Credo Mobile - The Green Cell Phone Company?

I recently got some junk mail…not so green…from Credo Mobile claiming to be the greenest cell phone company in the land.

In this mailer Credo Mobile claims they are “a different kind of phone company. Unlike our competitors, we don’t claim to care about the environment and then give money to anti-green politicians. We don’t give to any politicians. And we fight for the progressive causes you believe in, like environmental protection, peace, reproductive rights and equality.”

I read this and immediately thought…wow…righteous cell phone company. Talk about tooting your own horn!

But from the sounds of it they actually are America’s greenest cell phone company. Since 1985 Credo has donated over $60 million to nonprofits, including groups working to fight global warming and safeguard the planet, like Greenpeace and Rainforest Action Network. They claim their members have shut down 63 coal fired power plants, helped push Congress to pass the fuel economy increase, offset the embodied energy required to produce every phone, plant 100 trees for every ton of paper used and print their junk mail and bills on 100% recycled paper with soy-based inks.

It is likely that Credo could contribute far less and still be considered greener than the likes of At&t and Verizon. At&t is one of the largest contributors in American politics today with over $43 million in contributions since 1989 which has helped elect a number of right-wing, anti-environmental politicians. These politicians like Oklahoma senators James Inhofe and Tom Coburn, who both deny that global warming exists and voted against a major wilderness preservation bill this year. Then you have Verizon’s support to Rep. Ander Crenshaw (R-Fla), whose support of offshore drilling and the dismantling of wilderness protections has earned him consistent low marks from the League of Conservation Voters and their environmental scorecard.

Credo also donates a portion of your cell phone bill to progressive nonprofit groups that you help chose. They have also managed to build and operate a highly effective citizen lobbying and community organizing network. This network allows alerts and updates to be targeted to the exact group that can and will make an impact. Credo has recognized that cell phones are an amazingly powerful medium to organize and share information that will help protect the planet.

The Credo Mobile service is carried on the nationwide Sprint network. The plan and phone options are very similar to any other carrier which you can see on their website. The one problem I see is they dont have the ability to support iPhone users. This poses a huge problem with the business model considering that many of the young progressives that are hell bent on changing the world and saving the planet have iPhones. Im sure you can use the Google phone, Blackberry or some other smart phone…but man I’m not sure if I can break myself from the iPhone. It would be the responsible thing to do on my part, but why cant Apple be responsible and open their phone up to companies like Credo on other networks? I would leave At&t today if I could take the iPhone with me.

Needless to say this was the best junk mail I have seen in a long time. Credo Mobile is a great example of a progressive corporation that stands out in the cell phone space by providing a more responsible and sustainable option than the norm, while harnessing the power of a focused and organized network of like minded individuals.