Greenpeace Confronts Facebook’s Coal Problem

Greenpeace has released an online video which is calling to stop powering Facebook’s data centre in Oregon with electricity generated by burning coal. According to Greenpeace, Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook profile doesn’t list his relationship status, but if it did, it might say “in a relationship with coal”.

In July 2010, Facebook announced that it would be doubling the size of its 147,000 square foot data centre in Oregon. This announcement prompted the environmentalist pressure group to write an open letter to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.

In this letter, Greenpeace’s Executive Director, Kumi Naidoo, expressed his concern:

“No global business leader, particularly not one who reaches so many people daily, could deny that in this time it is both a threat to a company’s reputation and financial health risk to ignore their company’s environmental impacts.”

Facebook points out that the building has been designed with a natural cooling system designed for the climate in Prineville,  which is unusually dry and temperate. Greenpeace was not convinced and decided to step up its campaign with the following video:

Personally I think the video is nicely made, but I don’t agree with the fact Greenpeace is calling Mark Zuckerberg just being a “nerd” and who started Facebook just he could make some friends. I don’t see how that will help Greenpeace to make its argument? Or is attacking the person rather than the issue the right ingredient to get this cause out to the public? What do you think?

If you agree with Greenpeace, you can support this cause here, or on their Facebook page.

Source: SocialMediaConsultancy.nl