ECM and reducing Greenhouse Gases

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Going "Green" With Social Networks

SUMMARY

Without a doubt the world today faces enormous challenges in dealing with global warming and rising greenhouse effects. These challenges have ultimately resulted in numerous natural disasters in the past decade or so. To address these serious issues related to the environment, over the past several years there has been a “green movement” towards preserving the eco-friendly environment in the US and Europe. This was most highly popularized by Al Gore’s global warming documentary film “An Inconvenient Truth”. While the top-down approach on green policies and raising awareness are important, the bottom-up method of getting people involved and to promote an eco-friendly environm ent will be critical. With the rise of the social Web, a number of “green” start-ups have cropped up recently to provide environmental news/stories, carbon calculators as well as tools to connect green-minded individuals through the use of blogs, photos and videos. These sites are taking steps to educate others and raise awareness of environmental issues. Some of these sites include Care2 , BeGreenNow , WorldChanging , Zerofootprint , RiverWired , Zaadz and the recently launched Yahoo! Green , among others.


THE PLAY

Many of us may have noticed that the climate/seasons, for the last few years is no longer predictable. It's getting harder to predict when and how fierce a snow storm or a hurricane can be. This is possibly the effects of global warming where temperatures on earth are getting warmer than ever. Humans are said to be the main cause of harming Mother Nature, some of which includes the emission of carbon-dioxide gases (industrial/transportation pollution), deforestation, burning of coal etc., all of which have adverse effects on the earth’s atmosphere. With Web 2.0 and social networking reaching out to the masses, a number of non-profit organizations and environmental groups are raising awareness on sites like MySpace. For instance, Greenpeace's MySpace profile (with more than 55,000 friends/campaigners) features everything from raising awareness on whale hunting with "the Big Blue March" campaign, the “Go Green” song promoting eco-friendly activities, to blog entries on “Say No To Liquid Coal”.




The Green Mountain Energy, the largest US retailer of renewable energy launched an environmental campaign called BeGreenNow which also has a profile on MySpace. The site educates consumers about their carbon footprint through news/stories, blogs and submitted videos about what one can do to be green. The site also features an interactive use of carbon calculator where one can calculate and offset their carbon footprint emitted via electricity, vehicles, air travel and natural gas. TreeHugger is another prominent green blogging site that appeals to environmentally conscious users and also features forums for users to interact with one another. The “How To Go Green” section is particular ly interesting as it offers tips on how to go green with your daily life - from how to go green with your electricity to how to go green with your wedding. Care2 is probably the largest social networking site about sustainable living with over 7 million members making a difference in the lives of people and the planet. The site allows users to connect with each other through creating profiles, form groups, share photos, post blogs and events, etc. It also features a shopping section for natural and organic products. Moreover, the social news section (similar to Digg) allows members to submit “green” stories and rank them based on popularity.




RiverWired , a recently launched site (in beta) on green social networking, allows users to create profiles, join groups/discussions and share photos, videos and blogs about their experiences on living a green lifestyle. The site also features content from over 200 blogs, articles, videos and podcasts from all over the Web on strategies for a greener living - the most popular being the use of bio-diesel fuel. Similarly Zaadz is a platform for like-minded environmentally conscious people to connect with each other - interacting and sharing ideas through blogs, podcasts, videos and discussion forums, etc. DoTheRightThing is a user-generated news site that publishes news stories about the impact of companies on people and the world and how much they focus on sustainable environment. Search giant, Yahoo! has also recently launched Yahoo! Green that will offer the latest environmental news, consumer tips and ways for Yahoo! users to take social and personal initiatives to reduce greenhouse gases.

It’s nice to see a growing number of “green” communities popping up. People are becoming more environmentally conscious with various social media tools allowing for such expression and education. Remember, going green is easier than you think, and everyone can make a difference on our planet.

Resources: New York Times, BusinessWeek