• by Tameka Kee , May 15, 2007

Yahoo kicked off its "Be a Better Planet" program with an event in New York City's Times Square hosted by Matt Dillon and Global Green USA CEO Matt Petersen. Yahoo also donated a fleet of taxis to the Big Apple to coincide with the launch of Yahoo Green--a new portal aiming to be a one-stop environmental resource.

At the heart of the "Be a Better Planet" campaign is a search for America's greenest city. On June 8, Yahoo will reward the winning city with another fleet of hybrid taxis (or the equivalent cash donation), and users are encouraged to participate in the movement on a number of Yahoo channels.

On Yahoo Answers, for example, participants can earn points for their city by answering environmental questions and contributing to the growing base of knowledge. Featured guests like eco-experts Simran Sethi and author Dan Esty will answer user questions as well.

With Yahoo oneSearch, a new mobile service, users can enter keywords like "organic food," or "recycle center" to find local green resources.

And at the Yahoo Green portal they can create a personalized plan to help save the environment. By signing on to take the "Green Pledge," consumers can commit to lowering their carbon diet with small actions like changing light bulbs or bringing reusable shopping bags to the grocery store--and they can track the collective impact of everyone who participates.

Yahoo will host ad modules on the site, with "a significant portion of the revenue...put back into the marketplace for city greening," said Nicki Dugan, director, corporate communications for Yahoo. "We're working with nonprofit organizations like Global Green USA to identify interesting environmental projects."

To help compete with recently launched green media outlets like the woman-focused sprig.com, and National Geographic's acquisition of TheGreenGuide.com, Yahoo Green will also feature the latest environmental news, blogs, shopping tips and automotive information both from within and outside the Yahoo network.