Toyota exec gets into tussle with Rainforest Action Network activist and it's all on YouTube
Filed under: Etc., Toyota, LA Auto Show, Green Daily
At last year's LA Auto Show, someone from the Rainforest Action Network held a protest which included a giant contract. RAN is back in LA this year, got thrown out again after being caught by a Toyota manager with a fake name badge and RAN put the video on YouTube. In the above video from RAN's YouTube page, Bob Carter, General Manger of US Sales for Toyota, is asked to pull Toyota off the California lawsuit. After taking a breath, Bob says, "Were you with, ah. This is not Dave Schembri. Thank you sir." You then see a hand grabbing the video camera.
According to the Chicago Tribune, after what you see in the video, Bob knocked the camera out of the fake Dave's hand, security guards separated the two men and the fake Dave was escorted out by police. Bob says "For someone to wear a name badge of a friend of mine, I knew something was up. That's not right." Dave Schembri is actually head of Mercedes-Benz's Smart division.
All of this took place after the introduction of Toyota Sequoia 2008 which RAN seems to want to bring attention. Below the fold is a video of protests outside the LA Auto Show. Jim Lentz, president of Toyota's U.S. division, says "We knew we would become more of a target in terms of looking at what we do, good or bad." Irv Miller, Toyota's corporate communications director, says "It's probably on YouTube now. That's freedom of speech."
And he's right, it is on YouTube. Toyota says they won't press charges.
[Source: YouTube, Chicago Tribube]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-15-2007 @ 2:48PM
rgseidl said...
There will always be narrowly focussed pressure groups that engage in publicity stunts. Their message might be worth hearing if they didn't resort to unethical behavior such as assuming someone else's identity.
Best to give RAN a wide berth until they grow up.
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11-15-2007 @ 3:41PM
Travis Rassat said...
I agree with rgseidl. I consider myself to be an environmentalist/save the rainforests kind of person, but I don't want to be associated with a group like this. But by doing stupid stuff like this, these radical groups do more to damage their cause than they do to promote it.
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11-15-2007 @ 4:51PM
Dave Schmetterer said...
As little impact as possible? Heresy. How about having a positive impact? What if tires abraded into plant food. Or a fuel cell that doubled as a water purifier - removing heavy metals and toxics from the environment for collection.
I'm not saying a car should have butterflies coming out of its exhaust - but it sounds like Toyota - supposedly about as green as they come - isn't aiming high enough. I'm astounded at their lack of ambition in the ad I just saw on this RAN clip. Absolutely astounded.
Toyota - Hire me. DSchmetterer@[NO SPAM!!]yahoo.com
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11-15-2007 @ 7:36PM
paulwesterberg said...
I am an environmentalist and I support the actions of RAN, Toyota has the best hybrid currently on the market and it is sitting back on its laurels raking in cash and trying to appear green while selling huge SUVs with horrible gas mileage and trying to weaken laws that will force American car companies to create competitive products.
Toyata's marketing materials go on and on about its eco-friendly focus, but the companies actions speak louder than its words.
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11-15-2007 @ 7:42PM
paulwesterberg said...
Lest anyone call me a hypocrite, what with all my words, I would like to state for the record that I biked to work today in temps near freezing.
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11-15-2007 @ 8:01PM
Joseph said...
That's a really good video. I love the, "Why not?" thing at the end, playing off of the Toyota commercial.
I love this video, but only artisticly.
Who on earth, honestly thought Toyota was all for the environment. I'm sorry, there is no such things as a car company that is all for the environent. That doesn't exist. Why? Because if you focus too much on the environment, you lose parts of the market, and the company will fail.
Money, no matter what, is the driving force of any company. Money will always come first. Sure, Toyota is pretty green, as long as it means sales and good publicity. Of course they're gonna sell mammoth vehicles like the Tundra or something. if they didn't sell so many huge SUVs, they probably couldn't make as many Priuses.
TRUE environmentalism and business don't mix.
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11-16-2007 @ 6:49AM
Da Truth said...
GAY. I wonder what impact on the environment the RAN Spokes-whore's breast implants have. These "environmentalist" are the same folks who have no problem buying $6 coffee at Starbucks everyday and buying a new IPod every 6 months to be part of the hip emo-crowd.
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11-16-2007 @ 9:27AM
Domenick said...
Wow, Da Truth, you seem to think you know these folks very well. Why so angry? Did they kick you out of their club house or something?
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11-16-2007 @ 10:14AM
Dave Schmetterer said...
Joseph -
True environmentalism and business do mix. It is True Capitalism and environmentalism that don't mix. Capitalism in its purest, most greed/market based form will not look far enough down the line to be concerned with the environment. It is a market based metaphor for survival - so its viewpoint isn't that concerned with the long term.
But environmentalism and business? Well environmentalism is good business, and there are lots of examples of that. Take the Herman Miller factory, the example in Cradle to Cradle. Or the Frito-Lay factory that is going "green".
Environmentalism saves money in the long run... its great business.
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11-20-2007 @ 12:37AM
Da Truth said...
Domenick, I'm not angry, but I just can't stand bullshit or double standards. These folks at RAN are the same misguided idiots who couldn't hack it at Cal Berkeley in Bio-Sci and ended up at SF State majoring in sociology or international relations, two of the most bullshit worthless majors possible. All the while I can almost guarantee that they were toked out of their minds. Every hour was 420-time. Gee how much CO2 is being generated while they were puffing the magic dragon? Anyways, they love to preach to everyone their ideals, but don't to shit themselves to make a difference. It's like a bunch of bible thumpers preaching to everyone about Jesus and hell, etc. Same fanatical idiots, different message.
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