EXCLUSIVE: Sandra Bullock Disowns BP-Backed Greenwashing Campaign
EXCLUSIVE: Sandra Bullock Disowns BP-Backed Greenwashing Campaign
Academy Award-winning actress and New Orleans resident Sandra Bullock has severed her involvement in a campaign to call attention to the BP spill, after learning from ThinkProgress that it was a greenwashing effort by the oil industry. Bullock is prominently featured in the Restore the Gulf campaign, run by Women of the Storm and sponsored by America’s Wetland Foundation.
In an online video with other major celebrities, Bullock called for American people to “speak up” and “sign the petition” for Congress and President Obama at the campaign website, which demands that “a plan to restore America’s Gulf be fully funded and implemented for me and future generations.” The YouTube video makes her the face of the campaign:
Unbeknownst to Bullock, America’s Wetland Foundation is a front group established by Shell Oil in 2002 and funded by the American Petroleum Institute, BP, and a host of other oil companies. Women of the Storm was established after Hurricane Katrina by Anne Milling, the wife of America’s Wetland chairman R. King Milling, who is part of Gov. Bobby Jindal’s (R-LA) team to lift the offshore drilling moratorium. This greenwashing campaign, first uncovered by DeSmogBlog.com’s Brendan Demelle, subtly includes mentions of “safe domestic energy” and oil industry factoids, while implying that American taxpayers, not the unmentioned oil industry, should pay for restoring the region BP has poisoned.
Sandra Bullock’s publicist tells ThinkProgress the actress was never informed of the campaign’s big oil ties. In a statement issued to ThinkProgress, Bullock’s representatives indicated they would immediately ask “for her participation in the PSA be removed until the facts can be determined”:
Ms. Bullock was originally contacted through her attorney to be a part of the PSA in order to promote awareness of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. At no time was she made aware that any organization, oil company or otherwise had influence over Women of the Storm or its message. We have immediately asked for her participation in the PSA be removed until the facts can be determined. Her commitment to the Gulf region has been apparent for many years and she will continue to pursue opportunities that will bring awareness and support to the plight of the Gulf region.
With its deep pockets, BP’s focus should be on supplying necessary funds to restore the Gulf region, not secretly supporting greenwashing campaigns to redirect blame. The people of the Gulf of Mexico don’t need the toxic influence of the oil industry, and the American people don’t need its toxic pollution.
Sidney Coffee, senior adviser for America's Wetland, said: "We want BP to pay every damn penny that they should be paying and more."
Nowhere in the "Restore the Gulf" campaign is BP ever mentioned.
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Did BP hire Karl Rove?
July 29th, 2010 at 9:56 amFollow the money.
July 29th, 2010 at 9:57 am@1. That’s classified.
July 29th, 2010 at 9:58 amIntegrity is so awesome.
Hi, Sandra! *waving*
July 29th, 2010 at 9:59 amThis comment has been voted down. Click to read.
PaggyPow?
July 29th, 2010 at 10:03 amWhere do you guys come up with this shit?
Better
Publicity?
Corporate tentacles have long reaches.
Good on ‘ya, Ms Bullock.
Unfortunately, this is one of the few places the public will see this story.
Oh, and Jesse James is an idiot wannabe biker who deserves women with large tattoos and metal spikes through their tongues.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:08 amSandra Bullock has severed her involvement in a campaign to call attention to the BP spill, after learning from ThinkProgress that it was a greenwashing effort by the oil industry
– - So, I guess you could say that Ms. Bullock was hit on The Blind Side.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:12 amI love that woman! The epitome of integrity and dignity.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:13 amRepugs lie and the environment dies. Way to kick ass Sandy!!!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:14 amThe more I learn about her, the more I like her.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:21 amWhat about James Carville? Shouldn’t he be aware of this?
July 29th, 2010 at 10:21 amCan we quickly vote down the spammer?
