Tuesday 6 November 2007

Groogle?



Google UK just launched a carbon footprint calculator and more. Check it out here

via ecostreet

They also ran a £10m funding competition across October for start-ups with green benefits, prompting some commentators to say that Google are no longer letting Yahoo have the green space all to itself anymore, among the online big-boys. Yahoo have a two year headstart though and my sense is that the planetary problems are plenty big enough for both of them.

3 comments:

John Grant said...

oh and there is also this for you back shed inventors out there
http://www.google.com/innovatecontest/

i had an idea for a launderette part powered by a gym in the same venue, not sure i can be bothered to mock it up and film it for a potential longshot prizedraw (see green incentives thread below), but any spinners out there feel free to use this idea :J

Luke Tipping said...

Another Carbon Calculator? The proliferation of data, information and Carbon Calculator's does add to the consumer confusion.

However, working on Act On CO2 we partnered Google in the development of this. This is important because there needs to be one central reference point in avoding consumer confusion.

The interesting thing is that it still takes around 11 minutes to complete! This is an issue because the engagement drop-off is high. Any ideas on how to make it more fun throughout filling it out? Music? More spectacle?

John Grant said...

I wonder how the process can give you feedback and interest as you go; ebay visits often take much longer than 11 mins but its an absorbing process full of 'gaming hooks' like 'items I'm watching'.

Anothera angle is the motivation and the 'frame'. Form filling is not a great one. If you saw it as a learning time investment - vs eg a short langauge learning module - it would be quite different?