Who’s leading the corporate sustainability Twitterati?

Read the full story at GreenBiz.

Sure, you’ve got a Twitter account. But what are you doing with it? Oh, and is anyone out there actually listening?

Those are nontrivial questions in our social-media-driven world. Everyone, it seems, is a brand ambassador. But who’s really effective?

We recently went through the Twitter stats of sustainability and corporate responsibility professionals in large companies to see who’s being followed, retweeted and otherwise wielding influence in social media.

 

Students use social media to gather climate change information

Read the full story at Great Lakes Echo.

A group of Central Michigan University students is using social media to gather information on climate change and periodic natural events, in the Great Lakes region.

Tom Rohrer, the director of the Great Lakes Institute for Sustainable Systems at Central Michigan University,  and his students created a Facebook page called  “Climate Change in the Great Lakes Basin.”  On the page students post studies, articles, pictures and other observation, which address changing weather patterns. The page is also open for the public to post  their observations, creating a free and vast collection of climate change information.

 

On Facebook, a social energy app lets you compete with friends

Read the full story at SmartPlanet.

Facebook users can now compare their energy consumption with their friends using a new app developed by Opower and in collaboration with the Natural Resources Defense Council. Starting today, anyone with a Facebook account can use the app. But the ability to dig into real-time data is only available if your power provider is one of the 16 utilities participating in the project.

 

One man’s effort to teach alternative energy harnesses farts on Twitter

Read the full story in Great Lakes Echo.

In the Twitter-verse, a lot of thought goes into choosing a name. A catchy handle attracts followers – something the man behind @HarnessFarts knows all too well. @HarnessFarts tweets often about alternative fuels and helps followers cut their water and energy use.

We caught up with Greg, the man behind the tweets, in an email and got answers to our burning fart and Twitter questions.

 

Learning from American Petroleum Institute’s Fake Twitter Campaign

Read the full post at Triple Pundit.

Social media has become a popular engagement tool for both companies and organizations. So far the examples we had of social media usage were divided between good (Keen is a great example as my colleague, Paul Smith pointed out here two weeks ago) and the bad (remember the disastrous response of Nestle to Greenpeace campaignon its Facebook page?). Now we also have the ugly.

An investigation by the Rainforest Action Network (RAN) concluded that the office of a former Nebraska Senator working for the American Petroleum Institute (API) appears to have set up about 25 fake Twitter accounts to promote the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline.

This attempt might shock you unless you’re familiar with the campaign tactics of API. Apparently this is not the first time they have launched an astroturf campaign. In 2009, a leaked memo from API’s President exposed plans to launch a nationwide astroturf campaign, including a series of “Energy Citizens” rallies in about 20 states against the climate legislation which was debated then (oh, the good old days) in the Senate.

Two years later API finds itself dealing with another battle – this time it is on the Keystone XL pipeline, a $13 billion project that would extend over 1,500 miles from Alberta to Texas. If constructed, the pipeline will carry tar sands oil, which is considered one of the world’s dirtiest fuels. Along its route from Alberta to Texas, this pipeline could, according to environmental organizations, devastate ecosystems, pollute water sources, and would jeopardize public health. TransCanada needs US State Department approval to move forward and the final decision on the project is expected before the end of the year.

 

Climate Corps 2011: Social Networking’s Role in the Energy Revolution

Read the full story at GreenBiz.

Creating an energy intelligence vision for Facebook, a company that quickly and completely changed the world’s vision for communications, is no small task.

Facebook continues to transform the ways we receive and use information every day. And we, Facebook’s three EDF Climate Corps fellows, are spending this summer developing new ways for the company to receive and use its energy information going forward.

 

New App Connects Social Media Users with Municipal Services

Read the full story in Government Technology.

A new Facebook application is making it easier for citizens to report problems and request services from local governments.

Called the Citizen Request Tracker (CRT), the app can be downloaded from Facebook, installed onto a person’s account and then used to contact the city or county about items such as pot holes, graffiti, barking dogs and malfunctioning streetlights.

 

Webinar: How P2 Assistance Providers Can Effectively Use Social Media

September 15, 2011
2:00 – 3:30 PM EST
Register at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/147024672

The purpose of this webinar is to show how the use of social media and web 2.0 technologies can bring value to P2 and Assistance programs. The presenters will also discuss their experiences using different social media applications to reach a variety of audiences, and share tips on what has been successful. The draft agenda and speakers are noted below:

Introduction – 10 min.

