Apple launches 'Better' environmental campaign with Tim Cook-narrated video

Posted:
in General Discussion edited April 2014
Apple on Tuesday unveiled a campaign that more clearly outlines the impact of the company's environmental initiatives, backing it up with a revamped environmental responsibility website and an introductory video narrated by CEO Tim Cook.



"Better. It's a powerful word, and a powerful ideal," Cook says to open the video. "It makes us look at the world and want more than anything to change it for the better. To innovate, improve, to reinvent. To make it better."

Cook goes on to say that the Cupertino, Calif. company is looking at ways to reduce its environmental footprint across a number of areas, from altering the materials used in its products to increasing their recyclability. He also calls out Apple's new data center designs and Arizona sapphire plant that are powered entirely by renewable energy.

"We have a long way to go and a lot to learn," Cook adds. "But now, more than ever, we will work to leave the world better than we found it and make the tools that inspire others to do the same."

The video is part of an updated environmental responsibility website which Apple has broken out into more descriptive sections -- Climate Change, Toxins, Finite Resources, and Our Progress. Each of the first three deal with ways in which Apple has altered its energy practices and products, while Our Progress features a letter from environmental chief Lisa Jackson and a bulleted list of major environmental victories over the past 13 years.

Some of the noteworthy achievements Apple highlights include:
  • Including both data centers and corporate campuses, 94 percent of Apple's energy is from renewable sources

  • Apple is working with suppliers to recycle water with a new Clean Water Program pilot

  • All Apple cables used in China are now PVC-free

  • Apple has signed the CERES Climate Declaration

  • Energy initiatives at facilities in Cupertino have saved enough energy to power 1200 homes per year

  • Over 1000 shared bicycles will be available at the new 'spaceship' campus

  • Over 90 percent of material Apple recycles is from products other than their own
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 58
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member

    And in before people whining about how Tim Cook shouldn’t have been the one to narrate this video, much less CEO.

  • Reply 2 of 58
    macinthe408macinthe408 Posts: 1,050member
    Love how Apple is cranking out everything...except new products.
  • Reply 3 of 58
    nobodyynobodyy Posts: 377member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by macinthe408 View Post



    Love how Apple is cranking out everything...except new products.

     

    I'd rather Apple focus on it's image rather than products for this part of the year. Image goes a long way and I don't want to see something like the Galaxy Gear get released because everyone is pushing them to reinvent the wheel, which Apple has never done, just refine it ;) 

     

    I appreciate Apple's efforts in the environment and liked this video.

  • Reply 4 of 58
    andysolandysol Posts: 2,506member

    Didn't they tear down the old HP building and haul it to the landfill to make room for the new Cupertino campus?

     

    Yes- Apple is better than most companies.  But they're still filling landfills.

  • Reply 5 of 58
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    "Think better"?
  • Reply 6 of 58
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    andysol wrote: »
    Didn't they tear down the old HP building and haul it to the landfill to make room for the new Cupertino campus?

    Yes- Apple is better than most companies.  But they're still filling landfills.

    No, the old building is being recycled and turned into offices for the homeless.
  • Reply 7 of 58
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member

    Who is Apple trying to convince? Greenpeace? Who cares about them?

     

    Apple has been "environmentally friendly" for a very long time now. Even in keynotes from many years ago, Apple would be touting how green and environmentally friendly their products are.

     

    I think that the majority of Apple users are well aware of Apple's track record. I also believe that many non-Apple users do not care at all. They'll simply buy whatever is cheapest. 

     

    If there was an Android tablet that came with this symbol on the box and it cost $49, then many people would be fighting each other to get one.

     

  • Reply 8 of 58
    tundraboytundraboy Posts: 1,884member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by macinthe408 View Post



    Love how Apple is cranking out everything...except new products.

     

    You have the patience of a five year old at a birthday party, all sugared up and screaming for the balloon guy to make him another latex poodle.

     

    The three years between the iPhone and the iPad is an exception to Apple's usual pace of product introduction.

