Green Social Networking to Save the Human Species

Humans face some huge global environmental challenges these days, including climate change, resource depletion, habitat loss, and declining water supplies, to name just a few.  The list is long and just seems to get longer.  These crucial issues don’t get the attention they need, given how important they are, and I’ve often wondered why and what we can do about it.  Green social networking with groups like GreenITers could be part of the solution. 

Efforts by environmental groups to stir responses to problems often boil down to fear and facts.  Neither of these tends to mobilize the intended response.  Trying to stir a response by making people afraid tends to do the opposite- driving them away.  And bombarding people with facts often fails to stir a response because facts seldom engage positive emotions that we do respond to.  Facts alone don’t usually make us get up off the sofa and take positive action, but our feelings do.

There are clear strategies we can use though to mobilize a greater response to environmental challenges, tapping into our human nature to work with it rather than against it.  One of these is tap into our human need to be social, and another is our human need to have purpose in our lives that is greater than merely existing.  We want to do things that matter and we want to do it together.  Green social networking helps us to meet both of these needs.

Humans are inherently social animals, having evolved this way over millions of years.  We not only enjoy each other’s company, but we have a deep need to connect socially with others.  When we connect with others helping to solve environmental challenges, part of being social means that we want to do it too.  When it comes to environmental action, there is a great power in numbers. 

GreenITers is a green social network that helps connect people engaged in taking environmental action, helping them to share ideas, help each other, and accomplish more. The group has grown rapidly, with membership spanning the globe, recently passing 10,000 members altogether. “We are getting stronger in India and China but recently in a member count, we were surprised to see that the U.S actually leads the pack with over 3,000 members,” said GreenITers founder Flavio Souza, from Brazil originally and currently living in Tokyo.  Souza is starting small, connecting with individuals, but has some big dreams in mind about having a positive impact on our world.

“In general, people are joining now to learn and be coached by other eco-minded fellows, so that has been the main contribution of GreenITers, to connect those minds,” said Souza. “There is a huge unconscious demand for a change in behavior for a greener path but many people are new to the subject so they are looking out for a community to learn how to make the switch to a greener way of life.”

GreenITers has sub-groups focused on specific challenges and opportunities, for those who are excited about renewable energy, recycling, climate change, green building, or other areas.  Signing up is free, and it could be one more step toward building a better planet. 

When I look at what GreenITers is doing, I changed my mind about one thing though.  I don’t think they are simply a green social network.  They are building a community of people engaged in important work together.  There’s a big difference between the two, and as they grow and tackle more challenges together, the difference will only grow.  Join the community at www.greeniters.com.