An assortment of folks from around the world who are interested in climate change and sustainability have started meeting regularly in Second Life (SL). The group started organically from a Focus the Nation event at the end of January. I had worked with OneClimate to do a Second Life version of that event in the hopes of getting more sustainability business people involved. We did indeed have a few sustainability MBA students (of which I am one) participate, but also a range of other people from all over.

People really enjoyed meeting others who were working on sustainability in the real world (RW versus SL), so we decided to start a weekly gathering of sustainability-minded folks. It may turn out that every week is too much to maintain, and for people to commit to, but we can step it back later if need be.

So please come join us any and every Thursday in SL at 12pm SL at OneClimate Islands at 128/128/26 for Global Susty Thursday.

And / or join our group here on OneClimate to follow along - Susty Thursday

We are opening each gathering with a short 5-10 mins presentation by someone on a project or research or idea they have around sustainability in the RW and then we move to general conversations.

I will write a short blog on the content of each meeting, probably mostly these presentations so more people can learn about what is happening. But, because I am also interested in exploring new ways of communicating, I will also blog some on my personal experience - pros and cons, difficulties and benefits - of meeting and learning in such a format.

To start in that vein – I have been exploring SL for about a month now and one of the most distinctive benefits I have found is simply the greater international connections I have in Second Life then on other networking sites or websites. There is something about visually seeing someone (or at least their representation of themselves) that allows an easier connection and also commitment to be present than just a chat board on a Website. I am really excited about the possibilities.