Greenpeace launched a series of short web videos today featuring comedian, musician and activist Reggie Watts to support its #ClickClean campaign, which calls on companies to power the Internet with renewable energy.
The videos, which Greenpeace made with the award-winning creative team at the VIA Agency, are part of a new push by the watchdog group’s #ClickClean initiative, which aims to push Internet companies to consider the impact of continuing to power with traditional energy sources and switcher to cleaner ones.
The Internet would rank sixth among countries for its electricity demand. Companies including SAP, Apple, Facebook and Google have committed to power their data centers with 100 percent renewable energy, but others, including Amazon, continue to rely on polluting forms of electricity such as coal and gas.
Watts is an internationally renowned comedian and musician whose work has been featured on “The Conan O’Brien Show,” “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” PBS’s new “Electric Company,” “College Humor” and many other venues. His improvised performances have been featured on the hit IFC show “Comedy Bang Bang,” and his original music has been featured on Louis CK's show on FX.
Greenpeace Senior Energy Campaigner Dave Pomerantz said: “Some of the Internet’s biggest and most innovative companies, like Apple, Facebook and Google, are powering with modern, renewable energy. The #ClickClean movement expects the rest of the companies behind our online world, like Amazon and Twitter, to join them. Reggie Watts is an Internet sensation for his comedy and music, so we’re proud to have him join the call to power the platforms on which his work is shared every day with renewable energy.”
The four videos include “Animals,” where Reggie Watts sings a ballad about the clean Internet in the woods, surrounded by animals; “Sun,” where Watts raps about solar energy in the desert; “Water,” where Watts floats by on a giant lily pad talking about powering the Internet with hydropower; and “Wind” where Watts yodels about clean energy in a beautiful Alpine setting while wearing lederhosen.
“The #ClickClean campaign has enjoyed support globally from the kinds of young activists and Internet users who love Reggie Watts,” said Greenpeace Senior IT Analyst Gary Cook. “It’s because of them that building a renewable-powered Internet is no longer a laughing matter. These next generation of Internet users will fully expect Amazon to become a green energy champion, as Apple, Facebook, and Google have already become."