iPhonefreak width="190"

Folks like Greenpeace have their place, and so do politicians. Both pretty important posts. But when someone like Greenpeace starts behaving like politicians, that seems caustic.

After getting huge press coverage recently for their calling out of Apple for having "uncovered hazardous chemicals in the iPhone", it now seems that Greenpeace was marketing, and a slew of complicated explanations and semantics is sheepishly bubbling up. Check out the Gizmodo article highlighting their views and Greenpeace’s communications with them. The Gizmodo folks are bad-ass, and once again seem like straight shooters.

Apparently there are some materials in iPhone headsets that are in most or all cell phone components made today, and are well within legal limits for production. Now I’m not big on laws, but the point is… there should have been a broad article or study released about these concerns and, instead, it was presented in a way that made Apple sound like a leading, if not unique, offender. If you can get the word "iPhone" into your press copy, you’re read. It works. I kept changing my RSS visualizer source in my screensaver, like I always do, and couldn’t get away from this story when it was originally released by Greenpeace.

I think it’s important that Apple, like all companies, do the right thing. I also think however, although probably not as important, that communications departments do the right thing as well.

I think it’s pertinent to mention here, that there’s nothing wrong with hippies! I’ve got friends that, um… are.

This isn’t a liberal or conservative issue. Whether any of us have aspirations to save the world, or rule the world, We’ve got to keep it real. We’re very lucky there are folks watching closely things like toxic chemicals used in producing consumer goods. The way we are collectively treating the earth is alarming. But when you conduct yourself like a PR firm, you may undo years of branding of an important social initiative… Bummer.