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New York Attorney General Letitia James is suing JBS USA, the world's largest producer of beef, over the company's emissions and for "greenwashing" by allegedly misleading the public about its environmental impact. In an announcement, James noted that beef production has the largest greenhouse gas footprint of any major food commodity and that animal agriculture accounts for 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. According to James, JBS USA's various net-zero pledges for 2030 and 2040 are therefore misleading and "not feasible" given the scope of its worldwide beef production operations. "As families continue to face the daily impacts of the...

The practice of “greenwashing” is set to be targeted by the European Union, with a new directive to protect consumers. Lots of companies make claims about their environmental sustainability, but there is no simple way for consumers to know if what is claimed is true or may qualify as “greenwashing”. There are many definitions of what greenwashing is, but it basically involves entities making inaccurate or even false claims about the environmental impacts of their businesses, services or products. In Ireland, consumers can complain to the Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland (ASAI) if they think a claim is untrue. The...

The owner of a Rivian R1S electric SUV was overjoyed to have his dream electric vehicle after waiting for years. But after owning the car for just days, it got stuck in the snow and immobilized by a safety feature, leading to a $2,100 bill to transport it to a repair facility. Business Insider reports that a recent incident involving an owner of a Rivian R1S has forced the maker of the electric vehicles to examine its customer service more carefully and think about making changes to improve the user experience. The owner of an R1S truck, Chase Merrill, encountered...

The Airbus A380 recently completed its first flight on 100 percent sustainable fuelAirbus VIEW 1 IMAGES As part of a broader push on part of the aviation industry to reduce its carbon footprint, Airbus has conducted the first ever flight of its giant A380 jumbo jet using 100 percent biofuel. This is the third Airbus aircraft to fly using the sustainable fuel made up of primarily cooking oil, as the company works to certify the technology by the end of the decade. The aircraft featured in the groundbreaking flight is the Airbus ZEROe Demonstrator, an A380 adapted for use as...

A Chevrolet electric vehicle owned by Vermont state Rep. Timothy Briglin recently caught fire while charging in the politician’s driveway, according to Vermont State Police. The fire is the most recent to highlight an ongoing concern of automakers and vehicle safety watchdogs as companies release an influx of new EVs.

A fire at a bus depot in Hanover caused millions of euros in damage. According to fire fighters, the fire broke out on Saturday afternoon at the Üstra transport company where electric buses were parked, According to Üstra spokesman Udo Iwannek, the fire caused damage running in the millions. Five e-buses, two hybrids and two combustion engines were destroyed, as were also the building and the charging station. According to the European Institute for Climate and Energy (EIKE), Hanover’s administration wants to run only e-buses in the city center area by 2023 and is purchasing 50 new vehicles in a...

Why electric cars will take over sooner than you think I know, you probably haven't even driven one yet, let alone seriously contemplated buying one, so the prediction may sound a bit bold, but bear with me. We are in the middle of the biggest revolution in motoring since Henry Ford's first production line started turning back in 1913. And it is likely to happen much more quickly than you imagine. Many industry observers believe we have already passed the tipping point where sales of electric vehicles (EVs) will very rapidly overwhelm petrol and diesel cars. It is certainly what...

"A 12-year-old girl has responded with the stunning “I wish we didn’t exist” to questions about how she feels about pollution and humanity’s impact on the earth, according to a new video released by Brian Sussman, author of “Eco-Tyranny: How the Left’s Green Agenda will Dismantle America.” The response came from a 6th-grade girl identified only as Kalie, from Gault Elementary. Sussman met her during Earth Day events in Santa Cruz, Calif., recently, where he traveled to ask “What is the most serious threat facing mankind?”"

As an investor in PepsiCo, National Legal and Policy Center's Peter Flaherty had something to say today at the annual shareholders meeting.... PepsiCo is a member of the U.S. Climate Action Partnership a coalition of corporations and environmental groups. USCAP’s mission is to “quickly enact strong national legislation to require significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.” The House of Representatives has obliged in the form of the Waxman-Markey bill. According to the Heritage Foundation, this bill would destroy over 1.1 million jobs, hike electricity rates 90 percent, and reduce the U.S. gross domestic product by nearly $10 trillion over the...

Paul de Clerk, Coordinator of the Corporate Campaign at Friends of the Earth International, describes greenwashing as “the practice of companies disingenuously spinning their products and policies as environmentally friendly.” Companies launch cleverly-angled advertising campaigns convincing consumers with claims that are at best vague, unsubstantiated, and irrelevant -- for example, “CFC free,” even though they are illegal. At worst, the claims are completely untrue or plain bizarre (organic cigarettes- seriously?)

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Eco-conscious customers who flock to one Washington store say they have chosen the environmentally friendly living shop because they know they are in little danger of being "greenwashed." "I can give you a ton of words that mean absolutely, positively nothing," said Daniel Velez, owner of Greater Goods, where the shelves are stocked only after careful, painstaking research. "The word natural. The word earth-friendly. It means nothing since it's not legally defined. Biodegradable, except in California, doesn't actually carry any weight of law." Around the world, there are few legal requirements companies must adhere to when marketing...

PARENTS have accused early childhood centres of "greenwashing" their children by burdening them with the responsibility of saving the world.Tots as young as three have sent letters to Kevin Rudd about their passion for green living and asked companies to reduce their packaging.Others are growing their own food, repairing toys and walking to preschool in an effort to reduce their toll on the environment.But experts have called for caution in teaching children about climate change because of the potential for fear, anxiety, frustration, anger and despair at catastrophic events.Mother Paula Driscoll, from Sydney, said environmental disaster was the new...

Just about everyone knows we’ve got to change our way of life to save the planet. Isn’t it a bit odd, then, to find architects doing the same stuff they’ve always done and going around making out that they’re the eco-warriors to end all eco-warriors? Why is it that the same old glass-walled boxes and tower blocks that were invented in the energy-rich sixties and seventies can do the business for the energy-challenged noughties? Architects have discovered the magic of greenwash. The big idea behind contemporary architecture was that the “new century” (meaning the 20th) was all about the latest...

Planet Green, billed as "the first and only 24-hour eco-lifestyle television network," debuted on cable lineups last week. What exactly does it mean to lead a "green" lifestyle? Planet Green aims to answer exactly that question -- though to help the medicine go down, the channel will feature light eco-tainment, including programs hosted by HBO heartthrob Adrian Grenier, celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse, and hard-hitting celebrity journalist Maria Menounous. While it's easy to poke fun at Planet Green and the broader phenomenon of Green Chic, the deeper insight behind this greenthusiasm is roughly right: building a saner environmental future will indeed...