http://www.freetheplanet.org/

Free the Planet! works to "expand the student environmental movement, provide resources for student activists, and help students win campaigns for strong environmental protections." Free the Planet! enlists college students to pressure corporations and other targets whose activities deplete finite resources, pollute the air or water, or otherwise threaten the web of life.

The site does not back away from controversial issues, nor does it hesitate to name names in its campaigns. This is apparent on the website's attractive homepage, which showcases the organization's latest campaigns. As of February 2004, it was taking aim at Ford Motors, claiming that "their current fleet gets worse gas mileage than the old Model T they built 80 years ago" and calling on them to increase the fuel efficiency of their cars.

Visitors to the website can also visit other Free the Planet! action campaigns, which address (among other issues) global warming, genetically engineered food, and sustainable energy use on college campuses. Each campaign is presented as a "Problem," a "Solution," and "What You Can Do" -- which often means sending an email to a corporate or political decision-maker, but sometimes includes such hands-on proposals as urging colleges to opt for Integrated Pest Management instead of heavy pesticide use. Campaign writeups also link to other sites that provide "extensive background" on Free the Planet!'s selected issues.

The website, redesigned in early 2004, added new features that illustrate the interaction between the group's online and offline efforts. Written fact sheets and "campaign guides" are available in PDF form for downloading and offline use. Two offline training programs for student activists are advertised on the homepage, with links to extensive details on the programs, an online registration form, and email connections. An online listing of environmental jobs and internships, besides providing a service to student environmentalists, probably also serves as "sticky content" that draws the target audience back to the site every so often.

Free the Planet! is a multifaceted resource for students interested in protecting the environment, whether it be through online activities or campus-based ones, as individual participants or as part of a group. As much of the action takes place on college campuses, the website serves to recruit for those efforts, provide information and resources, and coordinate a complex agenda.

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