Green charity targets ‘cool’ youths with Web campaign

Environmental charity Global Cool is launching a celebrity SMS-based
campaign on MySpace to encourage people to look at simple ways of
reducing their carbon footprint.

The campaign, which will target 16to 34-year-olds, will feature
Hollywood stars S…

MyspaceEnvironmental charity Global Cool is launching a celebrity SMS-based campaign on MySpace to encourage people to look at simple ways of reducing their carbon footprint.

The campaign, which will target 16to 34-year-olds, will feature Hollywood stars Sienna Miller, Josh Hartnett and Rosario Dawson, and will ask users to pay £2 a month to become more environmentally sound.

Tailored messages will feature in the "video exclusive" section on the MySpace homepage. MySpace members who sign up for Global Cool’s SMS initiative will receive two "cool" messages a month from a variety of celebrities involved in the campaign, from the Scissor Sisters to Hotel Babylon star Tamzin Outhwaite.

Each message will encourage consumers to join the fight to defeat global warming by personally reducing their carbon emissions. It will also provide energysaving tips aimed at helping individuals reduce their own carbon footprint, by adopting measures such as turning their thermostat down one degree, or having a shower rather than a bath.

MySpace users who watch the messages on the homepage will be directed to Global Cool’s MySpace page for details on how to join the campaign.

Julian Knight, Global Cool chief executive, says: "By launching our initiative with MySpace, it offers us the opportunity to reach the broadest possible network of socially active individuals. The connective power of MySpace allows us to give people the tools and knowledge required to collectively decrease their own CO2 emissions."

The "Cool" SMS strategy is part of a ten-year campaign to inspire 1 billion people to reduce their carbon emissions by one tonne a year.