ARE ECO-NETWORKING
SITES ONLY ENCOURAGING
“ARMCHAIR SLACKTIVISM”?
loading a picture of a smiling frog standing superimposed on an American flag
and the words, “I Voted!” Change has
never seemed so painless. That’s Care2’s
intention. “We call it the ladder of engagement: Making it easy for
people to make a difference is empowering,” Paynter says.
Translating Care2’s social responsibility to the real world, Paynter admits, is a tad trickier. Though he recounts stories of members
marrying (six couples, at last count) and volunteering for nonprofits, Care2 has not yet sponsored marches, protests, or other largescale activist actions. But Paynter says members have made changes
in their own lives, ditching toxic household cleansers, increasing
recycling, and using less energy. “Change happens at the level of
individuals,” Paynter says, “and their ability to influence and connect with others.”
I came to Care2 with a healthy dose of skepticism. Call me
quaint, but when I want to be heard, I click off my computer
and hit the streets. In a shifting activist
world, I still prefer agitating for change
the old-fashioned way. But several weeks
of membership allowed me to see that
Care2 embodies some of the Internet’s best qualities. Fixing the
world’s problems can be a cold, lonely, Sisyphean struggle, and
while the site may not offer every eco-answer, I uncovered a wealth
of news on underreported stories. And I found mostly welcoming forums full of folks eager to listen (save for those ubiquitous
crotchety rabble-rousers). The sense of community was palpable,
with members reaching out to provide real online kinship. “This is
a movement that is important to people who sit at their computers and are unable to travel the world by other means,” Minde told
me. “It lets us get involved and be heard.”
They say that everybody has to start somewhere, and for many
people these days, an ever-growing virtual community of likeminded friends is somewhere that makes sense. ■
INTERNET FOR THE ECO SET
Wondering which online gree