Apple Spaceship Campus: Greenest Building on the Planet?

It's not easy being green, unless you're a multi-billion-dollar corporation: Apple chief Tim Cook on Monday talked up the company's environmentally friendly efforts—specifically its still-under-construction spaceship campus.

'We're building a new facility that I think will be the greenest building on the planet,' Cook said during the sixth annual Climate Week NYC kick-off event (video below).

The 176-acre campus includes a four-story, 2.8 million square foot circular office complex, meant to accommodate up to 14,000 employees, as well as a restaurant, fitness center, various transportation options, and countless other amenities.

It will also incorporate more green space than is presently available at Cupertino's Campus 1.

'Too many people believe you can do this or that'—build either a practical workspace or an eco-friendly atmosphere. 'What we've found is that both are doable,' Cook said this week. 'Because the long-term consequences of not addressing climate are huge.'

Once criticized for its heavy reliance on 'dirty energy,' Apple has been stretching its environmental muscles over the past two years: In April, the company earned praise from Greenpeace for an innovative and aggressive approach to 'pursuing its commitment to be 100 percent renewably powered.'

That commitment includes a microsite that highlights Cupertino's progress to reduce its carbon footprint and tackle climate change. At this point, all Apple data centers are powered entirely by renewable energy, which also controls 86 percent of the energy used at corporate campuses.

Cook addressed a number of changes in an environmentally themed video, shot on location at company facilities, and released earlier this year. The video, titled 'Better,' features the CEO's promise that Apple will 'use greener materials, less packaging,' and 'do everything we can to keep our products out of landfills.'

'With every product that we announce, we have an environmental check list that goes with that announcement,' Cook said during Monday's interview, citing a recent ban on two potentially hazardous chemicals from its iPhone assembly lines.

'All of these things matter deeply to us and we believe they matter to consumers,' Cook added. 'The next generation deserves it. We can [address climate change], and we will.'