Search Engines Go Green
Yahoo and Google have been keen to emphasise their commitment to environmental issues recently by introducing new green initiatives at
Yahoo! Green and
Google Summer of Green that was launched last summer.
Each search engine has approached the subject in their own inimitably idiosyncratic way. Yahoo have gone the way of the all encompassing portal containing environmental news, facts and commentary, whereas the offering from Google is a typically leaner site that relies heavily on search technology in the form of mapping environmentally friendly places to stay in the US.
Great to see that two sites that can boast amongst the largest reaches on the Internet are taking environmental matters so seriously. So much so that Yahoo even employed
Matt Dillon to kick off the publicity for Yahoo! Green last week in New York!
The Secret to Growing Your Green Campaign Through Traditional Media
The Internet has proved the driver for many a new eco-agenda both on national and local levels due to the ease of use, speed in which a campaign can be waged, low costs and the potentially huge audience. Obviously, the upside can be massive, but on the other hand the competition for peoples attention is equally as fierce. If the Internet is not proving to be fruitful, it may be an option to target you campaign to your local area using traditional media. In order to pitch your campaign to local media you should take into account the following issues.
- What is your cause?
- Who is your ideal audience?
- What do you hope to achieve?
These points sound obvious, but unless you have a clear-cut answers to the above questions you will not be able to run a concerted and coherent campaign.
Now that you are clear on your cause and what you hope to achieve you can target your campaign to traditional media in your area.
Options you could follow would be to:
- Contact influential figures in the community or who you believe may share the ideals you wish to espouse. Possibly celebrities, council leaders, industry leaders or newspaper journalists. If possible it would be best to request a meeting with your chosen contacts, or speak on the telephone rather than using an impersonal medium such as email
- Write a press release in a clear and concise fashion and send it to newspapers and journals. If possible try to obtain direct quotes from industry leaders to add influence to your campaign
- Try to incorporate "hooks" into your campaign. These could include past successes, human interest stories or the benefits of a successful campaign
- Organise "in-person" events or rallies and send invitations to your target audience and media figures
- Attempt to build a rapport with journalists. This can lead to articles being written about your cause and may lead to radio or television interviews.
Provided that you have followed our guidelines, the public will have recognised the importance of your campaign and hopefully at this stage it will be at the forefront of the minds of your target audience.
The Case for Energy Saving Light Bulbs
Last month on the 9th March it was announced by EU leaders that they sought to introduce legislation that would lead to the eradication of traditional incandescent light bulbs in favour of energy saving light bulbs by 2010. The following week, the UK government announced that they would take the lead and ban traditional incandescent light bulbs from the vast majority of domestic usage by 2011. Currently as a consequence of lighting UK homes we produce approximately 7.8 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. By introducing the ban on traditional incandescent light bulbs in favour of energy saving light bulbs we would save roughly three million tonnes worth of carbon emissions.
What are the options?Currently over 90% of homes in the UK still use
traditional incandescent light bulbs. These bulbs have a very short life compared to energy saving light bulbs and they produce light in an extremely inefficient way - only 5% of the energy used creates light, the rest is simply turned into heat.
Energy saving light bulbs use a quarter of the power of traditional incandescent light bulbs and can last up to 12 times as long. There are a number of different models, shapes and colours that one can choose from, although there are still relatively few models that can be used with dimmer switches. However, as demand grows, so will the number of options offered to the consumer. The initial cost of an energy saving light bulb is substantially more than a traditional incandescent light bulbs, but over the lifetime of the bulb it will not only pay for itself, but also actually save you money on your electricity bills. Research suggests that if one traditional incandescent light bulb is replaced with an energy saving light bulb, over the lifetime of the bulb the average consumer will save approximately £100 in heating costs. It should be noted that energy saving light bulbs contain mercury, so it is essential that they are disposed of in a responsible manner - currently IKEA offer recycling options.
Low energy LED (Light Emitting Diode) lighting offers an even longer life span than energy saving light bulbs - up to four times longer and can use as little as four watts. Initially, LED lighting was used solely in devices such as digital clocks, however, the technology is advancing rapidly. LED lighting is not comparable to energy saving light bulbs as they do not currently offer a strong enough light output to challenge energy saving light bulbs at this time, but the technology is improving quickly and they could soon be a credible alternative. At this time, they are best used for low output mood lighting.
Overall it would appear to be a no-brainer to use energy saving light bulbs in your home. It is true that the initial costs for purchase are higher, but it can be demonstrated that over time they will actually save you money on your energy bills, which in turn helps to conserve the environment. Why not join in the movement to ban traditional incandescent light bulbs and support Dr Matt Prescott over at
Ban The Bulb in his campaign.
