Team Earth

Team Earth

Team Earth is a collection of businesses from Dell to Starbucks, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) including Conservation International, politicians and student activists who hope to utilize the power of social networking to slow tropical deforestation. Reuters reports that the participants feel too many groups are all working towards the same goal but not relying on one another's strengths - a social network can be greater, and more effective, since it brings all the separate efforts together. In addition to its own site, Team Earth will also use Facebook and Twitter - two essential tools for anyone wanting to use social networking in a meaningful way - to get people involved in climate change, water issues, and health in addition to deforestation.

Guided by the wisdom of a blue-ribbon panel of the world's leading scientists, Team Earth is designed to harness the power of social networking and global outreach to incite action and create momentum around efforts to address the great challenges of our time. Team Earth's initial collective action campaigns will focus on saving forests as a tool to slow climate change. Watch for further rallying cries around energy use, fresh water, and the way we consume. Harrison Ford is lending his voice to Team Earth as well (quite literally in the video below), saying "Our individual efforts have been fruitful but history shows that real change is not accomplished through individual efforts but through movements." With hefty corporations involved like Dell, Starbucks, Pepsico and Wrigley, it's wise to be very open-eyed about what the group is working to accomplish. Hopefully the reputable groups involved like Rocky Mountain Institute and Conservation International are enough of a watch dog that the best interests of rainforests - and not companies - are kept at the forefront.