T

he Internet boasts the great power of enabling the promotion of green living.

It helps people protect the environment as it reduces paper use and cut carbon footprint as people no longer need to travel far to get information.

Many environmental campaigns are also born on the Internet.

Greeneration Indonesia (greeneration.org) is the brainchild of Muhammad Bijaksana Junerosano.

Muhammad's first project before starting the website was gathering unused paper to raise money to buy the seeds for tree planting. The move made him and his colleagues realize the need for a legitimate organization with a mission and vision.

With the website's slogan, 'green attitude green environment', the group decided to focus on 'promoting an ecofriendly lifestyle through products and programs' in Indonesia.

Greeneration's website features the organization's activities and projects, products, programs and also an area for articles on the environment in Indonesia.

Greeneration's main project, 'baGoes', supports green shopping.

A separate link to baGoes (bagoes.co.id) allows customers to purchase creatively designed shopping bags for Rp 119,000 (US$12.15) on average.

BaGoes encourages more people to shop without using plastic bags.

Customers can also design their own bags in the 'custom' section of the baGoes website.

Greeneration's website also promotes a green shopping program, called 'Diet Kantong Plastik', which literally means, plastic bag diet. The program, which aims at reducing the use of plastic shopping bags, was created in collaboration with Circle K stores.

A YouTube video is also embedded on the website, allowing people to see and learn how green shopping can help our environment.

While Greeneration focuses on Indonesia's environment, TerraCycle (terracycle.com) is a US green company that aims to 'eliminate the idea of waste' in the US. Through its Brigade program, people can make a list of waste ' from food, office supplies and personal products ' that they want to get rid of.

After receiving the list, TerraCycle will then send a shipping label to their customers' houses in the US. With the label, customers can ship their trash to TerraCycle.

Even though giving away your waste may seems like a simple act, it is a step toward green living.

Moreover, TerraCycle will instantly reward you with points, which can later be redeemed for money to subsidize non-profit organizations or even your school.

However, the cycle does not end with just sending away your trash.

The company will design simple to sophisticated products that are made from the trash it collects and sells them in retailers as well as its website ' turning the waste into cash.