We live in the age of social media, an age where unlimited, up-to-date information travels the net and hundreds of millions of people are engaged with a wide online community. Today's media outlets provide haven for millions looking to reconnect, network and share information.

Two of these most popular outlets, Facebook and LinkedIn, continue to demand an ever growing audience. What's interesting is not their growing popularity, but the new wave of groups to which they're appealing. Environmental, innovative, sustainable-driven groups are gaining presence on these social media outlets.

Facebook has come a long way since its creation in 2004. Once simply a space to share posts, photos and videos with all your ‘friends,' today's Facebook includes "groups" which allows users to share information with a specific community. Offering more than the traditional Facebook, group participants are not only able to share posts, photos and videos; but can also create and edit group documents, "engage in real-time group chat" and send "emails to the entire group using a custom e-mail address" according to Yahoo! News.

According to Facebook, the "average user is connected to 80 community pages, groups and events." Where exactly do environmentalists tie in? Well, search Facebook for less than a minute and you'll be introduced to a plethora of green, innovative groups.

Take the group Green Business Innovators; fostering an audience of nearly 3,000, this group provides a forum for green innovators to share, learn and collaborate on how to enhance business sustainability. Group members offer each other personal tips, raise questions for debate and are informed of upcoming related events. Though generating a smaller, yet active, following, the groups Green Business and Green Business Networking echo similar messages.

But Facebook certainly isn't the only networking tool to catch green; LinkedIn has developed quite the green scene of its own; geared more towards business professionals, several groups dive into CSR, sustainability and triple bottom line type issues.

With over 5,000 members, the Sustainability Working Group offers exciting discussions and networking with leading professionals committed to sustainability. If environmental sustainability is up your alley, countless other groups provide forums to network and discuss all sorts of green issues, including:

• Sustainability Professionals
• Chief Sustainability Officers Network
• Green & Sustainability Innovators & Innovation Network
• GreenBiz.com—Green Business Professionals
• Green

With over 500 million Facebook users and over 100 million LinkedIn members globally, it's no secret where our audience is and environmentalists are catching on. While social media isn't the be-all-end-all, it is one powerful tool; a tool that provides excellent networking, sharing and crowdsourcing opportunities, which foster growth, development and innovation.

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