Hightower Lowdown

Earth Day 2001 has come and gone, and along with it another dose of corporate "greenwashing."

Greenwashing is when a notorious polluter rushes out a touchy-feely ad campaign associating itself with Bambi and butterflies in a cynical attempt to gloss over its reprehensible record.

This year, a watchdog group call Earth Day Resources has applied some gloss remover to the 10 worst greenwashers with its "2001 Don't Be Fooled Awards."

Atop the list of dishonorees is BP-Amoco, which launched a multimillion-dollar ad blitz last year proclaiming that its initials no longer stand for British Petroleum, but for Beyond Petroleum. With a snappy new logo—a yellow and green sunflower—the largest oil company in the world now asserts that its chief concern is Mother Earth and its fuel of choice Old Mr. Sun.

It would be more honest if BP changed its initials to BS. This giant spends a pittance on solar-energy development and billions on oilfield development. BP is lobbying furiously to build wells, roads, and pipelines in Alaska's pristine Arctic Wildlife Refuge. BP already has a long rap sheet of environmental crimes in Alaska, including 104 oil spills in one year, and the illegal dumping of hazardous waste near Alaska's once-pristine Prudhoe Bay.

BP is not alone in trying to use green PR to wash its dirty hands. To get a copy of the "Don't Be Fooled" report, call 213-251-3690.