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Tom Evans

Seattle, Washington

Home Depot claims it cares about protecting the environment. So when Tom Evans, a trial lawyer from Seattle who regularly shops at Home Depot, got an e-mail alert in early July informing him that the company is a major advertiser on the Fox network, he didn't hesitate to take action.

"This is an important issue for me," Evans says. "You can't claim you're green if your advertiser is a shady gray.

Fox has engaged in a relentless misinformation campaign about the "lie" of global warming. Home Depot, meanwhile, has trumpeted its commitment to the environment and established an Environmental Council to ensure that the company's actions reflect its green principles. In response, a coalition of environmental, religious, and activist groups including the Sierra Club has launched a campaign to expose Fox, sending out an e-mail alert encouraging citizens to sign a petition asking Home Depot to stop advertising on the network.

People like Evans who signed the petition were then asked to contact Home Depot Vice President for Environmental Innovation Ron Jarvis. "I called him as soon as I got the contact info," says Evans, who holds degrees in both business and law. "I told Jarvis I had a business background and I wanted to talk to him as an investor. I said, 'What you're doing is about to become extremely bad for your business. You're advertising with a very bad network.'"

Evans asked Jarvis if he was aware how calculated the Fox lie was on global warming, and if he'd seen clips of their coverage of the issue. "He sort of responded with a stunned silence," Evans says. "I think this hit him right out of the blue. He hadn't seen the clips, so I told him where I'd seen them, in the e-alert."

Evans says his conversation with Jarvis lasted more than five minutes. "I didn't raise my voice, but I came on strong and told him I believed Fox was part of the dumbing down of America. I said I'd been a Home Depot shopper for ten years, but I was inclined to stop if they kept advertising with Fox. And at the end of the conversation I thanked him for his time and said I hoped we understood each other."

And does Evans feel such actions can make a difference? "If you deliver a strong, specific, clear message, absolutely yes," he says. "I think picking one Fox advertiser and making them feel the heat is a very sharp strategy. If Home Depot gets the message that they're becoming the poster child for this problem, others will follow suit."

Published: July 24, 2007