eBay launched the "eBay Green Team," a new initiative that champions smart ways to shop green and encourages more sustainable buying choices. Building on a grassroots effort started by its own employees, eBay invited buyers, sellers and anyone interested in new ways of thinking about being a greener consumer to join.
eBay President and CEO John Donahoe said, "eBay's global community of more than 86 million active buyers and sellers supports more sustainable commerce every day. The greenest products are often ones that already exist, and eBay creates a global market for used, refurbished, vintage and even new products from excess retail inventory. eBay buyers and sellers trade $2,000 worth of goods every second, a majority of which are used, refurbished or vintage. The eBay Green Team effort, which was inspired by our own community and employees' accomplishments, will continue to encourage these behaviors and promote new ways of thinking about shopping green."
The Green Team initiative leverages eBay's reach to invite people to participate in a broader conversation and community around sustainable shopping. The eBay.com/greenteam web site offers content, tips and suggestions for buying decisions and seller operations, as well as resources from the environmental community. The site serves as a destination for consumers interested in sharing and hearing from others about why and how they are shopping greener, and "team members" also are invited to take eBay Green Team challenges to learn how small, everyday changes can have a large, positive impact on the environment.
eBay is working with Hearst Magazines to launch "30 Days of Green," which is an extension of Hearst's "30 Days" franchise and is designed to raise visibility among Hearst readers around the issue of sustainable consumption. 30 Days of Green is a month-long, multi- and cross-platform celebration featured in the April issues of all 14 Hearst magazines, including Cosmopolitan; O, the Oprah Magazine; Good Housekeeping; Marie Claire; and Harper's Bazaar.
Additional extensions of the eBay Green Team initiative include a social media campaign in Facebook and in the blogosphere that will showcase employees who are personally committed to a green way of living and celebrity auction tie-ins on eBay.com that will generate additional awareness for sustainable consumption issues.
The eBay Green Team initiative grew out of a grassroots effort begun in 2007 by a small group of eBay employees who wanted to put their environmental values to work. Today, more than 1,000 eBay employees in 18 countries are Green Team members, supporting environmental causes in their local communities and championing sustainable business practices within eBay. When the company needed more office space, the Green Team led eBay to construct the first building built to LEED Gold Standards in San Jose, CA, featuring the city's largest solar panel installation. eBay has also been a carbon neutral company since 2007 through commitments to energy efficiency, alternative power, green buildings and carbon offsets, thanks to efforts by the eBay Green Team.
http://www.ebay.com/greenteam
