Programming Blog

Twitter has a huge green community. There are green media, green companies, and green charities all active on the microblogging service, as well as a whole bunch of individual environmentalists and green bloggers. The #EcoMonday hashtag — the environmental equivalent of #FollowFriday, in which Twitter users suggest “green” tweeters to follow and share green news and info — has grown into a regular trending topic every Monday, along with a variety of other green initiatives.

Below are more than 75 environmentalists, conservationists, green-living enthusiasts, eco experts, and green organizations that offer up some excellent eco information on Twitter. We’ve broken the list up into two categories, people and organizations/publications. Please leave other great green Twitter users that deserve a follow in the comments, because we couldn’t possibly list them all.

People

The first part of our list is focused on individual people whose tweets are mostly related to environmental issues like sustainability, conservation, green living, alternative energy, and climate change. Our list touches just a small number of the essential Twitter users anyone interested in the environment should follow. If you’d like to recommend additional users, please add them in the comments below.

A – F

@algore – Al Gore probably doesn’t need any introduction, but here’s one anyway: he’s a Nobel Prize- and Oscar-Winning, former US Vice President, and noted climate change activist. He tweets about climate change, focusing on politics and news. A sample tweet:

@brightgreen – Tom Savage is the founder of brightgreentalent.com. His tweets cover a variety of environmental subjects, including green jobs. A sample tweet:

@britesprite – Chris Milton is a journalist who focuses on sustainability topics. His tweets largely focus on environmental and social issues. A sample tweet:

@carbonOutreach – Erica Grigg is a British Council Low Carbon Futures UK Advocate for 2008-2009 and the blogger behind Carbon Outreach. She tweets about environmental issues and climate change. A sample tweet:

@EcoFan – JD Carr is an environmentalist and media entrepreneur who’s planning to launch a new site, Greenenergy2030.com, this summer. He tweets about alternative energy and other green issues. A sample tweet:

@ecofashionista – Kelly Drennan is an eco-fashion and sustainable living activist. She tweets about green fashion and living, as well as green issues. A sample tweet:

@EcoGlamourista – Sheila V. Flores tweets about sustainable beauty, fashion and lifestyle topics. A sample tweet:

@ecopolitologist – Tim Hurst is a writer and editor at Green Options and Ecopolitology. His tweets cover a broad spectrum of green subjects. A sample tweet:

@ecosphericblog – BethBot is the blogger behind The EcoSpheric Blog and a freelance writer who writes about all things sustainable and green. Her tweets cover the spectrum of green news and issues. A sample tweet:

@ecovegangal – Whitney Lauritsen is a filmmaker and eco-friendly vegan. She tweets about green living and retweets tons of awesome green information. A sample tweet:

@ecowarriorr – Hillary Newman covers green news and issues for the Huffington Post. She tweets about trends in green and eco living and is very involved with her followers. A sample tweet:

@ejgertz – EJ Gertz is a journalist and editor. She’s written for Dwell, Popular Mechanics online, and Scientific American online about technology, science, and environmental topics. Her tweets run the gamut of environmental topics. A sample tweet:

@elaineishere – Elaine Hsieh is a green building specialist and US Green Building Council Pacific Regional Council Chair. She tweets largely about green building topics and other environmental issues. A sample tweet:

@focusorganic – Stefanie is a blogger and nature lover who tweets mostly about organic and local foods. A sample tweet:

@follownathan – Nathan A. Winters is on a bike trip across America to support the Nature Conservancy. He tweets about his trip, his experiences, and green issues. A sample tweet:

@ForestPolicy – Deane Rimerman is a Forest Policy Analyst, editor and writer, among other things. He tweets about conservation issues. A sample tweet:

G – K

@ghoberg – George Hoberg is an environmental/natural resource policy professor in Vancouver, BC and a blogger. His tweets revolve around green policy decisions and related issues. A sample tweet:

