Today happens to be a special day for Wisconsinites— Earth Day was actually founded by one of our own, Senator Gaylord Nelson. Senator Nelson, who also used to be our Governor, would be very proud of the current “cool factor” in going GREEN. The original idea, according to the deceased Senator, germinated during the Kennedy presidency.

Earth Day has had an enduring impact on my psyche. The pollution of a local Wisconsin creek inspired me to create my first 8mm film. Nowadays it’s common to see footers at the bottom of emails asking you to refrain from printing to save the environment. And it’s also pretty likely you have received that email lauding electronic learning as the next green move. The growth of electronic learning utilizing the Internet for education does indeed have a green flavor. We do significantly save in fuel by conducting a Webinar instead of a face-to-face meeting or travelling to a workshop. Now if we could only figure figure out a way to power our computers without electricity…

The US Distance Learning Association (USDLA) has a “Distance Learning is Green” program, presenting the rationale that eLearning is an environmentally responsible training option.

Happy Earth Day! If you are in the eLearning industry your conscience is a little cleaner today.