Reading the article it's pretty clear the environment stuff was an afterthought, but if they really cared about the environment they could have skipped having a big event and gone to the court house and got a certificate.
I think the point people are trying to make is that it's silly, misleading, and hypocritical for people to pat themselves on the back for making a tiny token effort to protect the environment while participating in activities that are overall terrible for the environment.
If that's what they want to do, good for them, but let's not pretend they're making a real effort.