Hello! Welcome to GMT's monthly e-newsletter for October 2007. We hope you are enjoying the fall season!

We are sending out this e-newsletter on the first Monday of every month to share feature announcements, membership tips, links to recent articles from environmental reporters, new members and other helpful resources.

You are receiving this as your organization is a member of Green Media Toolshed and you are currently a registered GMT user. Should you wish to opt out of this monthly communication, please see the instructions in section 8 below.

In this issue you will find:
1. Member Connections.
2. Buzz from the Beat.
3. Link(s) of the Month.
4. Community Coverage.
5. GMT?s Newest Members.
6. Be in the Know: Why You Need GMT's Tools.
7. Support options.
8. Opt out instructions.

1. Member Connections: The True Spin Conference is happening again in 2008!

# Registration is now open for the True Spin Conference, which is happening in Denver, Colorado, from January 31st to February 1st, 2008. If you are interested in attending, sign up soon before it sells out! Cause Communications, the conference organizer, is extending a $50 per-attendee discount to GMT members. In order to receive the discount, you must send the registration form and payment via mail and write "GMT" clearly on the form. The registration fee, with the $50 discount, is $300 before Dec. 14th and $425 on Dec. 15th or later. You can access the mail-in registration form here. Cause Communications is also giving away 15 scholarships. Details for applying for one can be found here.

Feel free the share the details of the conference with other groups or colleagues who you feel might be interested in attending. Just remember the discount is for GMT members only. GMT will be attending and we hope to see many of our members there! We attended the conference in 2006 and had a great time - it was a chance for us to meet members and learn new media strategies. So take a moment to register before it's too late!
# There are other conferences to look forward to over the next year. The first is the 2007 Communications Network Conference. It will be held October 31st to November 2nd in Miami, Florida. The theme of this year's conference is What We Know (Or Should Know) About Effective Communications. Registration is still open and you can find out more information here.

Another event is Free Press' National Conference on Media Reform. It will be held June 6th to 8th, 2008, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The goal of this conference is to put the issue of media reform into the public spotlight. Registration hasn't opened yet, but keep checking the website if you are interested in attending.

Finally, PowerShift 2007 is happening from November 2nd to 5th in College Park, Maryland. This conference is bringing together youth from across the country who are passionate about shifting the climate on global warming. Visit the conference website for registration details and information on how you can promote the event. The student committee that is organizing PowerShift 2007 hopes the conference will help make the U.S. presidential candidates and Congress take climate change more seriously, will empower a more diverse cross-section of young leaders and represent a broad geographic diversity. Fifty-thousand students organized nearly 600 events for a week of action in January and PowerShift 2007 hope to continue the momentum from this.

2. Buzz from the Beat: Arctic sea ice is still shrinking?

Andrew Revkin of the New York Times recently reported on how the ice cap over the Arctic Ocean shrank more than a million square miles this year, "below the average minimum area reached in recent decades." With the effects of climate change currently an important issue, this vast decrease is concerning some scientists. A senior researcher at the National Snow and Ice Data Center believes that the buildup of greenhouse gases is playing a role in the increased warming of the Arctic. Other effects of climate change are warming sea water, thawing tundra and new seas passages opening up, such as the highly-prized Northwest Passage. Despite their trepidation, scientists do acknowledge that they can't easily clarify how the mix of human and natural influences affects the Arctic.

Read the full story here.

3. Links of the month: A free guide from Charity Guide!

# Charity Guide has released their publication The Internet Advocacy Book at IssueMarketing.com and they are inviting GMT members to view a free copy online. Executive Director Michael Organ explains, "This is the culmination of a year-long project to create a resource for nonprofit marketing executives, which shares with them what I've learned about internet marketing, translated to the needs of nonprofit organizations."

The Internet Advocacy Book is for nonprofit organizations that use the internet to advocate for their cause. Topics covered include internet keyword research, internet advertising, internet press releases, advocacy blogging, internet outreach and email alerts. The intended audience is nonprofit executives and cause marketers who wish to sway the opinion of a national audience to their point-of-view. Rather than a "how to" format, it is written as a "how better to" guide, with laser focus on the best uses of internet-advocacy time. The book's recommendations are concise and specific; so readers may find that they can accomplish many of their internet advocacy goals with in-house staff and volunteers.
# Ecofusion has launched emPivot.com, the first online media site customized to meet the growing demand for green video content. The site allows users to share and search the vast online video and media content related to the environment and the green economy on the internet. The site also features the web's first search engine that is tailored to return the most relevant green-related video results a user is looking for. The homepage also shows you a Random Video of the Moment when you first visit the site. Check it out when you have a chance!
# "No matter how many paper cups or napkins I decline, the fact remains that I fly around the country in a direct negation of my mission. To scale back this personal gluttony of fossil fuels, I have been accepting fewer invitations, scheduling multiple events in one area, and combining business with social visits and research. At home, I bike and walk a lot. A lot is not enough, I know. I am working toward leaving home on my bike more often than in my car, until maybe there?s no longer any use for the car." This is an excerpt from an article featured in the September/October 2007 issue of Orion Magazine about whether or not we are acting on the changes that we wish people to make in order to be more environmentally conscious. You can read the entire article here.

