Author: Nancy White

The Climate Group Research Project

I am having fun trying out my new blogging platform, even though I have not migrated to my final url, which will cause havoc to anyone who links to a post. But one MUST test the software, right?

My friend Molly Webb has embarked on a new job with a VERY interesting project that hits to the heart of any online person: what is our use of technology costing the environment. The Climate Group is kicking off a project that should be of interest to us.

The Climate Group: About Us: Our Work Programmes: ICT
How will the continued growth of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) impact climate change? How could ICTs enable the transition to a low-carbon economy? The °Climate Group will explore these questions and more in a program of work beginning in November, 2007.

To inform this work, the Climate Group and GeSI [Global e-Sustainability Initiative] will collaborate on a global study to evaluate the ICT (Information Communication Technology) sector’s role in climate change. The work will begin in November and report in March.

The project aims to:

  • Deliver the first globally comprehensive picture of direct and indirect carbon emissions of telecoms, computing, services and software.
  • Define common themes and issues across the ICT lifecycle, identifying critical trends, scenarios and impact assessments for the ICT sector to 2020.
  • Create a ‘road map’ to allow the ICT sector to act now on reducing global energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions.

Overlap in Social Networks

I have been having some casual conversations with a friend at a US non profit who is looking to attract more younger constituents (more on that later.) One of the things that we discussed was which social network(s) should they experiment with? They are seeking to attract people 18-25.

This chart from the folks at compete gives some food for thought. It does not compare demographics, but when you think about Facebook and MySpace it offers some insights.

Alex, in the blog post, noted:

We can see the social graph, as it is online today, consists of mainly personal relationships, though a large group of users belong exclusively to professional social networks and many belong to both. A collective solution to bringing the entire social graph online might do well to take a closer look at the particular needs of this early adoption crossover group.

If you were starting a new social network test, would you think about this early adoption crossover group? How would you reach them?

Ready for New Site Feedback

I have identified all the key pages from my old site that I want to have easily accessible and visible on the new site. I still have a ton of editing to go, but I hit the point where feedback is needed.

Jon and I are still working on the image, colors and templates. Not all my old blog sidebar widgets are in, but I’d appreciate any feedback about the site structure and over all look and feel.

Next, we’ll create a template to apply to my old blog pages which won’t change, redirect others to the new pages here, then I think we are ready to put it up on the real domain! WOO HOO!

Added Later:

  • Do you think the quote text in gray is too hard to read?

Beauty

Rose

I brought home some amazing roses this week and was inspired by a friend to photograph them. The winter light was hitting on the side, making them glow. I am lucky to have friends that remind me of the important role of beauty in our lives. I think it is part of the Culture of Love. Thank you Amy and Michele!

For more intersections between the Culture of Love and Beauty, see M.I.L.K.