Greenpeace released a statement this week praising Apple for doing "the right thing" in leaving the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in protest of that group's opposition to proposed regulations and legislation intended to address greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental issues. The environmental group then called on Apple's technology peers to follow suit.
"Apple has stormed out of the biggest lobby group in the United States," Greenpeace said in a statement. "At issue is the US Chamber of Commerce's use of funds to oppose climate change legislation. Apple has done the right thing, and IBM and Microsoft should think different [sic] too."
The group added, "Now is the time for IBM and Microsoft to speak out against the position of the Chamber -- or do what Apple did, and leave."
Greenpeace hasn't always been Apple's biggest fans in the environmental movement. In December of 2006, the group protested outside Apple's Fifth Ave Cube Apple Store in New York City, charging that Apple wasn't properly handling e-waste. In January of 2007, the group again protested, this time outside of Macworld Conference & Expo.
While some accused Greenpeace of unfairly targeting Apple in order to leverage the Mac and iPod maker's (this was prior to and when the iPhone was introduced) popularity in order to bring more attention to their cause.
Whether or not that was true, and whether or not the protests had an effect on the corporation, Apple has since taken a more aggressive stance in its own environmental policies, eliminating toxic PVC and BFR chemicals from its MacBook and iPod lines, and touting the greenness of its product lines.
More recently, as noted above, the company quit the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in protest of the group's environmental approach, an aggressive move that seems to have won the favor of Greenpeace, whether or not that's what Apple was seeking.