To: Bob Iger, Chief Executive Officer, The Walt Disney Company and Christine M. McCarthy, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, The Walt Disney Company
Disney: Drop Chase as the Bank Supporting the Disney Visa card!
We are petitioning Disney to switch from Chase, a bank funding the Dakota Access PipeLine, to an environmentally friendly bank for the Disney Visa card. Chase’s lack of interest in conservation couldn’t be more starkly contradictory to Disney’s strong conservation focus. Switch from Chase to an environmentally conscious bank for the Disney Visa!
Why is this important?
Our family is a Disney family. We love the parks, the cruises and the Vacation Club. Part of the appeal for us, as many, is how Disney works to better America, through philanthropy and preserving America for the future through Disney's conservation efforts. Disney’s stance on environmental impact is a “Commitment to The Planet”, supporting efforts to reduce emissions, divert waste, and conserve water. (1) In addition to its focus on environmental impact, “The Disney Conservation Fund, founded in 1995, is a key pillar in Disney’s efforts to protect the planet and help kids develop lifelong conservation values. The fund supports the study of wildlife; the protection of habitats; the development of community conservation and education programs in critical ecosystems; and experiences that connect kids to nature across the globe.” (1)
The 2016 Disney Data Citizenship Table opened its report with a message from Christine M. McCarthy, the company’s CFO, stating, “At the Walt Disney Company, we believe that conducting our business responsibly, creating our products in an ethical manner, reducing our environmental footprint, promoting the well-being of kids and families, and inspiring others to protect our planet are essential components of what makes Disney a great company.”(2)
It is because of Disney’s significant conservation focus that we are petitioning Disney to immediately terminate business with Chase as the bank supporting Disney’s Visa card. Chase’s lack of interest in conservation and the environment couldn’t be more starkly contradictory to Disney’s. They are one of the banks funding the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). (3) Pipelines such as DAPL interrupt habitat, reinforce oil production which negatively impacts climate change, and threatens water. Contamination of ground water by crude oil is a well known problem. (4) If Disney is truly conservation conscious, it is essential to loyal customers such as myself that they move to a conservation friendly—and not an environmentally destructive—bank. To maintain Chase as the funding bank for the Disney Visa card is entirely inconsistent with Disney’s efforts.
Further, DAPL is an assault on the Native American population of the region. Disney is a company that promotes diversity, kindness and respect for all through its TV and radio programming as well its other theatrical outlets. It is again entirely contradictory to the company’s messaging that Disney would do business with Chase, thus supporting efforts that are taking advantage of the Native population for the benefit of the oil industry and to spare more empowered populations from having the deal with the very real potential environmental consequences of DAPL.
We have a Disney Chase Visa and we use it for everything. We wish to continue to use Disney Visa as our primary credit card but cannot allow our money to finance environmentally destructive initiatives that violate the rights and concerns of our Native American population. We implore you, Mr. Iger and Ms. McCarthy, to move from Chase to a bank that does NOT fund pipelines and desecrate Native American lands so that we can remain loyal and happy Disney customers.
Disney cannot be genuine in its promoted claims of being conservation focused and supportive of diversity and respect for all if they continue to have business partnerships with companies that promote the exact opposite through their actions and business dealings. Change this by moving the Disney Visa card to an environmentally friendly bank, many of which are listed here: https://www.greenamerica.org/take-charge-of-your-card/get-a-credit-card-that-benefits-people-and-the-planet.cfm.
In conclusion, customers are watching what their money is funding, and we will not allow our money to continue funding DAPL. We hope Disney will move away from Chase so that we do not need to move away from Disney. #DefundDAPL!
References:
1. The Walt Disney Company, The Disney Conservation Fund. Accessed at https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/environment/ on April 14, 2017.
2. The Walt Disney Company. 2016 Disney Data Citizenship Table. Accessed at https://ditm-twdc-us.storage.googleapis.com/TWDC-FY16-Data-Table-Final.pdf on April 14, 2017.
3. Defund DAPL. Accessed at http://www.defunddapl.org/defund on April 14, 2017.
4. Delin GN, Herkelrath WN. Groundwater Contamination by Crude Oil. United States Geological Survey. Accessed at https://mn.water.usgs.gov/projects/bemidji/results/intro-final.pdf on April 14, 2017
The 2016 Disney Data Citizenship Table opened its report with a message from Christine M. McCarthy, the company’s CFO, stating, “At the Walt Disney Company, we believe that conducting our business responsibly, creating our products in an ethical manner, reducing our environmental footprint, promoting the well-being of kids and families, and inspiring others to protect our planet are essential components of what makes Disney a great company.”(2)
It is because of Disney’s significant conservation focus that we are petitioning Disney to immediately terminate business with Chase as the bank supporting Disney’s Visa card. Chase’s lack of interest in conservation and the environment couldn’t be more starkly contradictory to Disney’s. They are one of the banks funding the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). (3) Pipelines such as DAPL interrupt habitat, reinforce oil production which negatively impacts climate change, and threatens water. Contamination of ground water by crude oil is a well known problem. (4) If Disney is truly conservation conscious, it is essential to loyal customers such as myself that they move to a conservation friendly—and not an environmentally destructive—bank. To maintain Chase as the funding bank for the Disney Visa card is entirely inconsistent with Disney’s efforts.
Further, DAPL is an assault on the Native American population of the region. Disney is a company that promotes diversity, kindness and respect for all through its TV and radio programming as well its other theatrical outlets. It is again entirely contradictory to the company’s messaging that Disney would do business with Chase, thus supporting efforts that are taking advantage of the Native population for the benefit of the oil industry and to spare more empowered populations from having the deal with the very real potential environmental consequences of DAPL.
We have a Disney Chase Visa and we use it for everything. We wish to continue to use Disney Visa as our primary credit card but cannot allow our money to finance environmentally destructive initiatives that violate the rights and concerns of our Native American population. We implore you, Mr. Iger and Ms. McCarthy, to move from Chase to a bank that does NOT fund pipelines and desecrate Native American lands so that we can remain loyal and happy Disney customers.
Disney cannot be genuine in its promoted claims of being conservation focused and supportive of diversity and respect for all if they continue to have business partnerships with companies that promote the exact opposite through their actions and business dealings. Change this by moving the Disney Visa card to an environmentally friendly bank, many of which are listed here: https://www.greenamerica.org/take-charge-of-your-card/get-a-credit-card-that-benefits-people-and-the-planet.cfm.
In conclusion, customers are watching what their money is funding, and we will not allow our money to continue funding DAPL. We hope Disney will move away from Chase so that we do not need to move away from Disney. #DefundDAPL!
References:
1. The Walt Disney Company, The Disney Conservation Fund. Accessed at https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/environment/ on April 14, 2017.
2. The Walt Disney Company. 2016 Disney Data Citizenship Table. Accessed at https://ditm-twdc-us.storage.googleapis.com/TWDC-FY16-Data-Table-Final.pdf on April 14, 2017.
3. Defund DAPL. Accessed at http://www.defunddapl.org/defund on April 14, 2017.
4. Delin GN, Herkelrath WN. Groundwater Contamination by Crude Oil. United States Geological Survey. Accessed at https://mn.water.usgs.gov/projects/bemidji/results/intro-final.pdf on April 14, 2017