Bank of America ATMs Defaced by Activists

Banks are big contributers to the acceleration of climate change effects. A report issued late last year clearly indicates this fact, revealing that American financial institutions often back large projects involving coal-burning processes.

While some banks find it hard to green up their names, people are fed with cover-ups and efficient PR strategies and seek to make a difference on their own. Recently, a group of activists has slammed Bank of America, blaming it for its active role associated with environmental degradation.

Volunteers usually rely on ingenious methods to support their beliefs and shame guilty companies. For example, Greenpeaceactivists, costumed in polar bears managed to boycott Volkswagen during the 2012 Brussels Motor Show, but nothing compares to the creative initiative put into practice by conservationists from the Rainforest Action Network.

The team has defaced 85 Bank of America ATMs, all across San Francisco, using non-adhesive stickers imitating the software interface of the institution and reading alarming messages, like 'Foreclose on America's Homes,' 'Bankroll Climate Change,' 'Invest in Coal-fired power plants,' or 'Fund Executive Bonuses.'

This action is apparently part of a much more ample mission, suggestively entitled 'Bankrupting America,' in an effort to show people how banks use their power in an irresponsible manner, accelerating global warming and empowering major polluters to carry on with their plans.

“We’re using Bankrupting America to track all the ways BoA is bankrupting America, hence the name. We’ve received so many submissions it’s clear to us that this website was badly needed. There are lots of grievances to be aired with regard to how Bank of America is conducting its business these days, as it turns out,” revealed the activists involved in this project.

The organization is aiming to expand its operations in the near future. The Rainforest Action Network is also behind a website created to encourage people to 'Stop doing business with Bank of America until they start behaving responsibly.'

According to 'Bankrolling Climate Change,' the result of a collaboration between a few environmentally-friendly organizations and the international network BankTrack, JP Morgan Chase is, by far, the less eco-conscious player, supporting the dirty coal industry with $22 billion (€16.34 billion) annually.