Greenpeace wants gamers to save the planet

Greenpeace is hoping to persuade gamers to force console manufacturers to be greener. In a statement on its Web site yesterday, Greenpeace said, "In gamespace, everybody wants to save the world. But back here on planet Earth, games consoles contain deadly agents of real destruction: toxic chemicals that shouldn't be there."

Greenpeace has set up a site called Clash of the Consoles, featuring Halo's Master Chief, God of War's Kratos and Mario, to compare their respective systems' Earth-friendliness. The site aims to educate gamers and encourages them to write to game manufacturers to insist that they adopt "greener" practices.

Two weeks ago, Greenpeace announced the results of its Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics report on business practices, which put Sony at the top of the three console-manufacturer companies, and Nintendo last at zero percent.

Although the report slammed Nintendo for its use of toxic chemicals and lack of recycling credits, the site does acknowledge that the Wii trumps the competition when it comes to energy efficiency. At 15W, the Wii consumes a fraction of the power required by Sony's PlayStation 3 (128W) or Microsoft's Xbox 360 Elite (97W). Microsoft won points for its toxic policy, however, and Sony was acknowledged for its recycling credits and toxic policy.