  • Reply 9 of 58
    danielswdanielsw Posts: 906member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Andysol View Post

     

    Didn't they tear down the old HP building and haul it to the landfill to make room for the new Cupertino campus?

     

    Yes- Apple is better than most companies.  But they're still filling landfills.


    There's no creation without some destruction. And you don't know what all they're doing with the materials they tore down. Quit assuming.

  • Reply 10 of 58
    danielswdanielsw Posts: 906member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by macinthe408 View Post



    Love how Apple is cranking out everything...except new products.

    You don't know what they're working on. The new products will come when they're ready. Quit parroting the Apple bashing party line.

  • Reply 11 of 58
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    apple ][ wrote: »
    Who is Apple trying to convince? Greenpeace? Who cares about them?

    Apple has been "environmentally friendly" for a very long time now. Even in keynotes from many years ago, Apple would be touting how green and environmentally friendly their products are.

    I think that the majority of Apple users are well aware of Apple's track record. I also believe that many non-Apple users do not care at all. They'll simply buy whatever is cheapest. 

    If there was an Android tablet that came with this symbol on the box and it cost $49, then many people would be fighting each other to get one.

    1) Why can't they be doing it for themselves? I believe Cook believes what he stated in the video.

    2) Being environmentally friendly isn't like getting a college degree where you can then stop learning and still retain that credential no matter how ignorant you become. It's like actually learning and you need to not only keep it up but progress. Even Dell is probably more environmentally friendly today than Apple a decade ago when Apple was leading the charge.

    3) People don't simply choose what is cheapest. They choose what is cheapest for a perceived value. I'm sure you know people that were using WinPCs that didn't understand the value of the Mac you used until after they got one, or some Apple product before it clicked. Those intangibles that make the user experience better can be difficult to impossible to convey. In other markets Apple's products never weigh into the equation because the price is too far out of reach — the way a Rolls Royce Phantom (and driver) is out of reach for me — but they still weigh the perceived value among the items they can reasonably afford.
  • Reply 12 of 58
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    Love how Apple is cranking out everything...except new products.

    Just in 2013 alone…

    • 13" MBP refreshed twice that year.
    • 15" MBP refreshed twice that year.
    • 21.5" iMac refreshed twice that year.
    • 27" iMac refreshed.
    • 11" MBA refreshed.
    • 13" MBA refreshed.
    • The New Mac Pro was introduced after 9 years of the same cue design.
    • iPad Air was introduced.
    • Retina iPad mini was introduced.
    • High-end iPhone was refreshed.
    • Mid-range iPhone was introduced to tackle more markets and quickly took position number 2 and settled as number 3 for the world's most popular smartphone.
    • 16GB iPod Touch was introduced to tackle more markets.
    • New AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule with 802.11ac were refreshed and given a new design.
    • Mac OS X got a new name and a major overhaul, not to mention it was made free.
    • iOS was redesigned from the ground up to be a modern OS that eschews the gimmicky look of the 2007 design.
    • iWork and iLife suite apps got a major overhaul, and most apps free with purchase of an Apple product.
    • iCloud had a major overhaul and more interconnects for smoother accessibility between devices.
    • Touch ID become the first consumer biometric that was actually useful.
    • 64-bit ARM processor with AArch64 was introduced with an OS, included apps, and IDE that full supported it, not to mention excellent documentation to help get 3rd-party developers to quickly support the better architecture.
  • Reply 13 of 58
    Dan_DilgerDan_Dilger Posts: 1,583member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Andysol View Post

     

    Didn't they tear down the old HP building and haul it to the landfill to make room for the new Cupertino campus?

     

    Yes- Apple is better than most companies.  But they're still filling landfills.


     

    Actually the HP buildings were disassembled and scrapped of all recycling materials, and much of the non-recyclable stone was crushed for use on the site. But that's not just Apple's idea, that's how most construction is done, because hauling an entire building to a landfill would be incredibly stupid and wasteful, not to mention very expensive, particularly in California. 

