KEY POINTS:
To most people the terms global warming, carbon emissions, bio-fuels and sustainability are often linked to the green enthusiasts. However New Zealand based Start-Up Celsias say "Climate Change is not a spectator sport!"
By using the power of web 2.0 technology, Celsias is bringing together companies and individuals that are serious about making a difference to the environment. The website provides a platform for companies to showcase their sustainability efforts and invite the large green Celsias community to comment or enter into dialogue with them. It may appear daunting at first for a company to make their sustainability actions so public, but the benefits in terms of employee morale, retention and recruiting can be significant.
TechCrunch, the world's most read technology blog, recently described Celsias as one of the most authoritative websites on climate change on the planet, a notable achievement for a New Zealand company of any size. With now over 100 writers and close to 100 companies and organizations already on the site, and 150,000 to 350,000 page views per month, Celsias is rapidly becoming a global leader in the climate change arena.
CEO Nick Lewis describes Celsias as an Action Network, as opposed to a Social Network, the difference being that an Action Network encourages direct action that produce real outcomes against global warming.
"People throughout the world see New Zealand as a green, untouched and beautiful country; this is what our two largest industries - tourism and food production - are in large part built upon," says Lewis. "We have a natural advantage over other countries in the world in this regard, and we can and should continue to use it as a point of differentiation because consumers are increasingly making their purchasing decisions based on environmental factors."
The Celsias pool of international writers continues to produce environmentally focused articles while new tools and services on the website are being introduced. These include a 'Green Jobs' listing, a Marketplace enabling users to find and buy products manufactured by environmentally conscious companies, and a map to help people find green projects and events happening in their area.
The service that Celsias provides helps reinforce New Zealand's 'green' point of differentiation, and further helps New Zealand companies showcase themselves in a positive light to national and international markets.
Companies in global markets are making the most of presenting themselves as environmentally conscious to the rapidly growing green marketplace, and now, through Celsias, New Zealand companies have the opportunity to take advantage of our 'green' reputation.
Celsias is looking to engage New Zealand businesses to become part of it's community and hopefully New Zealand businesses are ready to engage with Celsias. Companies spend millions of dollars managing public perception and see putting their green actions out for public debate as potentially risky. While New Zealand businesses are traditionally slow to adopt new technology, the feedback from early adopters has been positive.
