As I mentioned not too long ago, I’ve been a beta tester for a new green membersip site called ‘Green Options’.
For those of you not familiar with the name, it is essentially an all-in-one green living resource created by ‘ecopreneurs’, David Anderson and Shea Gunther (who also added ‘Sustainablogger’ and good friend, Jeff McIntire-Strassburg, into the mix along the way).
Unfortunately I encountered some technical issues and was unable to provide any beta help during the last stretch of the test period, but nevertheless my beta experience allowed me to get inside for an early look at what will undoubtedly become one of the online ‘heavy hitters’ in the world of green!
When I first checked it out, I was definitely impressed with the idea and the potential that Green Options seemed to possess. I must say however that seeing the site in all it’s polished launch-day glory has elevated my expectations to an even higher level! Add to this the fact that these guys are only getting started, and it becomes a no-brainer that this is indeed a green resource you will want to join (and of course add to your favourites).
Here are just some of the things the Green Options team has going for them:
- The are pumped, they are passionate, they are extremely excited about the project!
- They have venture capital to back them up, so rest assured a great deal of time and effort has been and will be committed to the endeavor
- They have assembled a green blogger ‘dream team’ of excellent writers for the GO blog
- They are very open and receptive to feedback, and will undoubtedly continue to work hard to ensure their readers/members are happy
Some things I really like about the site itself, include:
- The interactive, community feel of it - the forum and member profiles make it easy to get to know other greenies
- Of course, the quality of the content is very important - as mentioned they have an excellent group of contributors
- The ‘all-in-one-place’ concept limits the amount of surfing one needs to do in order to get your daily dose of green goodness
- Their cool ‘green report’ section provides links to interesting news stories (green and otherwise), and great online resources (I see our site has been added to the list - THANKS GUYS!!)
So as to provide a somewhat balanced assessment, I will mention a few areas where I think there is still some room for improvement.
I find their forum to be a tad ‘clunky’ for my liking. I’m used to the standard phpbb format where navigation tends to be a little more intuitive and helpful (its very easy to retrace your steps and visit other sections of the forum etc), but perhaps that’s just me!
Also, (no surprise here) there are still a few website bugs lingering (eg. their ’search’ function does not work for me) - BUT that being said, I love the fact that they have a place where you can submit any bugs you come across!
All in all, I am very impressed with what Dave, Shea and the GO gang have been able to accomplish and know for a fact that we can expect to see many more exciting Green Options developments in 2007 and beyond!
So what are you waiting for? Go check them out already!
Green Options - ‘Your Online Hub For All Things Green’
Technorati Tags: green options, green websites, green blogs, green living, sustainable, sustainability, environmental news
Written by Bentley on February 5th, 2007 with no comments.
Read more articles on Announcements.
One of our original goals with EcoSherpa, aside from exploring topics relating to ’sustainable living’, was to share interesting and/or significant eco-news stories with our readers.
I think we’ve done a OK job keeping everyone up with major happenings, but we’ve decided to connect our readers with even more eco-news via a new blog feature called ‘EcoSherpa Green News’.
Rest assured, we’ll still write our usual posts about interesting articles and news stories that catch our eye, but we will now also periodically (not sure how often yet - I think I’ll try every other day initially) put together ‘Green News’ posts.
These will feature a list of other interesting/important news headlines we’ve come across, along with a short blurb. This way you’ll have access to more stories and you can pick and choose what you want to read.
Certainly nothing earth-shattering by any means, but I do think it will make things even more interesting.
Of course, as with anything we do, we always welcome any and all feedback you may have!
Without further ado, here is our first batch of recent Green News…
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Wal-Mart CEO Announces Company-Wide Sustainability Plan
LONDON, Feb. 1, 2007 — As the keynote lecturer at the Prince of Wales’s Business and the Environment Programme, Wal-Mart President and CEO Lee Scott announced the company’s “Sustainability 360″ project, intended to make envirnonmental concerns central to its business decisions.
A key element of the plan is the introduction of “Global Innovation Projects” — one of which is a challenge for Wal-Mart associates and suppliers to start thinking about how to remove non-renewable energy from the products the company sells.
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Planned compost facility raises ire in Hinkley
Still skittish over a groundwater contamination incident that attracted nationwide attention, the residents hope to entice environmental sleuth Erin Brockovich to lend her support at the hearing.
Noting that the composting operation was “not just a Hinkley issue,” homemaker Terry Williams told the crowd, “There is no glass wall to separate Hinkley from Barstow. Anyone with kids should realize that they wouldn’t want this (facility). We want growth, but we want good, reasonable growth.”
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Green Homes: The Price Still Isn’t Right
…the folks who buy lumber by the trainload still find it a lot easier to persuade home buyers to upgrade to granite countertops than pay for an energy-efficient furnace. That puts builders in a bind as their industry suffers through a serious slowdown. “We’re trying to understand the balance between our social obligations and our obligation to shareholders,” says Jeffrey T. Mezger, CEO of KB Home (KBH ), one of the nation’s largest homebuilders. “You can’t just give away your margin.”
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Brazil to double ethanol exports - minister
Brazil hopes to double its ethanol exports by 2010 to meet growing demand for the alternative fuel, largely from Japan and Sweden, Finance Minister Guido Mantega was quoted as telling the Times newspaper in an interview.
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DaimlerChrysler Outlines Commitment to Alternative Fuels at National Biodiesel Board Conference
In a speech at the National Biodiesel Board Annual Conference today, Deb Morrissett, Vice President of Regulatory Affairs for the Chrysler Group, encouraged the biodiesel industry to continue their development of a national standard for B20 as automobile manufacturers focus more resources on producing diesel vehicles capable of running on the fuel.
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PetroSun announces final testing for algae biofuel process
PetroSun, Incorporated announced last week that the field testing of the cultivation of algae for biodiesel production has now progressed to the final stage prior to the construction of a commercial cultivation facility. This final stage will consist of producing adequate algae paste to test the output and economics of several biodiesel refinery manufacturers now under consideration by Algae Biofuels, a wholly owned subsidiary of PetroSun. The company will own and operate the production and refinery facilities.
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World’s first commercial hydrogen boat for Amsterdam
Dutch consortium Fuel Cell Boat b.v., has recently agreed the development and construction of a commercial hydrogen boat and refuelling facilities for use within Amsterdam.
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Technorati Tags: green news, eco news, environmental news
Written by Bentley on February 5th, 2007 with no comments.
Read more articles on Announcements and News.
