Apple Gives Crash Courses on Solar Farms, Zero Waste, and More in Series of Earth Day Videos - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Gives Crash Courses on Solar Farms, Zero Waste, and More in Series of Earth Day Videos

Apple has uploaded four videos to its YouTube channel ahead of Earth Day on April 22, with each providing a crash course on environmental topics.

In the solar farm video, Apple's environmental chief Lisa Jackson gives a crash course on how the company's 40-megawatt solar farms in China produce enough electricity for all of its offices and retail stores in the country, while leftover energy that reaches the ground grows the grass underneath to feed yaks.


In the zero waste video, Apple explains how none of its 14 final assembly facilities in China send any waste to landfills. The humorous video shows how the zero waste achievement supposedly started when Apple employee John Reynolds in iPhone Product Operations visited a factory in Guanlan, China.


In the third video, Apple's head of environmental technologies Rob Guzzo and toxicology expert Art Fong explain how the company makes about 30 gallons worth of human sweat every year in order to ensure the Apple Watch and other products are to safe to use in contact with your skin while working out.


In the fourth video, Apple's vice president of real estate Dan Whisenhunt explains how the company's new Apple Park campus has one of the world's largest naturally ventilated buildings. The building uses outside air and water to cool itself naturally, reducing its cooling load by 35 percent a year.


Mashable spoke with Apple about the ads ahead of their release, noting that the animations in each video are hand drawn by illustrator James Blagden. Apple CEO Tim Cook also makes a subtle appearance in each video in a "Where's Waldo" way. Watch the videos and see if you can spot him.

Apple's other Earth Day initiatives include a commitment to stop mining the earth for rare minerals and metals, retail employees wearing green shirts, and green-tipped Apple logos at its retail stores. Apple also released its 2017 Environmental Responsibility Report detailing its 2016 carbon footprint.

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.4 Adds Two New Features to CarPlay

Tuesday March 24, 2026 1:55 pm PDT by
iOS 26.4 was released today, and it includes a couple of new features for CarPlay: an Ambient Music widget and support for voice-based chatbot apps. To update your iPhone 11 or newer to iOS 26.4, open the Settings app and tap on General → Software Update. CarPlay will automatically offer the new features so long as the iPhone connected to your vehicle is running iOS 26.4 or later....
Apple Business hero

Apple Unveils 'Apple Business' All-in-One Platform

Tuesday March 24, 2026 8:53 am PDT by
Apple today announced Apple Business, a new all-in-one platform that unifies device management, productivity tools, and customer outreach features. The service is designed to be a consolidated replacement for several of Apple's existing business-focused offerings, including Apple Business Essentials, Apple Business Manager, and Apple Business Connect. It provides organizations with a single...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Tuesday March 24, 2026 12:31 pm PDT by
Apple today released new firmware for the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and the AirPods 4. The firmware has a version number of 8B39, up from 8B34 on the AirPods Pro 3, 8B28 on the AirPods Pro 2, and 8B21 on the AirPods 4. There is no word on what's included in the firmware, but Apple has a support document with limited notes. Most updates are limited to bug fixes and performance...

Top Rated Comments

NinjaHERO Avatar
117 months ago
Always nice to know a company this big and rich tries to do all they can for the environment.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
happydude Avatar
117 months ago
say what you want about the good and evil of giant multinational corporations, i'm just glad in this aspect, apple has chosen to be on the side of green technology, zero waste, etc.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
happydude Avatar
117 months ago
Meh, Apple can't make a single statement without being self ingratiating. Apple can't act without bettering their cause, even to help improve the planet. Apple could solve several world problems with the amount of money they have, but unless it can directly contribute to Apple's profit Apple won't spend a dime unless it benefits them directly. The fact they even mention Apple Watch is so obvious a desperation to sell more of this product and use any excuse to promote it.
well, same for any company trying to do social, environmental, or other good. they're a corporation with a legal responsibility to maximize profit. if they're going to extra lengths to go green, they have to make some hay about it - toot their own horn, make themselves look good, help drive people to buy their products vs. a "dirtier" company's similar product.

other examples: do you think target would give a % of it's profit away to charity without talking about it? mcdonlad's ronald mcdonald house. koch industries foundational giving. so many more.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NT1440 Avatar
117 months ago
Meanwhile, it has been about 3.3 Earth Days since the last Mac Pro release, about 2.5 Earth Days since the last Mac mini update, and 1.5 Earth Days since the last iMac update. Seems that Apple would rather preach and preen about saving the planet than actually do their job.
You're right, clearly they should stick the environmental department content creators on the engineering teams...that'll speed them up. :rolleyes:
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nvmls Avatar
117 months ago
Make your own sweat as in sweatshops?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Glideslope Avatar
117 months ago
Cute, but too Deep for most Americans. :apple:
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)