How about a way to fight global warming while you casually browse the web? Don’t worry, you don’t have to sign up to any websites or take the time to fill in all your personal information so you can purchase the appropriate carbon offsets. This is free for everyone. All you need to do is install Firefox and a little browser extension called ‘Green’. Sound too good to be true? Here’s how it works.
After installing Green, the Firefox add-on replaces some of the advertisements you would normally see on websites you visit with custom ads. Then, the revenue from these ads are used to fund environmental programs and help develop alternative energy projects. It’s that simple. You can continue to surf the web like you already do – there are no special websites to visit or popups to click. You’re able to track your progress by mousing over a small green leaf, which is located on your browser’s status bar. It displays your own progress as well as the entire community using the Green Firefox add-on.
Normally, I would be all over this type of add-on and would recommend it to all. A free and easy way to support the fight against climate change, right? Sign me up! However, there are a few lingering questions. What prevents inferknow, the company who created the plugin, from just pocketing the money and perhaps only investing a fraction of the ad revenue into green-related programs? What about the sites I visit that I want to support? I don’t want to take ad revenue away from them.
Inferknow does encourage website publishers to join their affiliate program, but, as of yet, there seems to be a lack of information clearly defining it on their website. Also, users have reported that the plugin has been frozen at 158,000 carbon offsets since July 1st, 2009 and it seems no updates have been made to the plugin since it was released last January.
While I do have unanswered questions, the concept itself does have promise. Who wouldn’t want an easy solution to offsetting enough emissions to cover your PC energy usage? However, until the plugin has been tweaked and greater transparency is achieved, caution is required.
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Great questions Clinton – this is just screaming scam. Remember the guy in Toronto who ran a charity that raised somewhere around $200 million in revenue – and only a fraction of that money was actually sent to charity?
Well all of that happened as an officially registered charity in Canada. Imagine the possibilities available to a company that offers a “green” plugin.
I guess it’s a small investment for a potential positive reward, but you’re right that there really isn’t any accountability to prevent them from only donating say 1% of their revenue to a good cause.