@gmcheeseman – Gina Cheeseman is a freelance blogger and writer who focuses on social justice issues. She tweets about social and environmental issues. A sample tweet:

@GreenAdvantage – Andrew Winston is the author of “Green Recovery” and co-author of “Green to Gold.” He’s also an environmental strategist, and tweets about green news, especially issues with global impact. A sample tweet:

@greenergirl – Dianne Hanlon-Druyff runs the GreenerGirl blog about eco-friendly beauty, fashion and food. She tweets about the same topics. A sample tweet:

@greenlagirl – Siel is an environmental writer and blogger. She tweets about sustainable living. A sample tweet:

@greenrobeen – Robeen tweets about green living on a budget, sharing tons of great tips and tricks for living an eco-friendly life without spending tons of money. A sample tweet:

@GreenSara – Sara Rampersaud is the founder of YourGreenReview.com, a sustainable business consultant, and eco-preneur. She tweets about sustainable businesses and other environmental topics. A sample tweet:

@greenskeptic – ScottEdward Anderson is the founder of The Green Skeptic. His tweets focus mostly on green economics issues. A sample tweet:

@greenyourdecor – Jennae Petersen is a graphic designer and amateur interior designer. She covers green interior design and related green topics. A sample tweet:

@hyperlocavore – Liz McLellan is the founder of the social network hyperlocavore.com. Her tweets mostly focus on the local food movement and related topics. A sample tweet:

@jejacquot – Jeremy Jacquot is a writer for DeSmogBlog, Discover Magazine, and Science Progress. He tweets about a variety of environmental topics, mostly related to his articles. A sample tweet:

@jenandcricket – Jen Boulden is the founder of IdealBite.com and an animal lover. Her tweets cover a huge variety of green topics, but often focus on animal-related issues. A sample tweet:

@joannayarrow – Joanna Yarrow is a sustainable living “explorer” and founder of Beyond Green. She tweets prolifically about green news and issues. A sample tweet:

@kgrandia – Kevin Grandia is the managing editor of DeSmogBlog.com and a co-founder of VoteForEnvironment.ca. He tweets about environmental issues with a focus on green transportation. A sample tweet:

@kiwimeg – Meg is a blogger and environmentalist. She tweets about environmental issues, focusing on sharing resources to help people make a real difference. A sample tweet:

@KSuzJ – Kristin Johnson is the web producer for the National Wildlife Federation. She tweets about tons of eco topics, especially those related to the NWF’s mission. A sample tweet:

M – R

@mcmilker – Maryanne Conlin is an eco marketing expert and lead writer at Green Options. Her tweets largely focus on green business. A sample tweet:

@molfamily – The producers of the Energy Trust Better Living Show, the largest sustainable living festival in the Pacific Northwest. Their tweets revolve around sustainable living and environmental issues. A sample tweet:

@MomGoesGreen – Doreen is the mom behind the MomGoesGreen blog. Her tweets follow her progress as she moves toward the goal of “greening” her life. As a result, she very often tweets great eco resources, useful for anyone with a similar goal. A sample tweet:

@MyGreenSide – Wendy Gabriel is a green living writer for Examiner.com. She tweets about sustainable and green living, including retweeting tons of great resources from others. A sample tweet:

@NikkiJade – Nicole McCallum is the co-founder of The Green Rocket. She tweets about eco news and green living. A sample tweet:

@OliviaZaleski – Olivia Zaleski is the host of CNN and Fortune Magazine’s “Business of Green” series. She tweets about green living and green business. A sample tweet:

@podcarnews – Bryan Williams is a Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) enthusiast. His tweets focus on new PRT news and developments. A sample tweet:

@revkin – Andy Revkin covers environmental issues for The New York Times. His tweets explore environmental issues worldwide. A sample tweet:

S – W

@sheagunther – Shea Gunther is a climate change and renewable energy blogger. He’s also a founder of the #EcoMonday hashtag. A sample tweet:

