Earlier this summer, we at Timberland launched a new campaign linking our sustainability work with everyday people concerned about the environment through new media websites such as YouTube and Facebook. This “Earthkeepers” campaign inspires individuals to take actions –large and small – to shrink their individual environmental footprints.

The networking power of the web connects this community around the world, turning all these individuals’ actions into a global movement that can make a real difference in helping solve the climate crisis. Our goal: gather one million consumers who share Timberland’s passion for protecting our environment.

We’re offering a $5,000 prize to the Earthkeeper who makes a great video about lightening their environmental load, posting the video on the Earthkeeper page on YouTube, and promoting it on the Changents.com site, a social networking site linking change agents with backers.

The Earthkeepers campaign is helping to seed a growing trend using social networking sites to connect companies like Timberland with consumers around improving our sustainability as individuals and companies. The key question is, how do we make these connections effective? With the advent of Web 2.0, it is becoming much easier to communicate environmental, economic, and social issues to lots of different people. Other companies are pushing this trend too. Patagonia’s Footprint Chronicles website tells the whole story of their supply chain – good and bad – and invites consumer feedback and ideas on how to improve things. That’s just one example.

For years, Timberland has been passionate about the connection between commerce and social justice. But in the past, we were only able to share our sustainability initiatives with a narrow group of other companies and sustainability experts. But Web 2.0 makes it possible for Timberland to connect with consumers more directly. We go “where consumers are” – social networking sites like Facebook, video sharing sites like YouTube, blogs and more.

Timberland just launched a dedicated page on JustMeans, a social responsibility networking site. This web platform allows us to update the public on a regular basis on what we’re doing to improve our sustainability. We follow our quarterly updates with a conference call for the public to weigh in with their feedback. Giving diverse stakeholders the opportunity to engage with us directly is a novel move in corporate sustainability, and we’re exciting about its prospects.

We at Timberland are passionate about sustainability. It’s not optional for us; it’s encoded in our DNA. We look forward to working together with you and with other companies, using online social networking to the world a better place for all.

About Robin Giampa

Robin Giampa is the Director of Corporate Communications, responsible for the strategic development and management of Timberland’s communication strategy, particularly as it relates to the integration of commerce and justice.

This commentary is part of a partnership between Corporate Watchdog Radio and CSRwire. To listen to the audio, please click here.