Not content with doom and gloom messages about possible penis shrinkage, Greenpeace thought it would be a fine time to issue a new PSA about the toxicity of game consoles. At least they didn't go the route of the trying to reach us through our favorite characters in games this time, instead opting for a hip soundtrack and quick edits to try to reach their demographic.
I'm the first to admit that I'm not really the type to study which harmful chemicals are in my gaming equipment, but despite my first reaction to these ads, I think some part of me is starting to feel the need for more clarification of what my console can or cannot do to me. I hope I'm not just being corrupted by Greenpeace's nutty campaign.
I might be way off base with this assumption, but I think that Greenpeace is trying to point out how environmentally harmful the innards of our favorite consoles are.
I don't think that they're claiming that we're endangering ourselves through the everyday use of of our consoles. It's the manufacture and disposal process that has them, understandably, worked up.
The minute they give me a detailed explanation of what they actually mean by "chemicals" and their effects, and stop making ads overflowing with agenda, I'll pay attention. I don't care about scare tactics, give me information.
@Rucksack -- I think you're right, and Greenpeace's concerns are probably legitimate, but aren't there bigger fish to fry?
Deforestation in South America, greenhouses gases, lakes in Eastern Europe and India drying out completely, the spread of the Sahara (and consequent destruction of what little arable land is left in Africa), etc ...
I don't think Greenpeace is necessarily wrong on this one, but their efforts seem a little misguided.
I can only assume it has something to do with Cancer, news flash. Your probably gonna get Cancer at some point in your life and theres a new theory that some people are immune and others just aren't. A bit like I Am Legend.
My 360 only seems to infect itself with harmful chemicals.. 2nd time for repair now.. WOOP!
Don't get me wrong, there are several environmental issues we should care about, but we should NEVER listen to a propaganda group like Greenpeace which is as respectable as PETA. Case point this example: Of all the millions of appliances they can crusade again they choose videogames, why? Cause they are a political "issue" and under constant attack by the media already with millions of GTA 4 stories, so they throw they desperate attempt to get themselves back into political tables with nonsense illogical bullshit like this.
Greenpeace is quite possibly the worst thing that has ever happened to the environmental movement.
I agree, and I think that they're partly tackling consoles because sites like Destructoid will give them free PR.
Conversely, I don't that this a completely cynical publicly stunt. Greenpeace knows that making the big three a tad more eco-friendly is a lot easier than getting a country to change its land-use policy.
Saving the natural world is a noble goal. I only wish that Greenpeace would do it with as few gimmicks as possible.
I stand by my convictions that were made years ago, when Greenpeace blocked my uncle from getting off the Alaskan Oil Rig that he worked on for 3 weeks. They had to send helicopters in to basically rescue everyone because they couldn't get a boat off the rig. They tried, and Greenpeace blocked them from leaving while throwing shit at the workers. Did I mention the Greenpeace guys had guns?
They are fucking idiots, and may as well be terrorists.
It's important to note that PCs don't have these chemicals. Neither do TVs or refrigerators. We'll save you from those evil consoles, America!
@Orcist:
Greenpeace actually directly contributes to deforestation by fighting what they call "Globalization". The spread of modern technology, farming techniques, and plants to third world countries greatly reduces the amount of new farmland they have to make to survive, which is what causes deforestation. It's not logging, it's land cleared for farms and housing. Greanpeace and other like organizations fight this in the name of environmentalism and backwards thinking technophobia.
@king3vbo I feel sorry for your uncle for having to go through that. Theres a fine line between a protest and endangering peoples lives and holding people hostage.
But honestly something should be done about greenpeace and their idiot crusade.
Oh duh! Like you think everything that goes into a video game console will just magically be absorbed cleanly into the earth? But then again I guess for gamers to care about the environment they'd have to...GASP!...go outside and get some earth under their feet and sunshine on their face.
At least Sony is making efforts to recycle their stuff.
