Yahoo!7 Answers Australia

We have already heard from several of the Yahoo!7 Answers / Be a Better Planet competition judges over the past couple of weeks, who have given us the lowdown on their own personal involvement in environmental issues.

This week we’d like to introduce another important figure who will be taking part in the decision making process, sorting through hundreds of answers to the question How would you spend $50,000 to create a more sustainable environment in Australia until a winner is chosen – the Co-founder and Chief of Yahoo! David Filo.

David cares so much about the environment that he is the driving force behind the push for Yahoo! offices all over the world to go carbon neutral, and is even asking for your thoughts on how to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions.

Here are some of David’s own thoughts and tips on ‘green’ living -

What do you do in your own daily life to reduce carbon emissions?
I’ve done simple things like changing out my light bulbs for compact fluorescent bulbs, buying green power through my local utility, recycling and owning a hybrid car, but mostly it’s just being mindful of the choices I can make every day.

How can companies make their offices more environmentally friendly?
By examining their facilities to determine the most practical actions for reducing energy consumption. Options might include installing motion sensors to turn of lights in unused offices or conference rooms, recycling aggressively, investing in renewable energy programs, installing window films to reduce the need for climate control, upgrading appliances and mechanical systems with energy-efficient products and encouraging employees to pursue alternative commute options. Little changes can go a long way.

What is one really simple thing people can start doing right now to reduce global warming?
Think differently about everything. Whether replacing incandescent lights with more energy-efficient CFL light bulbs, turning off computers at night, or choosing public transport over driving, if people consider the environment before they act, we could see a dramatic impact.

Is there enough awareness in the community about the deteriorating state of the planet?
Awareness is definitely growing — efforts like “An Inconvenient Truth” and recent global media coverage have been very effective in making the issue top of mind. However, I think people still feel overwhelmed by the problem and they aren’t convinced that their individual actions can change anything. That’s the mindset we need to start changing. Millions of actions contributed to our problem and millions of actions can reduce it.

The big question still needs answers! There’s plenty of time to register and make your own suggestion on how 50,000 big ones could be best spent to improve the environment in Australia – each entry will be considered by David and his presitgious panel of fellow judges, including Better Homes and Gardens’ Jason Hodges, New Idea Editor Robyn Foyster, Planet Ark Founder Jon Dee, University of Technology Sydney Professor of Environmental Science Derek Eamus, All Saints actor Virginia Gay and Yahoo!7 CEO Ian Smith.

Yahoo!7 Answers Team