Uh-oh-- evidently the faltering economy is affecting Apple in less obvious ways than declining revenues. A couple of years ago we proudly noted that the Clean Computer Campaign (an initiative of the Silicon Valley Toxics Commission) had declared Apple to be a shining example of an environmentally-friendly computer manufacturer, awarding the company with a happy green candy cane graphic on its web site. Unfortunately, apparently it's not easy being green-- and a single year can make a world of difference when it comes to staying ecologically harmonious.

See, we were recently made aware of the CCC's updated report for 2000, and Apple didn't fare nearly as well. The scoring and criteria have clearly changed this time around, though details on why Apple dropped so far aren't entirely apparent. All we can say is that instead of an industry-leading 4 points out of 5 in 1999, Apple scored a mere 31 points out of 87 last year, for a seemingly dismal score of 35.6%. Ouch. Instead of being a paragon of greenhood, among U.S.-based computer makers, Apple finished lower than both IBM and Hewlett-Packard, while merely tying Compaq. Ah, well; at least Steve and the gang still beat out Dell. (19 points out of 87, Mikey? Tsk, tsk... Well, maybe all the fumes floating around Dell headquarters are responsible for the man's obsessive mental state.)

The 2001 report isn't up yet, but it'll surface sometime next month in time for the holiday shopping season. Here's hoping that Apple hasn't slid further down the slippery slope of rampant toxicity. We just wish we knew what the company did to slip so far in the standings just one year later. Hmmm... Maybe it was that "Free Barrel of Industrial-Grade Tetrachloroethylene With Every New iMac" promotion that Apple ran last summer. Or perhaps it's the little-known fact that each Cube that Apple produced required the clearcutting of three acres of Brazilian rainforest, the discharge of six gallons of chromium runoff into the groundwater near a day-care center, and the clubbing of a baby seal-- who can say? Still, live and learn, right?