Appalled by advertisements from oil giant ExxonMobil touting its sweetheart deal with Stanford University, movie producer Steve Bing has rescinded a pledge to donate $2.5 million to the school, The San Jose Mercury News reported on Sunday.
Bing has already given $22.5 million to the University.
"Exxon Mobil is trying to greenwash itself, and it’s using Stanford as its brush," said Yusef Robb, who works with Bing on climate issues. "We think that people who give to Stanford do so because they want to help the future leaders of this nation, not because they want to advance the agenda of ExxonMobil."
Under the deal’s terms, ExxonMobil is providing Stanford’s Global Climate and Energy Project with $100 million. In return it gets five-year, royalty-free, exclusive rights to any discoveries that come out of the project. More important to a firm that has deliberately set out to undermine serious scientists who link greenhouse gases to global warming, it can polish its image in as many warm and fuzzy ads as it wants. It simply basks in the positive glow of a "partnership" with a respected research university. Stanford should be ashamed.
Bing is asking asking other major philanthropists to join him and reconsider their gifts as well.