A few months ago we did a story about California’s primary utility company, PG&E’s, Let’s Green This City campaign. The green posters were all over the city of San Francisco. Our initial reaction was, “Cool! A corporate utility company is actually talking green!” These posters suggested many things that individuals could do to green their lives like ride a bike instead of drive, switch your lightbulbs to fluorescents etc. But what about PG&E going green? Why weren’t any of the posters advertising how much renewable energy they were buying?
After a while we started to notice counter messages advertising PG&E’s environmental record. Posters and stickers with the slogan “Let’s Greenwash This City” and statistics citing PG&E’s purchase of renewables at less than 4% started showing up all over the city as well. This counter message was initiated not by a competing billion dollar utility corporation, but by a group of citizens called Green Guerillas Against Greenwash. Their purpose was to counter PG&E’s million dollar ad campaign with the simple truth that no matter how many bikes Californian’s ride, companies like PG&E could make a massive systemic difference by just making cleaner energy purchases.
So far the Green Guerillas have helped successfully pass The Community Choice Energy initiative through the city legislature and over to Mayor Newsom’s office (where it was not vetoed!). This plan would give the residents of San Francisco a choice of where they can buy their power instead of having to settle for dirty PG&E energy. In the near future, they hope this will force PG&E to look at the greater picture and take their own advice to really help “green this city”.
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Technorati Tags: green guerillas against greenwash, letsgreenwashthiscity, letsgreenthiscity, pge, renewable energy, green, san francisco, ryanishungry
so inspiring - let’s greenwash this whole fuckin planet already!
Go Green Energy Gorillas! Way to call it like it is and hold these monopoly corporate-schmucks accountable! Local-clean-power to the people!
great interview! good to see the green guerillas discuss their tactics and motivations, more political strategy skillshare videos please!!