<img class=”aligncenter size-full wp-image-124875″ src=”http://www.neurosoftware.ro/programming-blog/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/cache/087e1_sheagunther.jpg”

@sroakes – Summer Rayne Oakes is a model and environmental activist, and the host of Discovery Network’s “Planet Green.” She tweets about tons of different environmental topics. A sample tweet:

@starfocus – Danielle Brigida is an employee at the National Wildlife Federation. She tweets about NWF and other green subjects. A sample tweet:

@steveoffutt – Steve Offutt is an environmentalist and climate change expert. He tweets about climate change and related issues. A sample tweet:

@sweetorganics – Sandra Schwarz is the owner of online eco-boutique Sweet Organics and Naturals. Her tweets cover a variety of environmental issues, as well as information about green products. A sample tweet:

@swimwithswain – Christopher Swain is swimming more than 1000 miles in the Atlantic Ocean in orders to help students start projects related to improving the condition of the world’s oceans. He tweets about his journey and ocean-related topics. A sample tweet:

@thegoodhuman – David is the writer and publisher behind TheGoodHuman.com. He tweets about his blog posts and green living. A sample tweet:

@windpoweruk – “Tipi Man” tweets about renewable energy, specifically focusing on wind energy in the United Kingdom and offering up tons of great resources. A sample tweet:

Organizations and Blogs

There are also a number of organizations and blogs out there that tweet prolifically about the environment. The issues they talk about run the gamut from climate change and conservation to green energy and transportation. They’re doing some amazing things to raise awareness about the world around us and the challenges we are facing. This is just a small sampling of the many great environmental blogs and organizations that are active on Twitter. Please feel free to suggest others in the comments.

Organizations

@AmazonWatch – Amazon Watch’s mission is to protect the Amazon River basin rainforest and its indigenous peoples. Their tweets revolve around environmental news affecting the Amazon River and updates concerning their organization. A sample tweet:

@ClimateProject – The Climate Project was founded by Al Gore to raise awareness about climate change worldwide through grassroots efforts. Their tweets revolve around climate change issues. A sample tweet:

@Defenders – Defenders of Wildlife’s mission is to protect wildlife within their native communities. They tweet mostly about their own projects and what they’re doing to protect wildlife and natural habitats. A sample tweet:

@earthhour – Earth Hour 2009 is a global movement to raise awareness about climate change by turning out the lights all over the world for one hour. Their tweets cover a wide variety of climate change and alternative energy news, including their own efforts and projects. A sample tweet:

@earthjustice – Earth Justice is a non-profit environmental law firm working to protect natural resources. They represent citizens and organizations who have a vested interest in protecting the environment from private entities and government departments who either violate or fail to enforce environmental laws. Their tweets cover primarily environmental law issues across the U.S. A sample tweet:

@EarthShare – Earth Share distributes charitable contributions to a variety of environmental charities on behalf of their donors. They tweet about their own projects as well as environmental news. A sample tweet:

@ecojustice_ca – Ecojustice Canada is a Canadian legal defense organization that works to protect Canada’s environment and natural resources. They tweet about Canadian environmental law topics and issues. A sample tweet:

@EcoInteractive – The Eco Preservation Society promotes travel, research and education programs to raise awareness about environmental issues and advance wildlife conservation and reforestation initiatives. They tweet about a variety of conservation issues. A sample tweet:

@EnvDefenseFund – The Environmental Defense Fund works with governments, communities, and businesses to come up with lasting solutions to environmental problems. Their tweets really span the entire range of environmental issues faced today. A sample tweet:

@foe_us – Friends of the Earth is a nonprofit activist organization that has been raising awareness about environmental issues for more than 40 years. They tweet about all sorts of environmental topics, with a focus on conservation and climate change. A sample tweet:

@globalgreenusa – Global Green USA is an arm of Green Cross International (an organization founded by former Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev) that focuses primarily on solving climate change. They tweet about climate change and related issues. A sample tweet:

