TCP Partners with Brighter Planet on Tweet-a-Thon

04/07/09

MIDDLEBURY, Vt.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Brighter Planet, a Vermont-based environmental start-up, launches #earthtweet, www.earthtweet.com, to unleash the passion and creativity of people who want to help the environment and have a story tell in 140 characters. Using Twitter’s reach of its now estimated 9.7 million users, the potential for “Earthtweeters “ to inspire others to get involved and reduce their collective carbon footprint is staggering.

National climate leaders such as Treehugger, 350.org, and The Climate Project are joining in to encourage their Twitter followers to share conservation tips, environmental news, and Earth Day plans with the #earthtweet hashtag. Partners are spotlighted on earthtweet.com and a live feed brings together all user-submitted tips, news, and activities.

“We believe many people are doing good things to combat climate change and wanted to cut through the noise and allow them to organize and converse in real time,” said Patti Prairie, CEO of Brighter Planet. “Our goal is to get 2,000 tweets that inspire environmentalism. When we started designing the #earthtweet campaign in December, we considered Twitter to be the hottest social network on the web. It’s only gotten hotter since.”

Gallup’s recent survey shows Americans over the age of 30 are cooling to the seriousness of global warming, believing now more than ever that it is exaggerated. Views of Americans age 18 to 29, by contrast, are more in line with ninety-nine percent of scientists and global proxy reconstructions: the average global temperature is warmer now, and the temperature is rising faster now, than at any time in the last thousand years.

Americans under the age of 30 are also naturals for Twitter and similar social networking sites. Brighter Planet values social media as key to making environmentalism more accessible. The Earthtweet campaign follows the success of other web-based campaigns that engage consumers and businesses in the green movement such as the 350 Challenge, Climate Matters, and One Day.

Truly inspirational tweets will be rewarded with smart, eco-friendly prizes from partners committed to sustainable lifestyles such as Gaiam, Patagonia, Clif Bar, Brilliant Earth, and Brighter Planet Advisory Board member Bill McKibben. Earthtweet badges and avatars are available to web sites and blogs adding personalization and enhanced design elements to users.

About Brighter Planet

Brighter Planet (www.brighterplanet.com) helps people reduce and manage their carbon footprints. Its engaging web-based campaigns tap the power of social media to help consumers and businesses learn about emissions, conserve what they can, and offset the rest. Brighter Planet carbon offset products fund only the most reputable climate change projects, demonstrating direct community and social value while reducing the amount of greenhouse gasses being pumped into the atmosphere. To date, the company’s members have offset over 91 million pounds of CO 2.

The Climate Project is Al Gore's climate change leadership program and is a part of the Alliance for Climate Protection, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. TCP's mission is to educate the public about the harmful effects of climate change and to work toward solutions at a grassroots level worldwide. TCP supports more than 3,500 diverse and dedicated volunteers worldwide. TCP Presenters have delivered 70,000 presentations and have reached a combined global audience of 7.3 million people. Your donation will allow us to engage even more people directly in our mission and empower every individual to play a part in solving the climate crisis.  Donations for The Climate Project are accepted through the Alliance for Climate Protection. Please specify that your gift should be allocated to The Climate Project fund. Contributions or gifts to The Alliance for Climate Protection are deductible as charitable contributions for Federal income tax purposes. No goods or services of any value were or will be transferred to you in connection with this donation. Unless otherwise indicated, donations are considered unrestricted and will be used by the Alliance to fulfill its overall mission and goals.

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