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Friday, July 11, 2014

The Shell/LEGO issue



Note for Parents: LEGO is a great company that has done wonderful things for kids and the planet over the years. We love LEGO. But LEGO is working with Shell, a company with a shameful environmental record. Shell is one of the most environmentally destructive companies on earth and it wants plans to drill for oil in one of the most vulnerable places we have left, the Arctic. LEGO’s deal with Shell is a stain on LEGO’s good name. By putting Shell’s name on its toys, LEGO is helping Shell get away with threatening the Arctic, and the unique animals that live there. And that’s not OK. It’s time for LEGO to stand up for the Arctic, and for kids, by ditching Shell for good. So Greenpeace is asking parents and LEGO fans to help save the Arctic by asking LEGO to stop working with Shell. Your kids might have some questions about how their favorite toy company is connected to Shell and what that means. Here are some suggestions about how to talk about it with them.

What is Shell doing?


Shell wants to drill for oil in the Arctic. They want the oil because they make energy from burning oil, but we (along with 97% of scientists around the world!) think this is just too risky. Global warming is melting the Arctic ice, which makes life much harder for Polar bears and the other animals that live there. Oil can also spill into the ocean, which is a huge problem for these vulnerable species.

The fact is that we can get our energy from other things besides oil, like the wind, and the sun. To keep the planet healthy, we need to work really hard to use more of this type of energy, instead of drilling for oil in places like the Arctic.

Shell doesn’t want people to think too much about all of these risky and dangerous things it wants to do in the Arctic. So it puts its name on fun, friendly things like LEGO. They think that if you like LEGO, then you’ll probably like Shell too. We think that’s bad, and so we want them to stop.

What is LEGO doing?


LEGO is letting the Shell company put its name on its toys and selling them at gas stations all over the world. LEGO is great, but it needs to stop helping Shell and, instead, stand up for the Arctic. Playing with toys is fun, and we want it to JUST be fun, not part of advertising for Shell.

What is Greenpeace doing?

Greenpeace is asking LEGO to stop putting Shell on its toys, and to end its partnership with the company. We all love the Arctic, and we want to make sure it will still be there when kids today grow up. But if Shell drills for oil in the Arctic, that special place might go away forever.

What can you do to help?

You can help us Save the Arctic by asking your parents to send a note to LEGO asking them to end its partnership with Shell here:https://act.greenpeace.org/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=1844&ea.campaign.id=29989

If you want to learn more about the Arctic and how people around the world are working to save it, you can visit SaveTheArctic.org.

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