Green Peace is just another beautiful piece of the left-wing puzzle. God forbid we drill for the billions of gallons of oil in Alaska, or build more airports. Oh and God forbid we play video games. This is ridiculous. People say the Christian-right is stupid...
Colette, you're being corrupted by their nutty campaign. About the only reason you'd have to worry is if you make it a habit to blend you consoles into delicious smoothies. The same chemicals they're ranting about are found in numerous household products, the only reason they're targeting consoles is exactly what Misanthrope said. Greenpeace cares more about attention whoring and being anti-corporate than they do about the environment. Sad that groups founded with a noble purpose almost always seem to turn out this way, as their ranks become more and more swelled with wackjobs rather than intelligent individuals.
Yeah, they're not terrorists, I mean, it's not like they sunk a whaler in the 80's and killed a dozen people. Oh wait, yes they did. It's not like they frequently find themselves supporting the ELF which is a terrorist organization guilty of harassment and large-scale arson that has cost citizens and taxpayers literally billions of dollars over the last couple decades. Oh wait, yes they did.
Greenpeace places it's agenda over the lives of innocent, hard-working folk. They spout baseless propaganda and never take into account the fact that humans living on planet earth is inconsistent with their goals. If tomorrow, all technology and "harmful chemicals" magically disappeared, Greenpeace would turn its sights on those newfangled stone spearheads that allow a man to kill 2, maybe 3 deer in a single season. They won't be satisfied until they've scoured the earth of every single sign of human civilization. The sad part is that most of their supporters don't realize what they've gotten themselves into.
See - Dr. Patrick Moore former leader and co-founder of Greenpeace, now founder of GreenSpirit
I think we as gamers can do better than the general populice towards the environment than everyone else. Why? Because we are awesome. That said, I don't agree with everything greenpeace does. Some of their messages are important, but some of their actions are retarded. They remind me of the luddite faction in city of heroes/villians
What I do think Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft could do is offer an incentive/recycle/disposal program. When that next-next gen console comes out. They should be take the old console and give you a coupon for the next console. Make it available whereever they sell consoles (Wal-mart, EB, GS). And get rid of the waste properly.
Look, consoles are not going to go away, they are going to be made of parts that are not biodegradable, and we are going to have a couple of them in our lifetime. We just need a good wa y of dealing with the waste.
@king3vbo - Did they really throw shit (like feces) at your uncle? or just stuff lying around.
I'm glad that you're intelligent enough to not only know the aims and goals of a group that you're totally unaffiliated with, but also see far into a post-apocalyptic Greenpeace induced future.
Also why are consoles taking the flack here when the same can be said for dvd players, tvs, microwaves etc.
should a response movie be made to show the amount of potentially hazardous toxic plants that exist in the environment? There are many, many things that can labeled as "toxic" or "hazardous". The effects on the environment need to be actually studied by a neutral 3rd party who doesn't have a vested interest in a positive or negative outcome.
Further, if GP is so dead set against "Globilization", they should immediately drop any use of cell phones, PC's, Fax machines (all of which contain the same materials as a typical console), online banking, etc etc. These are tools of Globilization.
Fear mongering at its finest! Turn more TV watching Americans into paranoid idiots. We're all going to die because of shocking commercials! Can't wait for the Dateline special. I guess their global warming thing never really took off since we are all still alive and well so they came up with something else to rabble rouse with.
"In 10 years time all the console waste is going to kill us! PANIC!!! AAHHHHH!!"
@-Orcist- The reason the lakes are drying up in Eastern Europe is because some Slovakian threw his xbox into the lake after it red ringed on him. Curse you consoles, will your evil never end?
The only ones who care what wackjobs like Greenpeace think are other wackjobs. When it comes to the environment I'll listen to Patrick Moore before I listen to these dipshits. At least he works with companies to find a solution, not just goes "AHHH THIS IS DESTROYING US ALL!!!! OMGWTFBBQ!!!"
When you have organizations like greanpeace using the exact same technology they're supposedly against, you know you have a major problem.
