With the multi-megawatt backdrop of New York City’s Times Square, Yahoo! Inc. will issue a challenge today in search of the greenest city in America. Cofounder David Filo, joined by actor Matt Dillon and Global Green USA CEO Matt Petersen, will introduce “Be a Better Planet” (http://better.yahoo.com/planet), a program that empowers Americans to take action against climate change. Consumers participate by using Yahoo! tools, resources and communities to become better planetarians.
The winning city, which will be announced following the program’s conclusion on June 8th, will be rewarded with a fleet of hybrid taxi cabs or the equivalent cash donation, to be dedicated toward city greening projects. To kick off the program, Yahoo! will also donate a fleet of hybrid taxis to New York City, recently determined to produce 1% of all U.S. greenhouse gases. By displacing traditionally fueled cabs with hybrid taxis, Yahoo! will be helping New York City edge closer to its ambitious environmental goals. The City will also save enough gas per year to drive a hybrid vehicle 56 times around the Earth. (more…)