
I guess it’s just going to have to be on energy saver… as usual.:D
Cool