When I think about forests and CO2 emissions I usually think of the Amazon and not a virtual forest. I imagine that’s probably the same for most people. But I’ve just discovered that I can learn how to cut my carbon emissions by changing my habits, part-own a virtual tree in Second Life, and help to plant trees in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil just by filling in an online questionnaire.

The Virtual Forest is a campaign by UNION FENOSA that encourages the public, worldwide, to collaborate to lower emissions and to plant trees. They claim that by completing their online questionnaire you’ll be unable to avoid following their advice and thereby improve your energy efficiency. For every light you switch off they’ll have achieved part of their objective. And once you’ve learned about energy labelling you’ll be on the lookout for it next time you shop for an appliance.

To show their commitment to lowering emissions, UNION FENOSA have taken it a step further than that and are donating 1 Euro for every person who completes the questionnaire to Acciónatura to assist with reforestation in Brazil. They will also symbolically plant a tree in Second Life for every two people who get involved. So far over 20,000 people have collaborated. With your help they can reach their target of 100,000 Euros worth of reforestation and spread the word about how to save energy.

This is a sponsored post.

Father and son team Colin and Carrick have been making videos with a green message and posting them up on YouTube. Here’s one with a message for us grown-ups, it’s time to take action before we get into trouble with the kids. Just remember, one day they’ll be grown-ups too.

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QuantumShift.tv is asking “What will you do for the planet in 2008?” Put your answer into video format (no more than 2 minutes long) and enter their “New Year’s Eco-reSOLUTIONS 2008″ contest to win loads of cool eco-stuff.

Uploaded your video anytime between now and midnight EST on January 15, 2008 and winners will be announced on January 23, 2008. Prizes can only be delivered to addresses in the US and Canada, although submissions are accepted from anywhere.

This is what you could win:

First Prize:
- A year’s worth of carbon offsets for their personal consumption, provided by Zero Footprint
- eco-friendly snowboard from Arbor
- 3 sports balls from Fair Trade Sports — football, soccer ball, volleyball
- A copy of Worldchanging: A User’s Guide for the 21st Century
- $100 gift certificate for Pangea Organics body care products
- A signed copy of Canadian bestseller ‘In the Eyes of Anahita’, by Hugo Bonjean

Second Prize:
- 2 eco-friendly sports balls from Fair Trade Sports — soccer ball, mini-ball
- eco-friendly longboard from Comet Skateboards
- A copy of Worldchanging: A User’s Guide for the 21st Century
- $100 gift certificate for World of Good
- A signed copy of Canadian bestseller ‘In the Eyes of Anahita’, by Hugo Bonjean

Third Prize:
- 1 eco-friendly mini soccer ball from Fair Trade Sports
- eco-friendly short board from Plan B Skateboards
- A copy of Worldchanging: A User’s Guide for the 21st Century
- A signed copy of Canadian bestseller ‘In the Eyes of Anahita’, by Hugo Bonjean

¡Viva la resolution!

Advertisement: Reduce your CO2 footprint by as much as 2 tonnes/year & save up to £150 on your energy bills.