What about the video camera used to film that?
what about the computer used to edit the video?
what about the server that keeps their site up and running, the petroleum and paper used to print out their DVDs and flyers?
They'll complain that incandescent bulbs waste energy, then complain that the energy saving ones have mercury, and THEN they'll complain that the wax used in candles hurt baby seals somehow and the wicks are made of the organs of baby ducklings.
Greenpeace is filled with nothing more than a bunch of brainwashed radicals with too much free time. GB2Woodstock hippies.
This has got to be the fucking stupidest thing I've ever seen, since the last time Jack Thompson opened his mouth for any length of time. Do they honestly believe that these chemicals are actually significant enough to have any real effect on anyone? This is ludicrous scaremongering of the sickest and most inane variety. Good grief.
They're going on about the harmful chemicals that can only harm you if you actually open the damn things up. Hell, I used to take apart and repair these things for a living and still do for kicks, and I have yet to grow a family of goiters on my neck.
There's an argument that the exhaust gasses from transformers contains PCBs. Of course, there's a much larger transformer in your refridgerator, and Greenpeace isn't telling you to ditch that.
@Wardrox - Informed skepticism makes you feel shame?
I don't disagree with the principles Greenpeace stands for, but of all the things they could be focusing their efforts on, a few fucking game consoles are not the way to go. Way to get no bang for your buck.
There are much more acute environmental issues out there. Out of all the electronics in the world that are produced and consumed every day, game consoles are not any more toxic than any other equipment. Of course they all have some baseline hazards, that's why you don't fucking eat them.
Did anyone else notice one of the quick cuts near the end claimed 'Don't inhale'. Wow, great message there Greenpeace, I see now where I was going wrong trying to inhale my console.
@Rucksack I think the environment and green issues are important, thats why I personally do something about my own impact on it. Giving money to Greenpeace gives some people peace of mind, but that money isn't necessarily well spent, and some of their angles are questionable (see this post for example)
I mean, how are chemicals in game consoles impacting the environment in any way. Are people chucking their outdated systems directly into the oh-so-delicate ecosystem?
Although I suppose you could bludgeon a giraffe with them.
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Contest:
10:11 AM on 05.23.2008
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Also why are consoles taking the flack here when the same can be said for dvd players, tvs, microwaves etc. Green nut jobs.
I don't think that they're claiming that we're endangering ourselves through the everyday use of of our consoles. It's the manufacture and disposal process that has them, understandably, worked up.
Then again I could be smoking crack here.
Lol.
Anyway at least it's better then there last add.
Deforestation in South America, greenhouses gases, lakes in Eastern Europe and India drying out completely, the spread of the Sahara (and consequent destruction of what little arable land is left in Africa), etc ...
I don't think Greenpeace is necessarily wrong on this one, but their efforts seem a little misguided.
My 360 only seems to infect itself with harmful chemicals.. 2nd time for repair now.. WOOP!
Greenpeace is quite possibly the worst thing that has ever happened to the environmental movement.
I agree, and I think that they're partly tackling consoles because sites like Destructoid will give them free PR.
Conversely, I don't that this a completely cynical publicly stunt. Greenpeace knows that making the big three a tad more eco-friendly is a lot easier than getting a country to change its land-use policy.
Saving the natural world is a noble goal. I only wish that Greenpeace would do it with as few gimmicks as possible.
They are fucking idiots, and may as well be terrorists.
@Orcist:
Greenpeace actually directly contributes to deforestation by fighting what they call "Globalization". The spread of modern technology, farming techniques, and plants to third world countries greatly reduces the amount of new farmland they have to make to survive, which is what causes deforestation. It's not logging, it's land cleared for farms and housing. Greanpeace and other like organizations fight this in the name of environmentalism and backwards thinking technophobia.
But honestly something should be done about greenpeace and their idiot crusade.
At least Sony is making efforts to recycle their stuff.
I agree with Orcist on this.
