Take Me Out to Exxon's Ball Game

The Washington Nationals should be commended for building a LEED certified green stadium for their new home in DC, but one particularly heinous sponsor threatens to harms all of the great environmental kudos the team has earned. My good friend Mike Tidwell tells me that Exxon Mobil, the number one denier of global warming, is not only an extremely prominent sponsor, but the fossil fools are the exclusive sponsor of the seventh inning stretch. Yup, all of us DC area greenies who go to the Nats games apparently will have to rise and take off our hats for the "Exxon Mobil Seventh Inning Stretch." Mike reports there were several boos throught the stadium when the Exxon name was announced. Not a surprise. After all, it would be hard to imagine a single company on the entire planet that is more responsible for contributing to global warming and funding junk science to prevent real solutions for many years. Remember how angry people were at the cigarette companies for funding reports that "proved" smoking does not cause cancer? Well, Exxon Mobil does the exact same thing with climate science. In fact, Greenpeace has done exhaustive research to show the slimy trail of Exxon Mobil money going to fund front groups and scientists in an effort to block action on global warming and create a phony debate about the science. Click HERE to see the Greenpeace site.

The Nats have the right to take sponsorship from anyone they want. But giving such a prominent display to the single worst climate denying company in the world does not fit in with the Nats green mission.

Nobody debates the green bonifides of the Nats. They are a quality organization that is trying to do the right thing and should be applauded for that. But they need to find a new sponsor for the seventh inning stretch. Environmental activists are considering protesting at the Nats games until Exxon Mobil is given the boot. The Nats should be one step ahead of the crowd and give them the boot now.

PS - we said goodbye last week to Josh Tulkin, Claire Douglass and Paul Berman, three amazing organizers with the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. They are moving on to other adventures after kicking some serious butt in Maryland, DC and Virginia for a cleaner environment. The green community will miss them, but their legacy for a better planet will live on for many, many years. Personally, I want to say thank you to each of them for fighting for the Earth. And to Josh, who I met when he was a college intern strumming the guitar one summer at Greenpeace - our paths will meet again!