Nature Conservancy faces potential backlash from ties with BP

[TomCADem]

Source: Washington Post

In the days after the immensity of the spill in the Gulf of Mexico became clear, some Nature Conservancy supporters took to the organization's web site to vent their anger.

"The first thing I did was sell my shares in BP, not wanting anything to do with a company that is so careless," wrote one. Another added: "I would like to force all the BP executives, the secretaries and the shareholders out to the shore to mop up oil and wash the birds." Reagan De Leon of Hawaii called for a boycott of "everything BP has their hands in."

What De Leon didn't know was that the Nature Conservancy lists BP as one of its business partners. The organization also has given BP a seat on its International Leadership Council and has accepted nearly $10 million in cash and land contributions from BP and affiliated corporations over the years.

"Oh, wow," De Leon said when told of the depth of the relationship between the nonprofit she loves and the company she hates. "That's kind of disturbing."

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/23/AR2010052302164.html?hpid=topnews

[pansypoo53219]

1. um, NO.

they didn't greedily throw caution to the wind for oil. fucked up logic.

[scentopine]

2. everything is for sale in America. Every fucking thing. Even morals, ethics, lives. -nt

[Kali]

3. TNC is a high dollar whore.

Never trusted them from the first time I ran into them at "local" public land-use meetings.

[timo]

4. they lost me

when we were growing natives for a re veg project and they did some seriously underhanded shit on a land grab down here along the border. They have been involved in countless cheneyesque deals, they do some good but when they dont even blink at pulling the underhanded shit it goes way against the grain!!

[marions ghost]

5. I don't trust the Nature Conservancy

haven't for years. Have seen some questionable practices.
:shrug:

[DURHAM D]

6. Same here - TNC is not what it seems. nt

[joanmj]

7. I agree.

[kurtzapril4]

8. I have heard rumblings about TNC

But no one will say anything much about it. Anyone got the skinny? I heard there was a major organisational shake up a few years ago, and it's gotten more and more industry friendly as a result. Thanks.

[kristopher]

9. Sourcewatch -

The Nature Conservancy
From SourceWatch


"The titan of green groups, the Nature Conservancy sits on nearly a billion dollars in assets and is awash in cash, thanks to a tidal wave of corporate donations, much of it from notorious polluters such as Arco, Archer-Daniels-Midland, British Petroleum, DuPont, Shell and Freeport-McMoRan. The group eschews political work in favor of the relatively noncontroversial project of buying land. Calling itself "Nature's real estate agent," the Nature Conservancy purchases private land and then sells it to state and federal agencies, often, according to its critics, at a considerable mark-up.

Last year, the group violated its apolitical policy to concoct the compromise rewrite of the Endangered Species Act with a secret coalition of corporations and trade associations, including the National Homebuilder's Association and timber giant Georgie-Pacific.

The group is led by John Sawhill, former energy aide to Nixon and Ford and a fanatical proponent of nuclear power, who has enjoyed lucrative positions on the boards of Procter & Gamble, North American Coal Company and Pacific Gas & Electric.

Budget: $337 million Staff: 1,200 Members: 720,000 individuals; 220 corporations Salary of CEO: More than $196,000, including benefits." <1> The Washington Post has produced a Special Report titled BIG GREEN which as series of investigative articles exposes the corporate infestation of The Nature Conservancy and "documents on the organization's transformation from a grassroots group to a corporate juggernaut."

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=The_Nature_Conservancy