4. Community Coverage: New York Water Fest!

Riverkeeper, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting the Hudson River, its tributaries and the watershed of New York City, is hosting the second annual New York Water Fest. The day-long event is devoted to celebrating the Hudson River, New York Harbor and the surrounding waterways. The Fest will be held on Sunday, October 14, from 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. at North Cove Marina in Battery Park. The event features several water-related activities and a unique opportunity for people to get out on the Hudson River and paddle on a guided raft with a view of Manhattan. For more information about the event, visit www.nywaterfest.org. Check out the website for the opportunity to register for one of three events on the water. Learn more about the Riverkeeper here.

Read the full press release here.

Read about issues GMT members are working or post your press release to the GMT News Feed.

Do you have a success story you'd like to share? Submit it to yvonne@greenmediatoolshed.org to be featured in our next e-newsletter.

5. GMT's Newest Members: Please welcome the following groups to the GMT network!

1. FUSE USA "advocates for the development and use of sustainable energy." They are currently working to stop the issuance of re-licensing of the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plants, which is outside New York City.
2. The Global Justice Ecology Project is working to "build local, national and international alliances with action to address the common root causes of social injustice, economic domination and environmental destruction." One of their programs is the Stop GE Trees Campaign, the goal is which is to create a ban on genetically-engineered trees.
3. The Immediate Life "believes that consumerism is overwhelming our lives." They are working to help local activists who are trying to stop super malls, nuke plants, and gentrification and promote independent local economies.

6. Be in the Know: Why You Need GMT Tools: Does your group run large trainings?

Green Media Toolshed has been holding its monthly skill building trainings for almost a year now. As this new program grows, so does the attendee size of each training. We had over 60 attendees at our September training on the topic of creating an effective communications plan. We've learned a lot from conducting this program and wanted to share our insight on running large trainings with our members.

1. It is best to use a reliable conference call service for a large training. You'll probably end up having to pay for the service versus using a free one. Try to find a service that allows attendees to mute their phone and doesn't use a tone when people join or drop off the call.
2. Have a back up plan just in case any technical issues arise during the training, such as a loss of internet or problems with your computer. Make sure there is someone else who can run the training if you are unable to, preferably someone in a different office.
3. Make sure you've learned to effectively use your online training service before you start conducting large trainings. GMT uses WebEx, which has many different features that can effectively enhance your trainings, such as polling, chat and breakout rooms. The service you use should also have accessible support in case you need to fix a problem before or during your training.
4. Prepare materials that you can send to attendees after the training is over. These follow up materials help to add to the training experience and can also be beneficial for anyone who had trouble accessing the training. If you are able to record both the visual and audio portions of the training, take advantage of this and make the recording available to attendees and those who couldn't make the training.
5. Make adequate time for preparation with the trainer. If he/she will be hosting the online training, you want to make sure the trainer is comfortable with using your online training service. Give him/her the full list of who will be attending and have several copies of whatever materials will be used during the training so that another person can take over the training in case of an issue.

If you have any tips you?d like to share with GMT and other members about running large trainings, please email those to me and I can share them in a future e-newsletter or in the GMT blog.

7. Support Options and Monthly FAQ: How do I people to a list within the media database?

GMT office hours are Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm Eastern Standard Time.

For a full list of web browser requirements and support options for the media database, please visit http://www.greenmediatoolshed.org/private/techsupp....

For web tools or general GMT support, contact Yvonne Archer at 202-464-5357 or yvonne@greenmediatoolshed.org.

*FAQ of the month: How do I add people to a list within the media database?

If you have created a list within the Vocus media database and want to add additional contacts to that list, the process is pretty simple. Either conduct a search and create your list, or access the list you wish to add contacts to. Scroll over Tools in the toolbar and select Add to Results. Select the Pick List next to the empty Add to Results box on the new page. Within the new page that pops up, type in the name of the person you wish to add to your list, or any other relevant information that will help you to find the contact. Click Submit and check the box next to the person you wish to add from the list that appears. Search for other contacts you wish to add to your list and check their names. Once you've finished finding the desired contacts, close out of the Select Media Contact window. Select Submit within the Add to Results page. You'll be taken back to your list and will see that the contacts you selected have been added. Save your list. You can also use this process for adding media outlets to an outlet list by following the previous steps within Media Contacts.

8. Opt out or Submit feedback: Come on, ask me a question-or better yet, pay me a compliment!

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Take care,
Yvonne

Yvonne Archer
Green Media Toolshed
(ph) 202-464-5357
yvonne@greenmediatoolshed.org