Site of the Week
Greenpeace Digital http://www.greenpeace.org.uk
Ladies and gentlemen, introducing the most impressive website reviewed in Site of the Week so far. Turn on your computer’s sound, and as soon as you arrive, you’ll realise that Greenpeace Digital is a little out of the ordinary.
Greenpeace has been at the forefront of environmental debate and direct action for decades, and you can find out everything you want to know about their campaigns. The difference is in the presentation. Full advantage is taken of the latest interactive browser plug-ins, resulting in an experience that’s more like a cross between listening to the radio and watching a music video than visiting the average wildlife website.
For instance, use the pull-down menu to see the Action section introductory movie, and, rather than reading until your eyes hurt, sit back and listen to the actor Tom Conti laying out the Greenpeace story and philosophy. Then find out some surprising things about the GM food industry with an interactive moving slideshow, and listen intently to speeches given by Peter Melchett and Bob Shapiro, the heads of Greenpeace and Monsanto respectively, at a recent conference. Explore the Greenpeace fleet of ships, or take a trip to Glastonbury ‘99 and see an interview with Michael Eavis. And this is just the tip of a very large iceberg.
Each of the campaign sections has links to further reading on the nature of the problems, the things that need to be done, and the ways you can participate. The Education section has in-depth background for teachers and pupils on a range of topics, and you can download full reports, quizzes and factfiles on all the issues discussed.
It’s possible to opt for a simplified version of the site if you don’t have the plug-ins, but it’s easy to get them in the Help section, and it really is worth your while. At the same time as learning about Greenpeace, you get to see what Internet is really capable of.
Richard Northover
Info-content *** Readability *** Appearance *** User friendliness *** Kids ***** Plug-ins Shockwave 7, Flash 4, Acrobat Reader 4