July 29th, 2010 at 10:21 amWhile I acknowledge Carville’s passion, when I think of who he is married to – and have observed gtheir interaction on TV – James has lost me.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:23 amAh yes, the classic charge for the polluters and criminals to become the victims, desperately in need of government assistance. Orwell would be proud.
Think of the beachfront estates lost in Katrina, and the horrible insurance settlements and quick rebuilding for those brave Women of the Storm as they were in Virginia or somewhere.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:23 amActually that makes no sense, Orwell would not be proud but cognizant. Boeing would be proud, destroy and rebuild with gov’t dollars.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:26 amShe should be urged to use some of her considerable wealth to ensure all major media outlets repeat this story.
The White Wing is doing it’s best to portray BP as some kind of victim.
The KO show had an EPA whistle blower on last night, explaining how the millions of gallons of disperants injected into the gulf drove the oil to the gulf floor. Now, the entire food chain will be exposed to a toxic environment for decades, beginning with the small critters and move right on up to the top of the food chain.
BP did this purposely under the premise that ‘if they don’t see it, we won’t be liable’. Typical corporate cover up.
BP…’Oil is our game, but ecocide is our name’.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:27 amHow quaint for Big Oil to try to gain respectability on the backs of Oscar (TM) winning actresses. Someone earlier is correct–Orwell would have been proud.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:28 amIronically, BP is advertising how they’re ‘going to make this right’ in the top left corner of this page.
Long tentacles, indeed…
July 29th, 2010 at 10:31 amActually, it’s top left of this page.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:32 amRepublicans = OBFUSCATERS OF RESPONSIBILITY
Have republicans ever taken responsibility for any of their positions??
WMD’s, NOOOooooo, Clinton said there were WMDs, Kerry said there were WMDs, and so on . .
Has any republicans called for BP’s accountability?? Why should any taxpayer pay one penny for BP’s negligence . .
*
July 29th, 2010 at 10:36 amI don’t think that its any surprise that BP is more concerned about the PR aspect of this than actually doing something to clean up the mess.
I would not be shocked that if there is ever a thorough examination of BP’s books during this time period, much more money went into PR and trying to save the company’s image than went into stopping the leak and cleaning up afterwards.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:36 amHold on a minute.
“Women of the Storm” has done tremendous work down here since the time of Katrina.
Nothing should keep them from continuing their mission.
Regarding “America’s Wetland” it is true that oil companies are listed as sponsors… but so is Coca Cola, New Orleans Saints, State Farm Insurance, Tobasco Brand Pepper Sauce and many, many others.
These organizations are doing good work raising awareness. Please be careful with jumping to “guilt by association”.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:42 amShe’s an impressive woman in many ways.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:45 amSandra Bullock is hot and I have great respect for her. In Milwaukee, 2 Billion gallons of untreated sewage were dumped into Lake Michigan, more than the BP spill would produce in 9 months. This is a repeat occurrence due to the bad design of combining storm and sanitary sewers. Maybe we need some attention on this issue. Also, this would have been a good candidate for Stimulus money instead of some of the useless boondoggles being funded.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:00 amJames Cadaverville and his bride Skank Matalin are the Laurel and Hardy of pundits. They are in it for the $$$$.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:04 amJames Cadaverville and his bride Skank Matalin are the Laurel and Hardy of pundits. They are in it for the $$$$.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:05 amI would like to know how much BP has paid to “make things right” in the Gulf, and how much they have paid in marketing, PR, propaganda, greenwashing, and general image repair activities.
Has anyone looked this up?
July 29th, 2010 at 11:11 amThis comment has been voted down. Click to read.
That’s right ZXBE: Follow the money! More on the Corexit calamity, it’s effects on the environment and the cover-up by BP/NOAA/EPA here:
http://thedonkeyedge.com/2010/07/27/just-when-you-thought-it-was-safe-to-go-back-in-the-water/
July 29th, 2010 at 11:22 amWhy has our government gone out of it’s way to protect BP?
Remember when it was reported that reporters or photographers couldn’t and photographers could only come within 65 feet of BP operations along the Gulf?
Whatever happened to the Daniel Pearl Freedom For The Press Act?
