In August, Lighter Footstep’s Chris Baskind pointed us to Blog Action Day, a single day on which

…participating bloggers will post an article which deals in some way with green issues. A financial blog might address eco-friendly investing. An automotive site could choose to focus on hybrids or plug-in vehicles. It’s all about the Earth — and diversity of opinion.

Well, Blog Action Day is here, and we’re proud to be among the nearly 16,000 blogs taking part in this day of action.

Of course, we do green issues every day at Green Options, so this is hardly a stretch for us. In order to contribute to the event, we’re going to highlight (and link to) posts throughout the day from "non-green" blogs. Here’s the first batch — I’ll update this post throughout the day to give you a glimpse of what’s being said around the blogosphere.

Obviously, with the number of blogs participating, the team and I won’t be able to read (or highlight) them all, so feel free to point to some of you favorites in the comments.

Congratulations to the organizers of Blog Action Day — what a great idea! Consider GO in for any future events…

Blog Action Day Posts

ZenHabits: 5 Ways to Save the World While Getting Fitter, Saving Money, Simplifying and Becoming Happier

Freelance Switch: 29 Simple Ways to Become a More Environmentally Friendly Freelancer (+ Help Us Donate $500 to Charity)

Chris Garrett: Noticing the World Around Us

Pronet Advertising: The Importance of Blog Action Day

Copyblogger: The Butterfly Effect and the Environment: How Tiny Actions Can Save the World

Lifehack.org: You the Consumer

GM.com: 10 years ahead of a scary schedule

Guitar Noize: Are "Green Guitars" Possible?

Successful Blog: Personal Environmental Action

Life, the Universe, and Everything: A Philosophical Satire

More Posts (noonish)

The Higher Pie: Go Green? Go Vegan!

ProBlogger: How Can Bloggers be Environmentally Responsible

McToonish: Social Capital and the Environment

Organize IT: 20 Tips For Laying The Foundations Of Your Environmentally Friendly Habit

polygeek.com: Optimized code could help reduce global warming

Orthodox Anarchist: Ten Things You Can Do to Save the Planet, Every Day

The Marketing Technology Blog: Water and Oil

Write Great Ezines & Blogs: What are you doing for a healthy environment?

Influential Marketing Blog: 7 Tips on Eating Differently to Impact Climate Change

change therapy: Interdependence with the Environment

We’ve been working hard lately to reach out through some of the web’s most popular social media sites, but, until now, we were MIA from 800 lb. gorrilla in this space: Myspace. We’ve fixed that, though, and are pleased to unveil the GO Myspace page.

If you’re a member at Myspace, please add us as a friend, and ask your other friends to do so. We’ll be highlighting chosen content there, as well as keeping users in the loop about devlopments at GO.

As always, let us know if you have suggestions. We’ll see you there!

The Gaiam Community site is a great resource for information on not only green living, but also health and wellness, mind-body fitness, and even spirituality. The site contains articles, discussion forums, and videos, but no blog… at least, no blog yet.

In October, Gaiam Community will launch it’s blog, and, judging from their plans, it will quickly attain the status of a "must-read." They’ve already lined up yoga guru Rodney Yee, and Gaiam Real Goods founder John Schaeffer to write for it. In fact, the only thing they don’t have is a name. Rather than hand that task over to the marketing department, they’ve decided to hold a contest.

The "Name Our Blog" contest will end on September 16th, so start thinking quickly. They’re looking for a name that "will encompass the spirit of all the subjects we cover here in the Gaiam Community — and be clever and unique too!" The winning entrant will receive a $250 Gaiam.com gift certificate; five runners up will receive $50 gift certificates.

We’re happy to give the Gaiam Community a plug, and encourage you to enter the contest. And we’re looking forward to the blog itself…

That’s right: we’re finally jumping on board the Twitter bandwagon. If you’re scratching your head right now, Twitter is an instant notification, "micro-blogging" system that allows users to broadcast short messages to other users that have chosen to receive them. By signing on to "follow" GO’s Twitter posts, you’ll find out about new articles and features as they’re released. We’ll also throw in some of the fun and interesting items we come across every day.

Twitter is a free service, and it’s easy to sign up. Let your friends now what you’re doing right now… and be among the first to know what’s new at GO.

Editor’s note: While I highlighted the group sessions and activities in my coverage of the Symi Symposium in Paros, Greece, last month, I also had the great pleasure of meeting a number of people engaged in important and interesting work on environmental protection and restoration. One of those individuals was Gerd Leipold, the executive director of Greenpeace International. Gerd and I were originally going to do a podcast interview, but symposium activities prevented that, so he agreed to answer the handful of questions I’d prepared by email.

