Greenpeace Sets Captain Kirk On HP

As part of its campaign to remind HP of its environmental promises, Greenpeace had William Shatner leave them all a voicemail.

Earlier this week, Hewlett-Packard employees received a surprise – every one of them received a voicemail from actor William Shatner, best known for his role as Captain Kirk on Star Trek.

"This is William Shatner speaking," it said in part. "You, HP, promised me a toxic-free computer by 2009. Now my friends at Greenpeace tell me that I’ll have to wait till 2011. What’s up with that?"

It’s all part of a Greenpeace campaign to remind HP of its promise to make computers that are free of brominated flame retardants and PVC plastic by this year. HP has put back that target to 2011.

Brominated flame retardants are chemicals added to products that stop them bursting into flame. However, they do enter the waste stream, where they could potentially prove toxic to humans and animals; some European countries have banned them, according to the Guardian. Other computer manufacturers, such as Apple, do use alternatives.

This wasn’t the only action against HP taken by Greenpeace. Volunteers climbed to the top of the HP building and painted the words “Hazardous Products” in large letters.