@greenpeace – Greenpeace promotes peace, environmental responsibility, and conservation worldwide. They tweet about global environmental issues and sustainability, along with information about their own efforts. You can also follow the U.S. arm of Greenpeace specifically, at: @GreenpeaceUSA. A sample tweet:

@LiveEarth – Live Earth was the 2007 global music event that Al Gore helped organize as a way to raise awareness about climate change. The organization continues to promote climate change awareness and activism. Their tweets revolve around the same issues. A sample tweet:

@nature_org – The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization with more than 1 million members. They tweet about environmental conservation, climate change, and related issues. A sample tweet:

@NRDC – The National Resources Defense Council helps protect wild places and wildlife. They tweet about conservation and related environmental issues. You can also follow the @NRDCSwitchboard to get commentary on current and pressing environmental issues. A sample tweet:

@NWF – The National Wildlife Federation promotes wildlife and habitat conservation efforts across the U.S. Their tweets focus on their efforts at protecting wildlife and habitats, along with news and issues related to their cause. A sample tweet:

@RnfrstAlliance – The Rainforest Alliance’s mission is to conserve biodiversity and promote sustainable living worldwide by changing the behavior of businesses and individuals. They tweet about conservation and sustainability and retweet a lot of valuable environmental content. A sample tweet:

@Sierra_Magazine – Sierra Magazine is the magazine of the Sierra Club, an organization devoted to environmental conservation. Their tweets include content (news and tips) provided by the magazine’s editors. A sample tweet:

@SustainableComm – The Institute for Sustainable Communities provides support and funding for sustainable community projects worldwide. They tweet about sustainability and related topics all over the world. A sample tweet:

@the_sca – The Student Conservation Association is a U.S. conservation corps that works to protect and restore marine sanctuaries, national parks, and other national landmarks. They tweet about national conservation efforts and related conservation news. A sample tweet:

@wilderness – The Wilderness Society was founded in 1935 and focuses on environmental conservation. Their tweets focus primarily on conservation and related issues. A sample tweet:

@World_Wildlife – The World Wildlife Fund promotes wildlife conservation and protection efforts worldwide, including habitat conservation and protection for endangered species. They tweet about wildlife protection news and their efforts. They are one of four organizations taking part in Mashable’s Summer of Social Good campaign. A sample tweet:

Blogs

@ecorazzi – Ecorazzi is a blog covering celebrity environmental news, including green gossip. Their tweets take on green news with a celebrity twist. A sample tweet:

@greenoptions – Green Options is a blog that covers a wide variety of environmental issues, from conservation to green products. Their tweets provide similar content. A sample tweet:

@IdealBite – Ideal Bite is a blog that focuses on small changes you can make to create a greener life. Their tweets offer tips on making your life more sustainable. A sample tweet:

@jetsongreen – Preston is a contributor to the JetsonGreen blog. His tweets cover tons of green building topics. A sample tweet:

@maxgladwell – Max Gladwell is a blog founded by Rob Reed (check out his recent Mashable article: 10 Ways to Change the World through Social Media) that focuses on green living and social media. The blog’s tweets cover both topics, with a focus on how green living and social media intersect. A sample tweet:

@sustainablog – Jeff McIntire-Strasburg is the founder of Sustainablog. His tweets span the spectrum of environmental issues and sustainable living topics. A sample tweet:

@treehugger – Treehugger is a leading environmental blog owned by Discovery. Their tweets cover every aspect of green and environmental news. A sample tweet:

@TwilightEarth – Adam Shake is the founder of Twilight Earth, an organization that promotes news, discussion, activism, and advocacy to save the environment. He tweets about issues related to the organization’s mission. A sample tweet:

More Twitter resources from Mashable:

- Pro Cycling on Twitter: 48 People Who Aren’t Lance Armstrong
- 85+ of the Best Twitterers Designers Should Follow
- Nonfiction Tweets: 70+ Authors to Follow on Twitter
- Local Tweets: 9 Ways to Find Twitter Users in Your Town
- 10 Most Extraordinary Twitter Updates

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, dem10

Tags: conservation, eco, environment, environmentalists, green, Lists, twitter, twitter list

What can you use the application for?


