Yesterday, approximately 50 students from colleges and universities across Oregon converged on our state capitol to lobby our elected officials for bold climate policy. A representative of Intel was there with us, to support the goal of a clean energy future for Oregon, and show that the largest private employer in this state is willing to stand with the youth of Oregon in confronting the most urgent environmental challenge of our time.
April fools!!!
The part about Oregon's youth climate movement is true; we really were in Salem yesterday to push our representatives for real action on global warming and clean energy. We members of the Cascade Climate Network showed that the young people of this country are not going to sit there and let industry kill the progressive climate legislation moving forward in Oregon. But the part about Intel is the April Fools (Fossil Fools) Day joke. The Cascaded Climate Network's Corporate Accountability branch challenged Intel to live up to its green rhetoric by lobbying with us yesterday. But Intel's head lobbyist said no.
The part about Oregon's youth climate movement is true; we really were in Salem yesterday to push our representatives for real action on global warming and clean energy. We members of the Cascade Climate Network showed that the young people of this country are not going to sit there and let industry kill the progressive climate legislation moving forward in Oregon. But the part about Intel is the April Fools (Fossil Fools) Day joke. The Cascaded Climate Network's Corporate Accountability branch challenged Intel to live up to its green rhetoric by lobbying with us yesterday. But Intel's head lobbyist said no.
Show Intel what you think of their foolishness by voting in the pole at left!
What was Intel's excuse? We asked them to support SB 80 - the bill that would put a permanent cap on Oregon's greenhouse emissions - and Intel claimed they couldn't get behind it because they hadn't yet seen the exact wording of the bill. Well, that's understandable. But then I suggested that they join us in simply lobbying for a cap on carbon, with the understanding that the company couldn't commit to any bill until they saw the final wording. Intel still wouldn't join us. In fact, their head lobbyist said it was "disturbing" that we would assume Intel supported a cap on carbon, just because they claim to be a leader in corporate sustainability. Come again?
I'd say that this week, Intel showed itself to be a true "fossil fool" - a company that may talk the talk, but is not walking the walk when it comes to leadership in sustainability. If you agree, please vote on the poll at left, and help the Cascade Climate Network deliver Intel a "foolie" - an award that officially recognizes their fossil foolishness, and urges them to get their act together.
Let's call for an end to Intel's foolishness.
-Nick Engelfried
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