SocraticGadfly: Fake Green huckstering for bucks at Harvard

January 11, 2009

Fake Green huckstering for bucks at Harvard

Harvard professor Alex Wi$$ner-Gro$$ has himself a nice racket going. First, the Times (London) interviews him on the amount of CO2 Web-surfing in general, and Google searches in particular, can generate. In the process, he gets to fluff himself over research to this end that he is submitting to the US Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers for publication.

But, that’s not all!

Wi$$ner-Gro$$ was just one of several people interviewed for the first article. The Times then gives him a solo gig to describe how people can reduce their online carbon output, both through their surfing practices, and through improving blogs or other websites they have.

But wait, THAT’s not all.

Here’s the nuts of it all.

Both the stories above link to a Wi$$ner-Gro$$ website which will reportedly “green up” your website, while throwing in tech support, etc.

But, Wi$$ner-Gro$$ ain’t doing this out of the goodness of his heart.

The most basic plan he offers is $5 a month.

The most expensive? A cool 100 simoleons.

We now know how much Wi$$ner-Gro$$ is devoted to greening up the Internet, or greening up his bank account with Federal Reserve Notes, at least.

What, does Harvard’s $50K a year or whatever tuition not pay you a big enough salary?

Meanwhile, Google has denied the Wi$$ner-Gro$$ claims.

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