14 February 2007 - International — All the popular people get lots of mail on Valentine's Day. But Apple boss Steve Jobs has been getting messages for a while from Apple fans asking for a green Apple. Now news reaches us that Steve may just be considering sending a little green love back.

Apple's products contain toxic chemicals and they don't have a global recycling policy. While other competitors like Dell and HP have started to clean up their act, Apple has not been showing much love for the Earth.

However today's hot news on the green gossip grapevine is that Steve Jobs met this week with a Social Responsibility Fund Investor to discuss Apple's environment record. Like all good gossip, exact details remain secret. But the very fact that our main man Steve had a 'green' meeting shows that your messages for a greener Apple are getting through.

There's nothing public yet from Apple so you need to keep asking for a greener Apple. But Dutch Apple Spokesperson Juriaan Bosman may also have been dropping a hint when he recently said:

"We are sticking to our strategy, but we don't rule out that at some moment our strategy will synchronise with what Greenpeace wants"
(Bright Magazine, Feb/March 2007)

Will Steve make some minor improvements just to try and keep up with HP and Dell, or amaze us and make Apple the green leader? That all depends on how much desire for a greener Apple you spread.

So spread the love!

Love isn't just for Valentines Day. That's our story and we're sticking to it as we present you with our somewhat tardy Valentine's Day Apple E-Card. Send it to all those Apple Lovers in your address book and spread the green love: no matter what day it is.

Our volunteers have been out at Apple stores in the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Norway to hand out free organic green apples to spread the word.

Other Mac fans have been showing how much they desire a green Apple by giving their Mac a hug:

Since all Valentine's messages end with a wish, here's how Steve can fulfil the wishes of thousands of Mac fans for a greener Apple:

All new Apple product ranges to be free from the worst toxic chemicals.
Provide a global take back and reuse/recycling service for all Apple products, irrespective of where they are sold.

Come on Steve, make all our green Apple wishes come true.

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Australia to ban incandescent lightbulbs by 2009 - Greenpeace reaction

20-02-2007 - How many British politicians does it take to change a lightbulb? That was the question on many people's lips after Australia today announced plans to ban the sale of inefficient incandescent lightbulbs within three years.

Reacting to the news, Greenpeace climate campaigner Laura Yates said: "The UK government says it is leading the world in the fight against catastrophic climate change, but hasn't yet seen the light and continues to allow the sale of these energy hungry dinosaurs in our shops."

Greenpeace is today kicking off a campaign to persuade the government and retailers to eliminate the most wasteful lightbulbs from our shops.

The Australians, having refused to ratify the Kyoto protocol, are not usually seen as trendsetters in the field of CO2 reduction. But as Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull points out, the banning of incandescent bulbs will help them trim Australia's current emissions and lower household lighting costs by around 66 per cent.

The Californian legislature is also about to vote on similar proposals - the "How Many Legislators Does it Take to Change a Lightbulb Act" would ban incandescent lightbulbs by 2012 in favour of energy-saving compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs). A 20-watt CFL gives as much light as a 100-watt conventional bulb, lasts up to 12 times longer, and can save consumers around £9 a year in electricity costs.

Using government figures, Greenpeace has calculated that the UK could save 5.1 million tones of CO2 per year by copying the move - the equivalent output of the 26 lowest emitting countries combined. This would negate the emissions of an entire medium sized coal fired power station.

Laura Yates continued: "With time running out to mitigate the worst effects of global climate change, surely it is time for our own government to act. If the Australians and the Californians are there already, why is the UK government still being so dim?"