Irish Greenpeace volunteers unfurled a 6x2m banner today outside the offices of Facebook in Dublin's trendy Grand Canal Basin, calling on the internet giant to commit to using clean, safe renewable energy to run its data centres around the world, instead of increasing demand for polluting coal power.
The weather was on our side, and we had a good few conversations with Facebook staff as they entered the building or came out to see the giant webpage out front.
Greenpeace International Climate & Energy Co-Director Tzeporah Berman (pictured above) travelled to Dublin for the action and to speak in Trinity College Dublin on Monday about the urgent need for information technology (IT) leaders like Facebook to become climate action leaders, too.
The public event, "Ireland, Facebook, and the Energy [R]evolution", included presentations from Microsoft's Senior Government Affairs Manager, Ray Pinto, and Former Energy Minister, Eamon Ryan, about the challenges and opportunities for IT companies as consumers demand that they move beyond cost-saving measures like energy efficiency to choosing and promoting renewable energy.
(Photo: Facebook Unfriend Coal photos at Pearse Street Bridge, on the way from the DART train station and the Facebook office)
For more than a week Dubliners and Facebook staff in particular have witnessed hints of the Unfriend Coal campaign appear around the Grand Canal Basin area, where Facebook's EMEA headquarters is based.
In less than ten hours from now Facebook users and campaign supporters around the world will join to try to set a world record to highlight the campaign. You can join in too - simply click here to get involved.
UPDATE 14/04/11: Greenpeace supporters set world record for most Facebook comments.
Join us, and help get Facebook running on clean, safe energy!