     

    Apple is also paying hundreds of thousands of dollars per tree to save as many of the older trees on the property and move them to new locations on or near the site. That's not necessary, but it preserves those old trees rather than trying to start from zero with small ones. Of course, Apple will also be planting tons of new trees on the site, which has long been acres of surface parking lots that contributed to toxic runoff.

  • Reply 14 of 58
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Originally Posted by macinthe408 View Post

    Love how Apple is cranking out everything...except new products.



    Meanwhile, FUD production is at its highest level in years.

  • Reply 15 of 58
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    Actually the HP buildings were disassembled and scrapped of all recycling materials, and much of the non-recyclable stone was crushed for use on the site. But that's not just Apple's idea, that's how most construction is done, because hauling an entire building to a landfill would be incredibly stupid and wasteful, not to mention very expensive, particularly in California. 

    Apple is also paying hundreds of thousands of dollars per tree to save as many of the older trees on the property and move them to new locations on or near the site. That's not necessary, but it preserves those old trees rather than trying to start from zero with small ones. Of course, Apple will also be planting tons of new trees on the site, which has long been acres of surface parking lots that contributed to toxic runoff.

    Are you driving down to take photos of the construction. I seem to recall you did that for the Reno datacenter. What would be cool would be a weekly photo from the same vantage point(s) that are then made into a video or animated GIF that shows the progress over time. I doubt anyone else could match that.
  • Reply 16 of 58
    andysolandysol Posts: 2,506member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Corrections View Post

     

     

    Actually the HP buildings were disassembled and scrapped of all recycling materials, and much of the non-recyclable stone was crushed for use on the site. But that's not just Apple's idea, that's how most construction is done, because hauling an entire building to a landfill would be incredibly stupid and wasteful, not to mention very expensive, particularly in California. 

     

    Apple is also paying hundreds of thousands of dollars per tree to save as many of the older trees on the property and move them to new locations on or near the site. That's not necessary, but it preserves those old trees rather than trying to start from zero with small ones. Of course, Apple will also be planting tons of new trees on the site, which has long been acres of surface parking lots that contributed to toxic runoff.


    Wow- interesting- didn't know that.  Thanks!

  • Reply 17 of 58
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post

     
    Are you driving down to take photos of the construction. I seem to recall you did that for the Reno datacenter. What would be cool would be a weekly photo from the same vantage point(s) that are then made into a video or animated GIF that shows the progress over time. I doubt anyone else could match that.


    I'd be surprised if Apple didn't have dozens of web cams on site, but I doubt they'll ever share it with us.

  • Reply 18 of 58
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    mstone wrote: »
    I'd be surprised if Apple didn't have dozens of web cams on site, but I doubt they'll ever share it with us.

    I think they'll give us a couple videos of the construction but I think Dilger can add a different perspective to it and think it could be a win for AI.
  • Reply 19 of 58
    magic_almagic_al Posts: 325member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post

     

    And in before people whining about how Tim Cook shouldn’t have been the one to narrate this video, much less CEO.




    This is a "Steve wouldn't have..." comment, but Steve Jobs did try recording the "Think Different" ad narration, and didn't do a bad job, but they ended up using Richard Dreyfuss. One could argue that a professional actor doing what he's trained to do is the most effective way to communicate a message and not focus on the personality of the CEO.

  • Reply 20 of 58
    fracfrac Posts: 480member
    magic_al wrote: »
     
    And in before people whining about how Tim Cook shouldn’t have been the one to narrate this video, much less CEO.


    This is a "Steve wouldn't have..." comment, but Steve Jobs did try recording the "Think Different" ad narration, and didn't do a bad job, but they ended up using Richard Dreyfuss. One could argue that a professional actor doing what he's trained to do is the most effective way to communicate a message and not focus on the personality of the CEO.

    Folks are far wiser and less gullible ré professional voices, these days.
    I think TC's narration says both more about what Apple believes in and TC's personal aims - something a 'paid' voice would reduce to mere marketing_speak...like how musak goes in one ear and out the other without hitting any grey matter.
    As priorities go, Apple will gain immensely from this sort of statement.
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