Zocdoc.com is an online service which allows patients to book doctor and dentist appointments. Doctors and dentists can be searched by specialty, location and type of insurance that they accept. Patients can read reviews of doctors and dentists written by other patients. The service allows patients to search for the following specialties: Allergist, Dentist, Dermatologist, ENT, Ophthalmologist, OBGYN, Orthopedic Surgeon, Primary Care Doctor and Psychiatrist.
The site currently lists doctors and dentists located in the Brooklyn, NY and New York, NY areas, but plans to expand to other locations and specialties over time.

To use the service, patients select a specialty, type in a location (city and state or zip code), and optionally select their insurance company and plan. The site returns a list of doctors that match their criteria, with available appointment times shown. The site also shows a map with the location of each doctor pointed out on the map. Patients choose a date and time with the doctor of their choice, select a reason for the visit, and the appointment is booked. Patients can view a complete profile of each doctor and read their reviews before selecting them. The profile includes information about the doctor’s education and experience.

What is the history and popularity of the application?


New York-based Zocdoc.com was launched in September 2007 by Cyrus Massoumi (currently CEO), Oliver Kharraz (currently COO) and Nick Ganju (currently CTO). The site has grown steadily since launch, adding new specialties and locations covered. The site currently has tens of thousands of unique monthly visitors, and has an Alexa page rank well below 150,000.

What are the differences to other applications?


Competition to Zocdoc comes from sites such as the WebMD Physician directory and AMA Physician Select. There are also many other physician and dentist directories on the web. Most of these have a much larger area of coverage than Zocdoc, with WebMD and the AMA site being national. However, they do not allow you to book an appointment – this feature is unique to Zocdoc. The Zocdoc service should prosper as it expands to other areas, as the concept has worked well in the areas currently covered.

How does the application look and feel to use?


The Zocdoc site has a very clean and uncluttered look and feel. Searches return results very quickly, and page loads are very fast. The site is very responsive overall. Navigation is intuitive, and there is a convenient search dialogue located on the home page of the site. The site also includes directories organized by name, practice, location, specialty, condition, insurance and language.

How does the registration process work?


Registration at the Zocdoc site is not required to search for a doctor or dentist, but is required to book an appointment. The registration process asks for first and last name, zip code, gender, date of birth, email address and password. In addition, the site sends a confirmation code via telephone or SMS text message which must be entered to complete the registration process.

What does it cost to use the application?


Users don’t need to pay to use the application, there is no premium membership to the Zocdoc site offered.

Who would you recommend the application to?


Zocdoc is recommended to anyone in the Brooklyn or New York area who needs to schedule a visit with a doctor or dentist. It is especially helpful if the user needs an appointment quickly. The reviews of doctors and dentists that have been written by other patients are also very helpful. The site is also recommended to doctors who would like to increase their exposure. Hopefully the site will complete the planned expansion into other areas and specialties soon, as there is a need for the service nationwide.

A variety of multiclient instant-messaging services have cropped up that allow users to communicate with each other over the Web. Some can be downloaded onto your desktop, while others can be accessed on the Internet. In either case, they’re worth trying out, if you want to enjoy a fine experience communicating with your friends.

Multiclient IM resources

Adium Adium is my favorite multiclient instant-messaging tool for a few reasons. It supports practically any IM platform around, including AIM, Yahoo Messenger, Facebook, MySpace, Google Talk (via Jabber), and more. It even has a plug-in for Skype.

You’ll rarely have any trouble communicating with friends in the service. But its most redeeming quality is that it’s open source. So, if you want to modify the code to fit your own IM desires, that’s possible. And those in the open-source community are constantly improving the product, whose updates typically install with ease.

