Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Shell's nemesis and friend of fish win green awards

"An Irish farmer who was jailed for opposing Shell's plans to build a gas pipeline on his land and an Icelandic businessman who saved north Atlantic salmon from the brink of extinction are among the winners of a top environmental honour.

Willie Corduff, from Rossport in Ireland, and Icelander Orri Vigfusson will be among six campaigners who will receive the Goldman Environmental prize at a ceremony at the San Francisco opera house this evening.

The winners of the award, which celebrates grassroots environmentalists around the world, will each receive $125,000 (£62,500) in recognition of their efforts. They have been selected by an international jury from nominations put forward by green groups and individuals.

Mr Corduff was among five men jailed for three months in 2005, for attempting to stop the oil giant Shell laying a high pressure gas pipeline under their land in County Mayo.

The men, who became known as the Rossport five, refused the company access to their land and spent 94 days in jail as a result."

Source: The Guardian

The oil giant Shell markets themselves as environmentally friendly, innovative and so on ... working for the environment. Then why do they have to go and do something stupid like this, which so obviously will cause harm on the environment? All PR is not good PR. This is clearly what I would call "badwill", and doesn't do Shell any good in the eyes of the consumer.

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