Greenpeace places it's agenda over the lives of innocent, hard-working folk. They spout baseless propaganda and never take into account the fact that humans living on planet earth is inconsistent with their goals. If tomorrow, all technology and "harmful chemicals" magically disappeared, Greenpeace would turn its sights on those newfangled stone spearheads that allow a man to kill 2, maybe 3 deer in a single season. They won't be satisfied until they've scoured the earth of every single sign of human civilization. The sad part is that most of their supporters don't realize what they've gotten themselves into.
See - Dr. Patrick Moore former leader and co-founder of Greenpeace, now founder of GreenSpirit
What I do think Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft could do is offer an incentive/recycle/disposal program. When that next-next gen console comes out. They should be take the old console and give you a coupon for the next console. Make it available whereever they sell consoles (Wal-mart, EB, GS). And get rid of the waste properly.
Look, consoles are not going to go away, they are going to be made of parts that are not biodegradable, and we are going to have a couple of them in our lifetime. We just need a good wa y of dealing with the waste.
@king3vbo - Did they really throw shit (like feces) at your uncle? or just stuff lying around.
I'm glad that you're intelligent enough to not only know the aims and goals of a group that you're totally unaffiliated with, but also see far into a post-apocalyptic Greenpeace induced future.
should a response movie be made to show the amount of potentially hazardous toxic plants that exist in the environment? There are many, many things that can labeled as "toxic" or "hazardous". The effects on the environment need to be actually studied by a neutral 3rd party who doesn't have a vested interest in a positive or negative outcome.
Further, if GP is so dead set against "Globilization", they should immediately drop any use of cell phones, PC's, Fax machines (all of which contain the same materials as a typical console), online banking, etc etc. These are tools of Globilization.
"In 10 years time all the console waste is going to kill us! PANIC!!! AAHHHHH!!"
No idea where the Atari went, zomg environmental damage
The only ones who care what wackjobs like Greenpeace think are other wackjobs. When it comes to the environment I'll listen to Patrick Moore before I listen to these dipshits. At least he works with companies to find a solution, not just goes "AHHH THIS IS DESTROYING US ALL!!!! OMGWTFBBQ!!!"
When you have organizations like greanpeace using the exact same technology they're supposedly against, you know you have a major problem.
What about the video camera used to film that?
what about the computer used to edit the video?
what about the server that keeps their site up and running, the petroleum and paper used to print out their DVDs and flyers?
They'll complain that incandescent bulbs waste energy, then complain that the energy saving ones have mercury, and THEN they'll complain that the wax used in candles hurt baby seals somehow and the wicks are made of the organs of baby ducklings.
Greenpeace is filled with nothing more than a bunch of brainwashed radicals with too much free time. GB2Woodstock hippies.
Also, comments which follow articles like this really do make me loose faith in gamers a significant amount and make me ashamed to be one.
This has got to be the fucking stupidest thing I've ever seen, since the last time Jack Thompson opened his mouth for any length of time. Do they honestly believe that these chemicals are actually significant enough to have any real effect on anyone? This is ludicrous scaremongering of the sickest and most inane variety. Good grief.
Seriously, if I impregnated someone, that person would have 20 babies or more. Even if it was a man.
They're going on about the harmful chemicals that can only harm you if you actually open the damn things up. Hell, I used to take apart and repair these things for a living and still do for kicks, and I have yet to grow a family of goiters on my neck.
F**king hippies...
@Wardrox - Informed skepticism makes you feel shame?
There are much more acute environmental issues out there. Out of all the electronics in the world that are produced and consumed every day, game consoles are not any more toxic than any other equipment. Of course they all have some baseline hazards, that's why you don't fucking eat them.
@Rucksack I think the environment and green issues are important, thats why I personally do something about my own impact on it. Giving money to Greenpeace gives some people peace of mind, but that money isn't necessarily well spent, and some of their angles are questionable (see this post for example)
I mean, how are chemicals in game consoles impacting the environment in any way. Are people chucking their outdated systems directly into the oh-so-delicate ecosystem?
Although I suppose you could bludgeon a giraffe with them.