Green social networking site sets out business ambitions

Social networking start up Edenbee has announced it is to launch a new website designed to provide users with the ability to measure their carbon footprint and track their progress in cutting emissions against others in the new online community.

The company said the new site, which has been built by bespoke web site developer New Bamboo, will launch in beta on March 3rd and will be based on the AMEE carbon calculator standard used buy the government as part of its Act on CO2 campaign.

Dave Hayes, creative director at Edenbee, said that the site aimed to offer richer functionality than the many carbon calculators currently available. "We thought that a lot of the existing calculators were quite boring and do little more than tell you your footprint and leave you feeling guilty," he said. "The aim of the site is to give users an individual timeline featuring actions they can take to bring down their footprint – it can then even remind them to take the actions they have agreed to."

He added that sharing this timeline data with other users would allow them to share best practice advice and introduce a competitive element to carbon reductions. "The social networking element of the site means that progress is transparent to other users creating some competitive tension," he explained.

The site will initially be aimed at consumers in the 17 to 35 age range, but Hayes insisted that it could prove attractive to smaller businesses and CSR departments.

"The ability to compare progress against others could be used by firms trying to encourage employees to cut their emissions," he said. "You can create a group for your company and let staff assess each other's progress along their [carbon cutting] timelines."

He added that the company had ambitions to develop new functionality aimed specifically at small businesses that would allow them to measure their carbon footprint and set out carbon reduction action plans.