CarbonRally applies gaming and social networking concepts to environmental activism by challenging participants to take positive steps against carbon emissions.
Boston based CarbonRally offers a series of carbon reducing challenges, such as not drinking bottled water, dumping shopping bags and leaving your car at home, whereby users can compete against others to become the most carbon friendly participant. Current users include Google’s offices in Boston and Pittsburgh who are openly aiming to beat one and other.
The competition is all in good fun with no prizes offered, however CarbonRally is looking at corporate sponsorship of challenges in the future.
If you’re passionate about carbon emissions, CarbonRally providers a fun and friendly forum from which you can join others in saving the world.
I’m greener than you are. I can’t join carbonrally because I have commitment issues.
It’s that rice page thing, the web2.0 version of “click this link every day to end world hunger!” Cross that with scrabble or sudoku or jeopardy and you can really get some traffic. People love it.
A shame, I can’t really use it from outside the US.
I quite don’t understand why such networking site is limited for US while focused towards global warming.
Hopefully they will expand outside of the US in time. I like their idea though; you can’t really complain about a group trying to help the environment.
Hi Everyone,
This is Jason from Carbonrally. Duncan, thanks for the post! And, thanks to everyone for the feedback here.
Just one note about the International Rally… we are actively working on deploying it, so please bear with us. Thanks for your support.
Ingenious concept (in its simplicity) to get the average person to learn about thier impact on global warming, take small positive actions, and measure thier contribution.
Silly tree-huggers, games are for kids!
http://fakestev...er.blogspot.com
They’ve really studied their target demographics… introducing competition to the herd-mentality of the self-righteous masses who are otherwise competitionally-challenged.
This is a great idea. Showing people that – as a collective – you individually can actually make a difference ‘I make a change, we make the difference’. Good stuff!
PS Please expand into Europe.
I found this website the other day while trawling the web and it really is wonderful.
I noticed some of you have been looking for a start up in europe that would serve the same function….maybe check out http://www.ifeveryonedid.com? still in beta at the moment but i’d say it was worth a look (i;d be biased though!)
cheers,
David
Until recently, the U.S. has been the top emitter of carbon dioxide emissions. However, according to recent estimates, China has become the largest emitting nation since 2006. Our Federal government has opted against Kyoto type policies. Various state, local and regional governments have attempted to implement Kyoto Protocol goals on a local basis. For example, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), is a state-level emissions capping and trading program founded on January 18, 2007 by eight Northeastern US states. The concerns over carbon emissions and global warming are considered at http://www.onebiosphere.com
The new carbon emission rules may increase reliance on natural gas, thereby making power generation vulnerable to supply interruptions. Carbon-reduction rules have been passed in more than half of the American states and 4 Canadian provinces and new ones will be enacted in both countries. These rules may force changes in the utility industry such as shutting down coal plants that are located near load centers and substituting power from wind turbines or solar plants in remote areas.