Lately, General Electric’s been letting its ecomagination run wild. And Chevron…well, not so much.
A new report from GE showcases the conglomerate’s continued focus on clean energy investments:
General Electric’s revenue for its portfolio of environmentally sensitive products and services grew 21 percent last year and rose to $17 billion, according to the firm’s annual ecomagination report. …
Ecomagination offerings, which range from refrigerators and smart meters for the home to turbines and engines for industries, now include 80 products and services. The number represents a 30 percent increase compared to the portfolio in 2007, the report said.
In addition, the company’s 2008 investments in cleantech research and development increased by 27 percent, rising to $1.4 billion, according to the report. By comparison, the GE’s cleantech R&D investment was $750 million in 2005.
Chevron–who last year unleashed a torrent of greenwashed advertising–is showing little, if any, commitment to clean energy. Via Climate Progress:
The company invests a measly 5 percent compared to total annual profits in low-carbon energy programs.
What’s more, Chevron does not plan to reduce its greenhouse gases emissions.
On a side note, I noticed this interesting tidbit in the full GE ecomagination report:
NBC Universal’s Focus Features became one of the first studios to implement comprehensive sustainable practices on a major motion picture production. The 2009 film Away We Go redirected nearly 50% of its waste away from landfills toward recycling and composting.
I was already planning to see Away We Go (Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida wrote the script and John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph are the film’s costars), but now I almost feel morally obligated to catch it on its opening weekend.