Gerd, and Greenpeace International, are based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Green Options: While Greenpeace is no longer viewed as the radical environmental group by US citizens (that honor is now reserved for ALF and ELF), it’s still often considered extreme by many Americans, particularly the on the right. How do you respond to these kinds of labels? How would you characterize Greenpeace to someone concerned about the same issues as the organization (the environment, nuclear energy and weapons, world peace), but who also might be put off by the perception of GP as "radical?"

Gerd Leipold: The most extremist environmental groups in the US are the government of George W. Bush and some big corporations like Exxon Mobil, who still refuse to fully acknowledge the clear evidence of climate change and prevent the necessary action.

I think that an objective observer would come to the conclusion that what we now know about the state of the environment vindicates 35 years of campaigning by Greenpeace. While we had strong and stark messages, one certainly can say now that we were more foresighted and more realistic than those who termed us extremist.

GO: I spent some time on the Greenpeace international web site today, and while I saw plenty of examples of the kinds of direct activism most commonly associated with Greenpeace (disrupting nuclear weapons testing, whaling, etc.), I also saw a number of consumer awareness and educational efforts (tips for green living, 7 Steps Towards an Energy Saving (R)Evolution). Is that a relatively new area for GP? Does this show an embrace of more evolutionary tactics vs. revolutionary? Does the web itself affect Greenpeace’s campaign style at all?

GL: Raising awareness and stopping environmental abuse through our peaceful actions remains at the heart of Greenpeace. But we also believe that we need millions of people to become Greenpeace activists in their way and with their possibilities. Only if many people become active and live differently do we stand a chance to overcome the environmental crisis.

The web has affected our campaigning style, because it allows a faster, deeper and more responsive relationship with supporters and members of the public. The web is a powerful tool of communication and organization, and it allows global action. It also allows campaigning without having a physical office infrastructure in a country, and therefore increases the global reach of Greenpeace.

GO: Can you give us any insight into upcoming Greenpeace campaigns? What should we be looking for?

GL: Our highest priority is climate, and we are putting special emphasis on creating awareness about the reality of climate change in India and China. Over the next few months we want to influence the crucial negotiations for the next phase of the Kyoto agreement: the positive countries need to be encouraged to agree to bold targets, and any attempts by the United States to derail the process needs to be counteracted.

One of the quickest ways to reduce climate change impacts is to protect ancient forests. If we manage to keep old forest standing, then we have achieved a massive reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, we have protected many endangered animals and plants and some of the most beautiful and important ecosystems. And we can only do it if we also protect the future of the people who live in and of the forests. Therefore, rainforest protection in the Amazon, in Indonesia and the Congo is big task for us.

We have also a big campaign to stop the whaling operations of Japan in the Southern Oceans. Our whaling campaign is part of our oceans work, where we draw attention to the perilous state of the world’s oceans.

Thanks to Gerd for taking the time to answer my questions. For more on his perspective on climate change and related environmental challenges, watch this interview conducted at the symposium.

Photo source: papendreou.gr 

Are you a Facebook user (or even junkie)? Are you tracking your carbon emissions at MakeMeSustainable? Or, are you a lensmaster or frequest visitor to Squidoo? If so, come by, say "Hi," and join our groups and efforts at these popular sites!

The GO Facebook group is open to all members of the GO community. Join us, and add your comments to our wall, or your ideas to our discussion board. We’ll get photos and such up as we get them…

The GO MakeMeSustainable group is also open to all members of the community. We’ve set a goal of reducing our carbon emissions by 30% (though we’re already well beyond that), so add your cuts in CO2 to our effort.

At GO’s Squidoo space, you can keep a close eye on some of your favorite GO series, including:

• Green Myth-Busting
• Green Style Spotlight
• Red, Green & Blue
• Weekly DIY
• Weekend Grub
• Weekend Review

Remember: anytime you click on an ad on a GO Squidoo page, the money we earn goes directly to Dos Margaritas.

We’re just getting started with making our move into various social networking spaces… stay tuned!

MakeMeSustainable.com

Editor's note: As many of you know, we often do a Weekend Web Review, but decided we'd wait one day to introduce you to MakeMeSustainable.com, which launched today.

So, you've installed CFLs, started walking instead of driving on those walkable trips, and set your hot water heater at the recommended 120 degrees. You're doing your part to help fight climate change, and that's great. But, do you ever wonder how much impact you're creating with these actions? Or, do you want to know how your actions compare to others? The newly-launched MakeMeSustainable.com provides a set of tools that will help you do just that.

The site is the brainchild of CEO Benjamin N.S. Brown, COO David Delcourt, and Chief Creative Officer Adam Schrader-Brown. I got the chance to talk to Ben and David just over a week ago as they walked me through the site, and told me a little bit about their mission. One word really sums it up: empowerment. The team at MMS want to empower users with the tools and knowledge that will help them actively reduce their carbon emissions, and connect with others who want to do the same.

