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“Green Options”:http://www.greenoptions.com is a media portal for the world of green, with a focus on engaging people who are new to the movement, without preaching to them. We specialize in bringing a diverse range of information to users, in the most useful and intuitive formats that web 2.0 has to offer, all filtered through a green lens.David was a student of political behavior and sociology at UCSD, but he ended up focusing on sustainability and writing an honors thesis on renewable energy policy. He started Green Options because he saw a need for better information brokering on green topics; it seemed to him that the industries making up the ‘green sector’ needed more informed and enthusiastic consumers than they had been able to create for themselves.

Tell me about the “30 Days to a Greener You” email course.

Green Options’ “30 Days to a Greener You” is an “e-course” newsletter that teaches subscribers specific steps they can take to lighten their environmental footprint while still living a comfortable life. Users will be given a full month of step-by-step actions, from the simple and free (turning off the lights, recycling) to major investments in a greener lifestyle (greener cars, solar energy systems). With each lesson, a user will learn what s/he can do that day to green his/her life, and the benefit of doing so.

What is the key to identifying talent? Once it is identified, how can you attract and retain a really committed team?

We are heavily influenced by the design and business principles advocated by the “37Signals”:http://37signals.com people, which they call “Getting Real.”:http://gettingreal.37signals.com/toc.php When we look for team members, we search for people that:
* have the exact skills that apply to the project for which we are hiring them. In doing so, we make sure no one on the current team can do what we need done, so that the person will definitely be bringing unique skills to the group.
* have a broad range of skills that will be useful later both for the company’s development as a whole and their individual advancement. This includes making sure all web developers have an eye for design as well as code.
* have a passion for making a difference in the developments of a public consciousness on green issues, especially people who feel that they did not have that opportunity during their previous work.
* don’t mind working on a trial/contract basis for a month or three. That way, those that fit in best with our team have an immediate path to getting hired full time, and if someone doesn’t end up gelling with us, they still get something out of the relationship.

This process generally leaves us with committed, excited, talented people, who are willing to work at a below-market rate until they prove their mettle (we keep a tight budget) in order to have a chance to be a part of creating something special over a larger time frame.

Where do you see Green Options a year from now?

We have many projects in the pipeline, most of which I can’t talk openly about yet, but suffice it to say that web 2.0 media is only a starting point for Green Options. There is so much information out there that is waiting to be formatted and marketed correctly in order to make it accessible to the rest of society. Hopefully, 2008 will see GO providing a wider variety of innovative tools to accomplish that goal. There are angles to take that can make a solid case for sustainable living to people of every persuasion and perspective (except maybe Dick Cheney), including those who feel belittled or condescended by preachy rhetoric. Those people need to be included in the process to create change on the scale necessary, and that starts with making information accessible to a wider range of audiences.

Bonus: How did the environment become your passion? Any particular experience that opened your eyes to the issue?

As a recent college graduate, I don’t have years of experience in the world of green, but I do have a fresh perspective, and consider myself an intuitive person. I like to make connections between people, issues, and events that others might not automatically see, or care to see. My passion for renewable energy was forged by the computer game SimCity2000 back in, oh, probably sixth grade, and I’ve been slowly piling on related issues ever since. Because the question of how to live sustainably can be applied to every facet of life, at every level of social organization, I’ve come to believe that we need to build public support for seeing broader economic, social, and political decisions through, as I said before, a “green lens.”

Copyright © 2007 by Sonia Aggarwal