When you download Adium (it’s available for Mac OS X), you’ll have the option of choosing your IM service. By default, Adium takes on the same design as Mac OS X. But with the help of some plug-ins from Adium’s site, called “Xtras,” you can customize it as you see fit. Those add-ons include emoticons, dock icons, scripts, and more. I could go on about Adium, but I think that you get the point: if you’re a Mac OS X user, it’s worth trying out.

Adium takes on the look of Mac OS X by default.

(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)

Digsby Digsby is a multifaceted tool that lets you communicate with friends over instant messaging, e-mail, or social networks. I recently took a look at its social-networking capabilities. After having the opportunity to use its IM services, I was just as impressed.

After installing Digsby on my Windows PC (Mac and Linux versions are reportedly on the way), I was able to log in to my accounts on AIM, Yahoo Mail, Facebook, and others. Digsby’s app is designed well, with a more attractive interface than Adium’s default skin. Digsby also gives you the option of sending an SMS text message from the application. Overall, I liked Digsby.

Digsby lets you chat with anyone at any time.

(Credit: Digsby)

eBuddy eBuddy is a Web-based multiclient instant-messaging app through which you can connect to AIM, Yahoo IM, MSN, Facebook, ICQ, and MySpace. Although it provides a bunch of options, eBuddy doesn’t quite stand up to the competition. It’s not as responsive as some of the other apps in this roundup, and I was unimpressed by its design. That said, I did like that I could view my Facebook friends’ profiles by clicking on a link in the client. I also liked that the app opens in a separate window–I find it more convenient than switching to a tab. Plus, it’s available for Android-based phones, as well as the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP.

eBuddy isn't the best-looking service, but it still works well.

(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)

Meebo Like eBuddy, Meebo is a Web-based instant-messaging tool that lets you communicate with friends on AIM, MySpace, Yahoo, and MSN. You can also chat with Facebook and Google Talk friends.

When you go to the Meebo home page, you have the option of inputting your credentials for any of those services. The instant messaging on Meebo is outstanding. It’s the same interface for all the sites, but you can get buddies’ contact information, see their Facebook status, and even check out their entire Facebook profile by clicking on the appropriate link, which opens the profile in another tab. Meebo is one of the more popular multiclient IM tools on the Web for good reason–it’s simple, responsive, and boasts support for a variety of clients. Even better, you can use it on your iPhone.

Meebo lets you chat with your Facebook friends.

(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)

Pidgin Similar to Adium, Pidgin is an open-source IM client that allows you to modify it as you wish. If you don’t want to do that, you’ll still be satisfied with the software.

Once installed, Pidgin gives you the option of signing into your various IM accounts. You can chat with friends on AIM, Google Talk, ICQ, MySpace, and others at the same time. It’s not as good-looking as some of its competitors, but it’s designed more for the power user who wants to be able to chat with as many people at a time as possible. Pidgin is ideally suited for Windows machines, so that may be a problem for some. If you want to use an open-source instant-messaging platform on a Mac, Adium is your best bet.

Pidgin asks you to create accounts when you first start it up.

(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)

Trillian Trillian is a desktop IM client that supports instant messaging on AIM, ICQ, MSN, Yahoo Messenger, and Internet Relay Chat. Unfortunately, it’s available only to Windows users at this time. The company is promising Mac and iPhone support in its follow-up version of the software, called Trillian Astra.

Overall, I was really impressed by Trillian. It supports the standard features like group chat, audio chat, and the option to view profiles. But having the ability to change skins was quite appealing. I was able to customize the experience to match my tastes. From dark to bright, there’s at least one skin for everyone. Trillian is, quite simply, the most beautiful multiclient IM service in this roundup. If you want more functionality (such as bringing in your Google Talk contacts), you can also buy Trillian Pro, which costs $25.

Trillian Astra is coming to Trillian.

(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)

My top 3

1. Adium: Customization is king.

2. Trillian: Beauty matters, and Trillian delivers.

3. Meebo: The best Web-based multiclient IM app.