BOULDER, Colorado, April 19, 2002 (ENS) - A new player has emerged to green up the field of Internet service providers. EcoISP offers a connection to the Internet, email, and web hosting services, plus a juicy green enticement to subscribe - the environmental group of the subscriber's choice receives part of the EcoISP monthly fee.

Environmental groups need every dollar they can get in today's difficult fundraising climate, says author and philosopher Ken Wilber, who is chairman of the EcoISP Board of Directors.

EcoISP serves to fund protection for great natural places like these California redwoods. (Photo courtesy Fortuna, California)

EcoISP charges $15.95 per month for its services in contrast to AOL's $23.90 per month standard plan, so EcoISP subscribers can save money and help the environment at the same time. EcoISP turns half the monthly profits over to whatever environmentally or socially conscious group the subscriber chooses, which amounts to $2.75 each month for each subscriber.

"It's one of those rare circumstances where you can actually save money yourself and make your favorite environmental group money at the same time," Wilber says.

Environmental groups that encourage their members to become EcoISP subscribers can see their bank accounts swell very quickly. "If an organization has a 100,000 members and 10,000 of them sign up, just one out of 10, that organization would receive roughly a third of a million dollars annually," Wilber calculates.

EcoISP originated in the mind of inventor Paul Gerstenberger as he gazed out towards the Continental Divide from the window of his home office on Flagstaff Mountain high above Boulder, Colorado. He had created EcoPals, seven environmental educational characters for kids, and was searching for a way to help environmental groups too.

Inspirational view from high on Flagstaff Mountain (Photo credit unknown)

Now the EcoPals are featured on the EcoISP portal, along with news, opinion and all the Internet services a subscriber needs.

The news component is provided by the Environment News Service (ENS), the respected international daily wire service of the environment. Newly acquired by EcoISP's parent company, Young Folks First, the Environment News Service provides breaking news and fresh features from across the United States and around the world.

ENS Managing Editor Jim Crabtree, says, "EcoISP is one of only a few companies that we could ever, in good conscience, align our news business with. Considering that EcoISP will be providing direct revenue to environmental groups while, at the same time, AOL mass mails enough promotional CDs each month to fill a football field nearly four feet deep, the difference in corporate responsibility between these two service organizations is breathtaking. EcoISP could bring about a complete shift in consumer allegiance."

The man in charge of translating the vision into reality is EcoISP president and CEO Tom Bakas, a creative executive with 20 years experience in the financial services business. "EcoISP is based on an advocacy vision for the Earth as a whole," says Bakas.

Kids explore the environment of a pool in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri. (Photo courtesy REFA)

Head of the EcoISP Advisory Board, Michael Zimmerman, chairs Tulane University's Philosophy Department and has spent more than 20 years teaching and writing in the field of environmental philosophy. He says EcoISP holds out "remarkable promise for everyone concerned about environmental issues."

"Given how much effort, time, and money that environmental organizations have to spend on fund raising, they greatly appreciate having a steady and growing source of income from those of their members who sign up with EcoISP," Zimmerman says. "EcoISP respects the privacy of its members, by not setting cookies that can be used by advertisers. And, EcoISP screens its advertisers to insure that they have a serious commitment to environmentally sustainable practices."

EcoISP Advisory Board member Chris Desser took a high profile in the environmental community as executive director of Earth Day 1990. Currently, as coordinator of the Biotech Working Group, she helps foundations understand the ecological, social and cultural implications of emerging science and technologies, and also serves as a commissioner on the California Coastal Commission.

Desser wants to help EcoISP develop "as the best place on the Internet for people to find out about a wide variety of environmental issues as well as become a significant source of income for environmental groups."

Ken Wilber (Photo courtesy World of Ken Wilber)

ENS Editor-in-Chief Sunny Lewis says the choices made by EcoISP subscribers allow funding to flow to a wide diversity of environmental groups. "Because EcoISP is inclusive, it allows any environmentally and socially conscious registered nonprofit group to receive funding. Small groups that address specific issues such as rainforest conservation, as well as large groups that address a diversity of problems, can all benefit."

EcoISP defines success not simply in financial terms, but also in terms of benefit to the natural environment on which all life depends, says CEO Bakas. "We believe that success is our ability to join hand-in-hand with our partner organizations in furthering a mutual respect for the Earth and all of its inhabitants."