How to Get Started Using Social Media – 30 min.
Speaker: Laura Barnes, Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ITSC)
Laura L. Barnes is a librarian with the Prairie Research Institute embedded in the ISTC’s Technical Assistance Program. She responds to information inquiries; teaches businesses and non-profits how to go green; develops content for the ISTC and Great Lakes Regional Pollution Prevention Roundtable (GLRPPR) web sites; and consults with GLRPPR and Pollution Prevention Resource Exchange (P2Rx) staff on information sharing issues, including use of social media tools. She has also done talks for organizations about tools and resources for stemming the tide of sustainability information and getting started with social media. She created and authors the Environmental News Bits Blog. Ms. Barnes earned a B.A. in History and an M.S. in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Examples of Policies and Guidelines for Using Social Media – 20 min.
Speaker: Andy Bray, Northeast Waste Management Officials’ Association (NEWMOA)
Andy Bray joined NEWMOA in 1997 as an intern before being made Project Staff later that year and Project Manager in 2000. He manages NEWMOA’s P2Rx Center and its activities, including information and web resource development. He is currently involved in the areas of materials policy and climate change mitigation and using Web 2.0 technologies to help to inform people about more sustainable practices. He holds Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering and a Masters Degree in Civil Engineering, Environmental Concentration, both from UMass Lowell. Prior to joining NEWMOA, he worked at the Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Institute.

Case Studies of MnTAP’s Experience – 20 min.
Speaker: Sarah Haas, Minnesota Technical Assistance Program (MnTAP)
Sarah Haas, an Environmental and Public Health Specialist at MnTAP, works with businesses to improve public health through reducing their impact on the environment.  She leads the DOE’s “Save Energy Now” program in Minnesota where she establishes trainings, assessments, and technology demonstrations to reduce energy use in industrial facilities.  She provides technical assistance to Minnesota’s hospitality industry and serves as MnTAP’s Materials Exchange Coordinator, using a variety of communication and outreach methods.  Ms. Haas received a B.A. in Biology from Metropolitan State University and a Masters of Public Health Administration and Policy from the University of Minnesota.

Questions & Discussion – 10 min.

 

Webinar: How P2 Assistance Providers Can Effectively Use Social Media

Date:     Thursday, September 15, 2011
Time:    2:00 PM – 3:30 PM EST
Register at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/147024672.

Introduction – 10 min.

How to Get Started Using Social Media – 30 min.
Speaker: Laura Barnes, Illinois Sustainable Technology center (ITSC)
Laura L. Barnes is a librarian with the Prairie Research Institute embedded in the ISTC’s Technical Assistance Program. She responds to information inquiries; develops content for the ISTC and Great Lakes Regional Pollution Prevention Roundtable (GLRPPR) web sites; and consults with GLRPPR and P2Rx staff on information sharing issues, including social media. She has also done talks for organizations about tools and resources for stemming the tide of sustainability information and getting started with social media. She created and authors the Environmental News Bits Blog. Ms. Barnes earned a B.A. in History and an M.S. in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Examples of Policies and Guidelines for Using Social Media – 20 min.
Speaker: Andy Bray, Northeast Waste Management Officials’ Association (NEWMOA)
Andy Bray joined NEWMOA in 1997 as an intern before being made Project Staff later that year and Project Manager in 2000. He manages NEWMOA’s P2Rx Center and its activities, including information and web resource development. He is currently involved in the areas of materials policy and climate change mitigation and using Web 2.0 technologies to help to inform people about more sustainable practices. He holds Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering and a Masters Degree in Civil Engineering, Environmental Concentration, both from UMass Lowell. Prior to joining NEWMOA, he worked at the Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Institute.

Case Studies of MnTAP’s Experience – 20 min.
Speaker: Sarah Haas, Minnesota Technical Assistance Program (MnTAP)
Sarah Haas, an Environmental and Public Health Specialist at MnTAP, works with businesses to improve public health through reducing their impact on the environment.  She leads the DOE’s “Save Energy Now” program in Minnesota where she establishes trainings, assessments, and technology demonstrations to reduce energy use in industrial facilities.  She provides technical assistance to Minnesota’s hospitality industry and serves as MnTAP’s Materials Exchange Coordinator, using a variety of communication and outreach methods.  Ms. Haas received a B.A. in Biology from Metropolitan State University and a Masters of Public Health Administration and Policy from the University of Minnesota.

Questions & Discussion – 10 min.

 

Vermont takes strategic energy plan online, asks for advice

Read the full story from CivSource.

Vermont is taking its strategic energy plan online and seeking advice from citizens on how best to move forward. The Governor has launched a new website that will provide current information on the state’s energy plan as well as the result of several public hearings on the plan that are slated to take place throughout the rest of this month. The full plan is due from the Department of Public Service, in collaboration with other State agencies by October 15, 2011.