Shell rebuked for 'greenwash' over ad for polluting tar sands project

I don't understand. Companies are made up of people. They're not some robotic mindless machine. People run these companies, people make the decisions and set the policies. Don't these people have children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews? Are they so delusional about what fossil fuels have done and are doing to the environment that they believe that it's business as usual and why not crank it up a notch while we're at it? What is this spell they're under? Do they think smog is really just haze?You would think that if they believed there was the slightest chance that what they were doing would harm their children they would stop, but apparently they must be making a very conscious decision that that field of black disgusting sludge is nothing to worry about.

And why not take a look at ourselves... we create the demand, we might be thoughtful and active in our conservation efforts, driving our Prius's and taking the bus and buying our energy star appliances but until theres no demand the people who create these scars on the earth will continue to make more.

That is so right on. People need to know that the same products that big oil produces can be made from other more eco-friendly substances. Stop talking if you don't want to insert foot. Know your stuff before you write!!!

It's a shame we are all so quick to damn the companies that bring us the plastics our computers are made of and power the equipment that lets us exchange comment on the network.

Argh, I am SO sick of the greenwashing epidemic that has seized modern marketing, its so disgusting, these people should not be allowed to manipulate the average consumer with BS tactics!

This sounds like McCains spiel on how we need to find alternative energy, but hey, why not drill off our coasts in the meantime! That'll shut you guys up and the richest of us all can continue to get rich off of the oil that has put us in the predicament we are in today...but I digress.

The same major corporations that once and continue to pollute the environment are now providing solutions for a cleaner environment because they can't get away with destroying and exploiting the earth for profit anymore. How hypocritical, and yet we stand by and allow it.

There's an "Advertising Standards Authority"?

Oh that's classic, where the hell are they when I'm watching cartoon foxes try to sell me "success kits" on TV with the fine print that says this entire commercial is a lie?

You want to solve the world's problems?

Double the size and infinitely expand the effectiveness of the "Advertising Standards Authority" to actually keep the bullshit that masks all the evil deeds out of the public's view.

Working in advertising/marketing myself, it grows increasingly harder to watch the amount of bullshit that is plastered everywhere you look. Newsflash: The majority of rich people behind the huge corporations are shady, greedy, lying bastards. The advertising is what totally blinds you into believing their bullshit.

It's REALLY hard to tell a good company/product from a bad one because the advertising is the same. If there were more Consumer Reports-type standards applied to things, the world would be a MUCH better place.

Without "someone" lusting after the huge profits of safely powering the country (USA), the "government", which is totally in the pocket of big utilities and oil, will never move off oil and coal. The shareholders who own these corporate killers and warmongers will continue to belittle the "greenies" and purchase whatever government officials they need to hold off any real effort toward safe, alternative fuels. A huge mercenary war "Viet Nam" was ended by the people. People who did more than talk, but got out in the streets and changed things. Clean energy will only arrive riding on that same passionate bus.

While I am glad the truth has come out, we cannot expect an oil company who's main goal is profit to lead the way to change. This simply is not going to happen. If we are to change, it will have to be at the hands of the people, demanding our leaders to clean up their acts and support, in policy and financially, the research and implementation of sustainable and non damaging forms of energy. We have three billion different was to kill a man, but no ideas as how to cleanly power his house. This strikes me as a bit of a paradox...

yeah, they don't mention how aboriginals 100 miles downstream (Fort Chipewyan) are getting stomach cancer from their polluted anthabasca... high traces of arsenic in the fish that they eat... to name one of the poisons that have been leeching into the anthabasca from their "tailing ponds" for the past 10 years.

Canadia here I come. I always have liked our friendly neighbor to the north, and it just keeps looking better. This is totally off topic, but does anyone know how hard it is to get Canadian citazenship?

Their stock should drop because of this.

It is so laughable when people in these Public Relations and Advertising firms think that by using buzz words such as "green" or "sustainable" or "earth friendly" in their advertising will somehow ease people's fears and concerns; when they are actually polluting and slowly murdering the planet

It has become all too common in this upside down inside out world. Up is down. Left is right. Good is Bad, and Evil is Love.

Sometimes it is so frustrating that I wish a meteor would strike the planet and send us all back to the stone age; or Jesus would come real soon and take all those ignorant people away from this planet in a rapture so the rest of us can get on with the business of restoring this planet to a living garden; or hostile Aliens would attack the earth uniting all of us in a common cause. (fantasy mind at work under the influence of rage)

I can't understand how these companies can make profits that make your eyes pop out of your head yet can't get their house in order. Our dependency on these companies is something that needs to be addressed, their profits should be forceably ploughed back in to renewable sources.

"In its defence, Shell maintained that its new technology wasn't causing them to feed off of the bodies of living puppies or throw human babies into the sea."

Oil company telling lies about environmental impacts? Shocker.

They wouldn't need to outrightly lie to consumers if they knew their product was good. They however know their product contributes to climate change, pollutes air and water, and causes diseases... yet they still sell it thinking consumers are gullible enough to fall for their lies as they now back a project in Canada that has totally destroyed one of the most pristine places on Earth, the Boreal Forest. Damn them all to hell, and I hope more consumers wise up to their greedy immoral tactics to put gold bars ahead of our planet and our children. We have other safer cleaner options to power our planet. The time is now to use them.

"In its defence, Shell maintained that new technology was reducing pollution from the Athabasca Oil Sands Project in Alberta "

What a joke. Reducing pollution from something so environmentally destructive isn't really reducing pollution, is it?

Sick bastards. I can't help but thing of the "Clear Skies Act" and the "Patriot Act" and "No Child Left Behind". All examples of people calling something the exact opposite of what it really is they are doing.

This article points out how each of us need to read closely and attend to details.

Shell et al are destroying us. I intend to continue to boycott Shell, Exxon etc.

I am walking more, biking when I can, and driving very little.

SUSTAINABLE? What planet are these people living on?!