Activists use spoof video and news headlines to launch ‘Project Planet’ campaign and counter Dominion’s greenwashing of its climate pollution
RICHMOND—Newspaper boxes near Dominion Virginia Power’s downtown Richmond offices, as well as the social media feeds of thousands of Virginians, featured an astounding headline this morning, “Dominion Power to go carbon neutral.” Or not. A Virginia climate advocacy group used some April Fool’s Day satire to launch an Earth Month campaign targeting the utility’s expanding footprint of climate pollution.
A video (watch│transcript) released with the fake news headline begins like a promo for Dominion’s “Project Plant It!,” declaring the utility will plant enough trees to go carbon neutral. But it quickly pivots to depict a darker truth masked by the company’s many green-themed public relations campaigns. Dominion is far and away Virginia’s top emitter of climate-disrupting pollution—it would have to plant 4 billion trees to offset those emissions. Moreover, its long-term energy plans are dominated by new fossil fuel projects that would only worsen climate change impacts already harming Virginia, such as sea-level rise and extreme storms.
In addition to the video, spoof “Richmond Fools Dispatch“ newspaper front pages carrying the same message found their way into newspaper boxes in downtown Richmond.
“We would love to see Dominion commit to go carbon neutral or come anywhere close to it,” said Beth Kemler, Virginia State Director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “In reality, Dominion is by far Virginia’s top emitter of the pollution threatening our children’s future and there’s no plan to stop. Every year around Earth Day, Dominion goes out of its way to cast itself as ‘green’ with slick PR stunts. Just a couple weeks ago, new Project Plant It! ads showed up—claiming that Dominion is helping to make ‘a greener tomorrow.’ So we’re launching our own initiative, ‘Project Planet,’ to demand a new direction from Dominion.”
Through “Project Planet,” the Chesapeake Climate Action Network will work with parents, church groups and other concerned Virginians to gather thousands of petition signatures to deliver to Dominion CEO Thomas Farrell and state regulators on Earth Day. The petition calls on Dominion to develop — and start implementing right away—a plan to reduce its emissions of the gases causing climate change and for state regulators to reject Dominion’s pending application to build a massive new fossil fuel-fired plant in Brunswick County, Virginia.
Dominion is required to submit a new 15-year energy plan to the state by September 1, and state regulators are currently considering public input on the proposed Brunswick facility, which would emit as much climate pollution as 550,000 cars—or roughly all of the cars in the state of Maine.
“If Dominion’s ads are sincere, and they truly want to help protect the planet for our children, then they must stop building massive new fossil fuel projects and start making serious investments in clean energy and energy efficiency,” said Stephen Vandivere, a parent from Centreville, Virginia and a Dominion customer. “Token efforts like tree-planting don’t cut it. Real change will come when I turn on the lights in my home and they’re powered by 100% clean energy.”
Dominion Power’s most recent long-term energy plan relies overwhelmingly on fossil fuel projects, including the proposed Brunswick County plant. The 2011 plan calls for a miniscule increase in renewable energy—just four-tenths of one percent over 15 years.
“Big decisions are coming up,” added Kemler. “Will Dominion keep burning more fossil fuels that breed more extreme and costly storms like Sandy and more flooding in areas like Norfolk? Or will they recognize that the only responsible move for our children’s future is a rapid shift to clean energy? Through Earth Day, thousands of Virginians will be speaking out for the clean-energy path that protects our children now and in the future.”
Watch the video & see the petition to Dominion: http://chesapeakeclimate.org/dominion
See the Richmond Fools Dispatch headlines: http://www.flickr.com/photos/chesapeakeclimate/sets/72157633138092431/
Contact: Beth Kemler, 804-335-0915, beth@chesapeakeclimate.org; Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org
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The Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) is the first grassroots, nonprofit organization dedicated exclusively to fighting global warming in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. Our mission is to build and mobilize a powerful grassroots movement in this unique region that surrounds our nation’s capital to call for state, national and international policies that will put us on a path to climate stability.
