Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Dell Offers Virtual Saplings For Earth Day

Posted by kdawson on from the virtual-carbon-credits dept.

theodp writes "The expansion of Dell's Plant a Tree for Me program into Second Life has the Silicon Valley Sleuth wondering if this represents a new low in Earth Day marketing tie-ins. You may wonder, too, after reading Dell's invitation to its Earth Day Party at Dell Island in SL ('get your own tree sapling to plant in Second Life!')."

5 of 68 comments (clear)

  1. Ahh ... by kitzilla · · Score: 4, Funny

    ... I can smell the virtual fresh air already.

    --
    This is my post. There are many others like it. If you don't like what you read here, go try one of the others.
  2. Re:Call it a "new low" if you will... by chromatic · · Score: 4, Funny

    For Dell's environmental initiatives to make any difference in the real world, people need to get involved. That takes publicity and advertising.

    Wow, that really raised my awareness of the value of raising awareness! I'm nominating your post for the 2007 Awareness awards.

    --
    how to invest, a novice's guide
  3. Re:Call it a "new low" if you will... by asninn · · Score: 4, Insightful

    That's nice, but I fail to see what's so great about this. Unless I'm misunderstanding things, it's the customer that donates the money, right? Dell is just collecting and forwarding it, and while that is certainly nice, it's not really a big deal. Call me back when they actually donate money themselves. (And as for "virtually" eliminating lead in certain components etc... that's nice, too, but again, I fail to see what the big deal is, or how it sets them apart from their competitors.)

    And in any case, "planting" trees on Second Life might not be a new low, but it certainly is pretty stupid - even if you can't or don't want to plant a real tree, it'd make much more sense to tell people "please leave your computer turned off and don't play Second Life today". Yeah, it'd just be a feel-good measure that'd hardly have any real impact, but planting *virtual* trees? Come on. That's such a blatant attempt at commercialisation that I can understand the submitter's sentiments.

    --
    butter the donkey
  4. McDonalds has real saplings in MN for free by Rick+Richardson · · Score: 4, Informative

    McDonalds has real saplings in Minnesota for free on Earth Day.

    Did you know that twice as much wood is grown in Minnesota compared to harvesting?

  5. Plant a real tree by rackrent · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Join the National Arbor Day Foundation and they'll send you 10 living saplings for cheap (10-15 bucks).

    Of course, that means that people might have to get outside once in a while.

    --
    --- There is a man in a smiling bag.