August 28, 2009

Greasy Rider

Twitter? Really? My advice is to stop wasting time reading feeds and use those precious free moments to actually do something to save the planet, like weather-strip your windows or, say, hang your wet laundry on a clothes line. Then again, I've been suspicious of the Internet since the day Al Gore invented it, so I tend to be a curmudgeon about this sort of stuff. And since you are my editors, and you asked the question, here are the top five environmental feeds I'd follow if I were to hock my Commodore 64 for an upgrade, and hop onto that Informational Superfreeway.

1) Sustainablog. The Sustainablog web site is 90 percent snooze, and 10 percent "Wow, this is incredible information on sustainability and the environment, and I can't wait to tell all of my friends about it." Its tweets announce and summarize each new blog post—allowing you to cherry pick what's worth reading, and what's not, in a quick 140 characters or less.
Sample tweets:
Has Michelle Obama's Garden Started a First Family Trend? http://bit.ly/RP92Z #green #fb
Greenpeace and Kimberly-Clark Accused of Greenwashing http://bit.ly/2RyycI #green #fb

2) Eco Geek. Provides thoughtful updates on things like electric car batteries, high-speed trains, experimental fuel sources, and energy efficient homes. Statistics say that half the readers of this one own their own Star Trek uniforms. (Okay, I made that up but you get the idea: the nerdier you are, the more you'll like Eco Geek.)
Sample tweets:
Bad News for the Volt Hidden by 230 Campaign http://bit.ly/2msiQ0http://twitter.com/ecogeek/status/3295943076
ESolar Opens America's First Solar Power Tower http://bit.ly/7f64Q

Do you have a question of your own?

3) Eco Chickie. An offshoot of the Eco Chick blog, which employs a cadre of smarty pants writers who view the world through a fashionably environmental flair. The Tweets have completely different—and more free-wheeling—content from what's on the blog.
Sample tweets:
Kraft overhauls operations, saves enough water for 6 billion batches of Mac & Cheese http://su.pr/2RJuiR#digg
Gwyneth Paltrow's GOOP newsletter is GREAT! Packed w/ healthy living tips, fun videos, and recipes, YUM: http://tinyurl.com/nugbd6

4) Green Tweet. Handy tips and informational hors d'ouevres for greening up your everyday life—tweeted from Vermont-based Chelsea Green, a leading publisher of sustainable living books.
Sample tweets:
Use a watering can to water your garden; hoses & sprinklers waste a tremendous amount of water. #green
On average, nearly two-thirds of our garbage consists of material that could be composted, & much of that is paper & cardboard. #green

5) Greenbiz. A constantly updated "greatest hits" compilation of links and summaries of articles from Greenbiz.com, the impressive and densely packed sustainability news site.
Sample tweets:
New England Frito-Lay Plant Goes 'Off the Grid' http://bit.ly/2Ux72K
Are E-Waste 'Offsets' the Next Big Thing? http://bit.ly/1181Vz

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