MMS gives users a number of ways to set and meet goals for reducing their climate impact. When a user registers with the site (which is free), s/he provides information on his/her home and car. That creates a baseline carbon footprint — the system tells you how much carbon you emit in a year from home energy use and driving. You then have the opportunity to choose from a predetermined set of actions that can lower that footprint. For instance, on setting up my own profile and choosing actions I'd already taken, I figured out that I'd installed CFLs in nine light fixtures around my home. I plugged that information into the designated fields, and then told the system that I'd completed that action. It, in turn, told me what kind of reduction this created in my overall carbon footprint. And, after you've taken the actions that are relevant and affordable for you, MMS also offers the opportunity to purchase Native Energy carbon credits to further reduce your load.

Numbers are nice, but MMS goes a further step by providing a user with a graph that shows the difference between the baseline and the reduced carbon footprint. Each time a user completes an action, his/her impact is reflected accordingly.

My profile… : with evidence that I have work to do!

MMS doesn't just stop with showing individuals the difference they can make, though: it also provides a range of social networking tools that allow them to connect with other users in groups, to create a group themselves (so, a company or organization, for instance, could track all of its employees' or members' carbon footprints individually and collectively), and to patronize local businesses that are also working to lower their footprints. Maps can be created within a user's profile to find nearby businesses; if there aren't any listed, you can even invite businesses that are doing good by the planet to join.

For a site in public beta, MakeMeSustainable is awfully impressive. There are certain limitations at this point: you can only figure your carbon footprint for home energy use and transportation — of course, that's the lion's share of it for most of us! There are a couple of other action choices I'd like to see available in addition to those the site has included — I can't get credit for using my reel mower, for instance. These are minor things, though… overall, the site provides a robust set of features for measuring the impact of what we do… or even what we don't. And the MMS team has more in store, so keep checking back… or, better yet, create a profile and start taking advantage of these tools.

Philip's post today reminds that the IT industry in general is pretty energy-intensive. Today, one of that industry's major players is taking another step forward to reduce the environmental impact of one of its major assets: it's users. Yahoo! Green is a new site by the internet giant that provides users with a range of tools that help them lower their personal carbon emissions.

Meg Garlinghouse, director of Yahoo! for Good, told me on Friday that the new site, which will be officially launched with a big kick-off event in New York City, reflects the company's belief that bringing many people together to take small steps can result in a major reduction of our greenhouse gas emissions. At Yahoo! Green, users can commit to a range of various actions that will reduce their own environmental impact: installing a programmable thermostat, installing a CFL in a porch light, air-drying clothes in the Spring and Summer, etc. The site records each user's plan and calculates the emissions savings produced. These figures are then compiled to show the total amount of GHG emissions saved by all users participating in the program.

Yahoo! will also add an element of competition to the site: user carbon savings, as well as information gathered from other Yahoo! tools, will be calculated by their location, and the US city with the highest totals will be named "America's Greenest City" by the company, and awarded either a fleet of hybrid taxi cabs, or the cash equivalent, which can be used to "green up" a public building. The "Be a Better Planet" competition will run through June 8th. Individual participants will receive a free CFL for their efforts.

We're impressed, and we look forward to Amy's coverage of today's NYC event, which will feature Yahoo! co-founder David Filo, Global Green USA CEO Matt Peterson, and Academy Award-nominated actor Matt Dillon. When combined with it's own carbon neutrality pledge, its sponsorship of 18seconds.org, and its Earth Week challenge to employees to reduce the company's overall environmental impact by 20% (which was rewarded by staging a Sumo wrestling match between Filo and co-founder Jerry Yang — watch the video), it's clear that Yahoo! is taking significant steps to not only operate in a more sustainable manner, but also to educate others about the benefits of living a greener lifestyle.

Yahoo! Green

We've seen plenty of evidence that the tech world has caught the green bug, and now the search engine optimization (SEO) folks are getting on board. Swedish-based web marketing company Getupdated has announced the creation of the SEO World Championship, and the first one started on Monday. The phrase for which web masters and SEO experts are optimizing in this first competition: "GlobalWarming Awareness2007." Contest creators hope to have fierce competition among webheads aiming for top spots on Google, Yahoo!, and MSN Live, and to generate awareness for climate change along the way. According to Getupdated's press release,

This unique SEO contest is targeting a significant cause as well as trying to make a global difference. The project focuses on creating world consciousness of our continuous planet heat rise. "The SEO World Championship selected this keyword with the purpose of creating worldwide awareness related to the issue of the Earth heat rise". Our contestants will write valuable content about what we can do to prevent Global Warming" said Luar Buso, Vice President for Getupdated Internet marketing.

Search engine optimization is all about getting the word out via the web, so hopefully we'll see some valuable content created on the climate crisis. The contest runs through May 1st; I'm thinking about putting a link to the search on Google so we can keep track of both the horserace and the information presented. Now, if they could just offer greener prizes…

Crossposted at sustainablog