In my consulting business, I frequently cite the wonders of Apple Inc. and the strength of their brand. I marvel at Apple's design expertise and am in awe of Steve Jobs' ability to manage the media around a product launch–last week's launch of the iPhone is a prime example.

I've been a faithful Apple computer user for 15+ years. I even fought the corporate conversion to PCs at Nike, arguing that I was the creative type and deserved the "apple exception" granted to Nike Design. These days, my iPod shuffle is a constant and unobtrusive companion.

To be sure, my initial reaction to the iPhone was typical: I gotta have it! Then I asked myself: do I really need it? Answer: of course not. My Nokia phone works perfectly well.

As my friend Len stated in a comment to a post a couple of weeks ago:

…Refusing to buy stuff is the single most environmentally significant contribution any of us can make. Don’t buy it, and the mines can’t sell the raw material, the electric companies can’t sell their wattage, the transportation companies can’t spew their emissions, the manufacturers don’t have materials handling and waste disposal problems, and the landfills don’t have new contributions…

If Len's rant wasn't enough to make me pause before I added my name to the iPhone "sign-up to learn more" list, I recently stumbled upon a tremendously creative Greenpeace parody of Apple.com; visit Green My Apple for a terrific, thought provoking rant about Apple's environmental shortcomings.

You'd think the apple flacks would offer a response to Greenpeace, wouldn't you? Yet, try as I might, I could not find anything on Apple's website, not even with a specific search on the press info page for a response to Greenpeace.

Having been on the other side of NGO and consumer campaigns while at Nike, I know how it feels when the spotlight shifts from products to corporate values. And I learned by experience that you can't just ignore the problem and hope it will go away.

Bottom line: for as much emotion as it stirs in me, I don't really need the iPhone (yet), but I sincerely hope that Apple will do something about the piece of their brand image that needs some work–the green piece.

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