Beanstockd: Spoon Full Of Pop Culture Helps Green Go Down

I just discovered The Beanstockd Project, a clever and creative media organization that sneaks in your daily dose of environmental news by mixing it with pop culture. By intertwining the content, they aim to intercept a demographic that doesn't actively seek knowledge of environmental issues. Concurrently, they hope to "remove the negative 'granola/hippie' stigma associated with the environmental movement." The news isn't boring either; in fact, the content is as entertaining and amusing as it is informative. The biodegradable bamboo phone that sprouts a tree when placed in compost is one of my favorite posts alongside the one about condoms produced in Brazil from rubber trees. A lot the content is mixed with celebrity news as well, which should appeal to all the ladies out there. Guys don't worry there's plenty for us to enjoy too.

The Harvard startup will also combine a Beanstockd Market Game that will incentivize users to use green products available for purcahse on the Beanstockd site. Purchases will act as one of the their primary revenue streams in addition to advertising and sponsors (Subway has already signed up). The founders, Sandra and Angela, split responsibilities of running the blog and game, which they actually received an award for from the Harvard I3 competition. The blog is already up and running and they hope to have their game up by the fall. The game, which specifically targets college students, seems intriguing. Here is their description of it:

"Beanstockd provides an infrastructure for users to become personally invested in the environmental movement in an entertaining and addictive way; it is not a virtual stock-market game, but an environmental competition that transcends the virtual - it uses the stock market as a vehicle to publicly report and deliver real-time, community environmental news. This "game" affects how you get to school, which kind of detergent you buy, and the way news is disseminated throughout your community. The goal of The Beanstockd Market is to change environmentalism from niche activism to a part of mainstream culture by transforming environmental action into an entertaining, habitual social activity."

Sandra and Angela seek to solve a real problem. Our generation has been raised throughout our lives to be aware of environmental issues, yet there has been no real incentive or motivation to change and form more environmentally responsible habits. Although we can't determine how useful the game will be, they are certainly approaching the educational aspect in an innovative way. I believe that they will be able to get people hooked on their content, and through that medium, will be able catalyze reform and cause people to be more environmentally conscious in their daily lives.