Courtesy of Kenny Bruno
READ MORE ABOUT:
Energy and transportation are two of the dirtiest industries in the world. But in recent years, they've been making a concerted effort to clean up their businesse—or, as skeptics say, the image of their businesses. Is it a sign of real commitment to environmental sustainability that these big companies are making such public efforts to show they are turning a new green leaf, or are they just corporate spin? How much of a difference do corporate sustainability programs make, and are the millions spent on those programs overshadowed by the billions more spent on environmentally harmful activities?
First, Focus Earth looks at what environmental and corporate watchdog groups call "greenwashing:" attempts by energy and transportation corporations to cover up their environmental sins with a shiny, green façade. These companies spend billions every year to publicize their green cred, like embracing hybrid technology, touting clean coal initiatives and low-emission energy technology. Bob Woodruff interviews environmental and corporate watchdog experts to answer the question: are corporate green efforts for show only, or can they actually make amends for decades of un-sustainable, even downright harmful, business choices?
Next, Bob Woodruff gets up close with Royal Dutch Shell, seen by many environmentalists as one of the worst offenders in the oil industry. It has accumulated numerous charges and lawsuits over the release of chemical pollutants from refineries, groundwater contamination, and Clean Air Act violations. Bob talks with Shell's U.S. operations head, Marvin Odum, who says the company is investing in alternative energy, supportive of carbon capture & sequestration technology development, and trying to combat the emissions that contribute to climate change. Bob also interviews advocates who dispute these claims, saying they are misleading and contrary to other Shell activities, like working with the American Petroleum Institute to lobby against federal restrictions that would affect their bottom line.
Then, like the other companies that make up the Big Three in the US auto industry, Ford is embracing hybrid and clean technology, but only after going bust last year. Before that, Ford made billions on the sale of trucks and SUVs--vehicles infamous for their high emissions and low fuel efficiency. But after gas prices spiked and the industry took a nose dive in 2008, fuel-efficiency and hybrid technology became the linchpin of their comeback. Ford didn't take bailout money, but CEO Allan Mullaly promised Congress that going green was a major strategy for the company's recovery. Bob Woodruff interviews Nancy Gioia, head of Ford's hybrid division, who is charting the course for the company's fuel-efficient future.
Finally, Duke Energy was identified in 2002 by Massachusetts researchers as the 46th-largest corporate producer of air pollution in the U.S., with roughly 36 million pounds of toxic chemicals released annually into the air. Duke Energy rose to 13th in 2008, more than doubling its release of toxic chemicals to 80 million pounds per year. In this episode, Bob Woodruff interviews Duke CEO Jim Rogers, who says he's turning around his company--and his industry--with a state-of-the-art coal gasification plant. He'll also talk with Greenpeace and Corporate Ethics International representatives to learn their stance on the issue: can coal ever be swept out of the energy mix (Duke says no), and if not, is there a way to make it more environmentally friendly?
Tune in to Focus Earth and learn more about companies that greenwash, and if they're improving their record on the environment.
Watch Focus Earth Videos
Dig deeper into these issues:
Greenwashing: Know When a Company Is Green And When It's Just Good at Green Imaging?
From the Greenwashing Archives....
-
- {}
