Andy Hobsbawn established the first international Internet agency back in 1994, and so when he became concerned about climate change and living a greener life he thought about how to use the skills and creativity around his business.

He wanted to do come up with a solution rather than “stand back and panic about it”.

The result was Do The Green Thing “a new community that makes it easy and enjoyable to be a bit greener. Every month you’ll get a different Green Thing to do. All you have to do is do it.”

Andy explains here that he and his collaborators wanted to create a brand that was equivalent to those that people found in their consumer lives: something that was about fulfillment, enjoyment, pleasure and leisure rather  duty and  obligation. He’s enlisted some of the best people in video, podcasts, writing and games to achieve that.

Andy’s vision is that top-level creative content and interactivity can help catalyse and join up with more bottom-up activity like that being developed by the Low Carbon Community Network, and Transition Towns Network, described here by Tracey Todhunter.

I think we’ll see some collaborations on that front developing at 2gether08.

Meanwhile, here’s a video from Do the Green Thing, which promotes the message of Stick with what you’ve got. Apple fans look away now …

John Grant, author of the Green marketing Manifesto, will be interviewing Andy at 2gether08 tomorrow.

The aim behind 2gether08 is not just to talk about social issues and digital technology, but to start forming collaborations for practical action. The Social Innovation Camp that Anna Maybank described here shows how that is possible.

One big idea now emerging at 2gether08 is using online networking, and public service media, to help communities reduce their carbon footprints.

Groups in towns and villages are already starting to share experience nationally and internationally about local projects to tackle the challenge of peak oil and climate change, through the Low Carbon Communities Network and Transition Towns Network.

However as Tracey Todhunter, co-founder of LCCN, explains in this interview, they need technical help on how to raise awareness and communicate better online, by using social media and attracting the interest of public service publishers like Channel 4.

Tracey plans to gather a team on the first day of 2gether08 to add more tools to their current set of blogs, wikis and other communication methods, and develop their networking skills. They’ll work to a brief developed by Tracey and others in the network - and on the second day present back a working demonstration.

Although the main focus of the project is climate change, the tools and networking processes could be applied anywhere that communities seek to collaborate on projects for social benefit.

That’s why Tracey hopes Channel 4 might be interested in sharing ideas on how to do this effectively. In a series of interviews on 2gether08.com, Channel 4 executives have explained how they are moving beyond public service broadcasting to develop a range of interactive tools and programmes with partners.

The tools developed by Tracey and the team at 2gether08 will be used to build a network that will meet face-to-face at a conference in October. This will bring together the Low Carbon Community Network and the Transition Towns Network.

We’ll shortly have more details of how the team will organise at 2gether08. Meanwhile drop a comment here if you are interested, and pop over to meet up with Tracey and other on our networking site. You’ll find Tracey’s profile here.

William Rowe’s Protein Forum at 2gether08 will launch a series of monthly events, bringing together people from different fields for inspiration and continuing conversation.
William’s ultimate aim is to develop “TED Shoreditch” … which is welcome news for those of us who would love to go to the big TED.com but can’t manage the $6000 ticket for three days. Still, we can watch the videos of brilliant speakers exploring what makes us happy, how the mind works, the rise of collaboration and much else.
Protein Forum will be aiming for a similar mix of great events, videos and online community.
As you’ll hear in this interview, William’s background is in engineering and design, and his 2gether08 session will bring together speakers working on sustainable products for humanitarian causes. He’s been around the internet and digital media for some years, and feels it’s time to get beyond cool new gadgets into products that are good for you.
More here on William’s session on the theme of open source architecture and sustainable design.

But how to enable these changes is a massive question. In my opinion, change happens with the upSide down approach. It’s all about knowing. Now. It’s about getting your campaign to the masses and giving them the right information to enable individual change. Captivate, connect and engage with your audience in a technological medium they feel comfortable within! Al Gore did this encouragingly well in his, An Inconvenient Truth, and international troop of carbon communicators.

We also see this phenomeon stunningly clear within facebook and twitter, LinkeIn, and numerous other virtual social networks, but are environmentalists using the right technological tools to inform and engage their audience?

Thoughts?

Erica Grigg