Is BP really going to put up $20 billion of their own money?
As of today they have yet to do so.
11 men were killed and yet so far only one person has gone to jail, activist Diane Wilson, she is the woman who stood up during the BP congressional hearings and verbally attacked Tony Hayward and BP. She spent 48 hours in jail.
If journalists and photographers get too close to the BP cleanup effort they’re subject to a class D felony which carries a penalty of 5 years in prison and possibly a $40,000.00 fine.
What we’ve seen down on the Gulf coast is a semi police state. Where is the outrage? Why isn’t the tea party movement angry over this?
Welcome to corpocracy in action!
July 29th, 2010 at 11:33 ami dont take money from any company doc gnomo
July 29th, 2010 at 11:34 amralph the wonder llama, official spokesllama for a Troll-Free America™ says:
She’s an impressive woman in many ways.
====================
Not so much in her choice of men.
;)
July 29th, 2010 at 11:37 amI’m available if she is looking to rebound.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:38 am32: One of your favorite organizations does, an organization that slams such corporations. A corporation that is acting irresponsibly. So, are you going to withdraw your suport for this organization?
TP slammed one politican recently for accepting money (farm subsidies) from one of the very social programs she is accused of critizing. Called a hipocrate.
Center for American Progress is doing the EXACT same thing. No outrage? It’s OK for CAP, not OK for others?
July 29th, 2010 at 12:04 pmFollow the money here:
July 29th, 2010 at 12:05 pmBP Oil Spill and EPA: It’s SEPTEMBER 11th $DEJA VU$
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mzuG2Hndec
The America’s wetland campaign was started by the state of Louisiana to educate the nation about the coastal wetlands crisis happening in the Mississippi River estuary.
They lined up the deepest, most powerful pockets to fund the effort, and came up with message points that their backers (the oil companies) could sign off on.
In doing so, they re-wrote the history of the coast, and ignored the huge role the oil industry has played in destroying the wetlands, and instead focused on how important the wetlands are to protecting the oil industry’s pipelines, platforms and refineries.
Women of the Storm really like that story too, as it’s far more comfortable to discuss WHY we need to protect and rebuild the wetlands, then get down into the gnarly details of HOW we rebuild the wetlands (not widespread agreement on this one), HOW we screwed them up (scientists generally agree, but not polite to blame the oil industry for anything in the genteel world of Uptown New Orleans) and WHO should pay to fix them.
This crowd is all about getting a significant share of the off-shore oil revenues coming from federal waters off Louisiana (an argument they aren’t exactly winning in DC right now).
Long story short, it’s shameful to take advantage of this disaster while failing to do anything to hold the industry accountable for its current and historic destruction of coastal Louisiana.
July 29th, 2010 at 12:37 pmZooey @ 4. You are absolutely correct. Integrith IS a wonderful thing. See my posts at 29 and 35.
July 29th, 2010 at 1:25 pmNice try MarthaV. Can you provide a like to that little gem?
July 29th, 2010 at 1:58 pmGingerman. Thanks for the spelling lesson. Mistakes come through, I admit, I type very quickly. As for your asserted connection bettwen me and other posters here, it is incorrect. Any correlation from spelling mistakes you may see is purely in your head. Besides, when will you people learn: “Correlation alone does not prove specific causality”. Fact is, there are many people in the world who disagree with you. Get used to it.
July 29th, 2010 at 2:12 pmVery good editorial work Gingerman. Now, care to comment on the integrity question?
July 29th, 2010 at 4:24 pmSandra who?
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cancervative guy, who?
conservative guy says:
July 29th, 2010 at 10:28 pmSandra who?
In doing so, they re-wrote the history of the coast, and ignored the huge role the oil industry has played in sigara bırakmadestroying the wetlands, and instead focused on göğüs büyütmehow important lazerle ben tedavisi the wetlands vajina estetiği are to protecting the oil industry’s pipelines, platforms and refineries. meme buyutme
July 30th, 2010 at 9:27 am