The BBC go green

BBC Worldwide - that’s the commercial arm of the corporation - has jumped on the green pound bandwagon and launched an advertising funded website all about going green.

Now I’m pretty certain that humans ARE having an impact on the rate of climate change - I’m not a scientist and I’m not interested enough to have studied the facts in intimate detail - but I think it’s obvious something is happening.

I also think it’s right that the BBC should be trying to make money from its commercial arm ahead of the innevitable day when the licence fee is either reduced to a VERY SMALL AMOUNT or scrapped completely.

So I should love BBC Green - it gives advice and information on living a green and energy efficient lifestyle while at the same time providing a planner for being green - but the site makes me slightly uncomfortable.

This is the first of the BBC Worldwide sites that isnt’ directly connected to a TV Show, Radio Programme or existing magazine - this lives out there on its own and is advertising funded.

So should the BBC be doing it? Yes BBC Worldwide needs to try and make as much money as possible to top up the licence fee but they also need, due to it being the BBC, think about what new sites they launch are saying about the corporation.

A while ago there was uproar when the BBC suggested it was going to launch a green season that promoted awareness of ‘going green’ and being more environmentally friendly from people saying the BBC should be more balanced on an issue still being disputed.

No BBC public service website would offer you a planner for being more green, give you tips and information on living a green lifestyle and generally promote environmental issues - so should a commercial BBC site?

Don’t get me wrong the site is brilliant - it looks great and works really well. The advertising fades into the background and I barely noticed it - although that might be ‘banner blindness’.





The site, as well as having a planner to help you track your own green credentials offers advice on being green in your own life.

The advice covers a number of key areas: Home & Garden, Food, Travel, Lifestyle and Family and Money. Each section contains a number of articles and tips relating to its own subject matter.

Having looked at the site in detail, played with it, found out I’m already doing everything I can possibly be doing to live a green lifestyle and read a few of the tips to make that green lifestyle more efficient - I’m going to give BBC Green a thumbs up.

However - I think I would, despite what I’ve said before, prefer it to be part of bbc.co.uk - part of the BBC Lifestyle site instead of being a standalone commercial site.

The reason I think it’s ok is because I think the proof in favour of human influenced climate change far outways the the ‘evidence’ against it - and I think it’s right for the BBC to have a policy, based on the evidence, that says that we can promote and encourage green living and reducing waste.

However I do still have an issue with it being commercial. Other commercial companies do this, offer the same or very similar service - this is something a start up could do very well so why should the BBC be making money from it?

If it’s ok for the BBC to offer a ‘green’ website then it should be offered as a public service through the lifestyle website instead of on its own. I can’t see why this would fail a public value test.

Share/Save