March 4, 2011
Vermont Sierra Club
Press Release
Vermont Sierra Club decries lobbyist’s use of name on anti-bottle bill website
For Immediate Release:
March 3rd, 2011
Contact:
Zak Griefen, Chapter Chair
zgriefen@gmail.com
Vermont Sierra Club Decries Beverage Industry Lobbyist’s Use of the Group’s Name on Anti-Bottle Bill Website
Vermont Chapter of the Sierra Club Supports the Bottle Bill and Wants to See it Updated, Not Repealed
The Vermont Chapter of the Sierra Club blasted the beverage industry today for using the group’s name on a website attacking the state’s successful Bottle Bill recycling program. In a letter addressed to the beverage industry’s lobbyist, Amy Shollenberger, the environmental group asked that any reference to the Sierra Club be removed from the www.wecandobettervt.com website. The Sierra Club supports the Bottle Bill, while the website promotes a beverage industry-backed bill (H.218) that is highly critical of the recycling program.
“Using the Sierra Club’s good name and referencing our report on this website gives the impression that we oppose the most successful recycling program in Vermont’s history. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth,” said Zak Griefen of the Vermont Sierra Club. “We not only support the Bottle Bill, but we want to see it updated to include other types of beverage containers. Anyone serious about recycling would support that – it will get millions more bottles recycled every year.”
In its letter, the environmental group also urged Shollenberger to disclose the fact that the beverage industry is paying for the website. At present, the website lists only Shollenberger as a contact and fails to identify the beverage industry’s involvement at all. However, at the bottom of the home page there are the words “paid for by MMR.” MMR stands for MacLean, Meehan, and Rice, a Montpelier lobbying firm hired by the beverage industry.
“By listing only Shollenberger – who has been associated with public interest causes in the past – and using the Sierra Club’s name, it seems that the beverage industry is trying to hide its involvement and ‘greenwash’ this attack on the Bottle Bill recycling program,” said Griefen. “People have a right to know who is funding this effort. If there is no intention to mislead Vermonters, then disclosing this information shouldn’t be a problem.”
Under Vermont’s Bottle Bill, 85 percent of carbonated beverage containers are returned for deposit and recycling. That translates into approximately 250 million beverage containers that are recycled each year instead of ending up in a landfill or as roadside liter. Meanwhile, in states without a refundable deposit system, less than 25 percent of the containers are recycled.
http://vtdigger.org/2011/03/04/vermont-sierra-club-decries-lobbyists-ues-of-name-on-anti-bottle-bill-website/
