[May 05, 2007] Googling a greener planet: eco-site searches rise 25% Tweet (Evening Standard Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) AN online community where visitors can give away unwanted possessions and a guide to less-polluting cars are among the most popular green websites. A report today shows that traffic on websites about the environment has increased by 25 per cent in the past two years. Top sites are the Environment Agency for England and Wales and the Freecycle Network a localised noticeboard that allows useful secondhand items to be passed on rather than thrown away. Internet analysis company Hitwise, which conducted the research, said another site becoming increasingly popular is the Earthday Network, which co-ordinates environmental events. The top five environmental internet search terms are "free-cycle", followed by "environment agency", "earth day" (the annual international day of action on the environment), "live earth" (the Wembley concert on 7 July featuring Madonna, which will raise money for environmental charities) and "global warming". Internet analyst Heather Hopkins said: "We have seen an increase in environmental websites and in search terms such as 'carbon footprint'. The reason behind any increase in online activity is because of offline promotion, or news stories. People hear about these things and look for more information. "Now the big challenge for the websites is to maintain momentum. They become popular because there is a buzz, but they need to keep that going." Log on, recycle, hug tree Top 10 environment websites visited last month: 1. Environment Agency for England and Wales Government news and advice on protecting the environment. environment-agency.gov.uk 2. Freecycle Network Localised site that matches people with unwanted goods to others who want them. freecycle.org 3. BBC science and nature News on the planet. bbc.co.uk/sn 4. Care2 Environmentally orientated search engine. care2.com 5. RecycleNow National recycling campaign website. recyclenow.com 6. United Kingdom Freecycle groups' homepage Directs users to local groups. uk.freecycle.org 7. BBC climate change experiment Attempt to forecast the climate in the 21st century on your PC. bbc.co.uk/sn/hottopics/ climatechange 8. VCA car fuel data Figures on fuel consumption/emissions. vcacarfueldata.org.uk 9. USGS earthquake hazards program Geological surveys on the causes of earthquakes. earthquake.usgs.gov 10. The Guardian environment News and features on the environment. environment.guardian.co.uk Copyright 2007 Evening Standard. Source: Financial Times Information Limited - Europe Intelligence Wire. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]