Chevron Toxico

Last week in class we discussed greenwashing and how some companies are taking advantage of the green movement for profitability benefits. As noted in other blog posts, the term "green" is easy to be thrown around these days, oil companies such as Chevron have started a "green"campaign aimed called Will You Join Us? It involves average looking people pledging to use less energy, or use their car less etc. All of which are focusing on the amount of energy will be saved by their pledge. Here are two of them for reference.

What peeves me about these ad's is the lack of transparency with the oil industry Chevron. These ad's focus on what they are doing here in the United States, detailing that they are making a conscience effort to be more energy efficient, thus green. What they don't underline is how disgustingly inconsiderate they are where they do the dirty work, where they pump the actual oil they sell to these figures we see in the advertisements.

Ecuador is a large source for oil, South America in general has an abundance of oil in fruitful areas like the Amazon. Chevron takes advantage, economically, of countries like Ecuador who are already in debt to the United States and thrashes their sustainable Amazon jungle for the sale of petroleum. Due to the drilling in these areas much wildlife and indigenous Quechuan people of Ecuador have developed cancer and disease forcing them to the outskirts of the Amazon and the city, not their natural habitat.

Chevron as a company is terrible. They say one thing and do another. Hypocrisy in it's truest form. The lack of transparency is frightening and it is incredible what they have been able to get away with in the Amazonian Jungle. Just recently activists and Ecuadorian citizens have come to realization of the severity of this issue and have started to take action. Happening right NOW is a very lengthy lawsuit against John Watson (CEO Chevron), by the people of Ecuador. Here is a video and website with a ton of information on this topic to get everyone up to speed and start taking action:

Visits ChevronToxico.com for all the latest information on this case.

-JS