September 19, 2000

Pop Sustainability Launches ThinkPop.org.
Non-Profit Website Uses Pop Culture To Connect Young People To Action

NEW YORK, NY September 19, 2000 - Pop Sustainability, a non-profit organization committed to promoting sustainability through popular culture, today announced the launch of ThinkPop.org, a site devoted to connecting young people to awareness and action. The two-year old organization defines "sustainability" as creating a balance between social, economic and environmental concerns in order to create a healthier world. Through the lens of popular culture, ThinkPop inspires individuals to get involved in a variety of issues impacting their world--an approach that lends itself well to ThinkPop's target audience of 17-25 year olds.

"We are purposely reaching young people at the time in their lives when they are forming patterns they will carry into adulthood," says Jeffrey King, ThinkPop's Executive Producer and Board Member. "ThinkPop uses young people's familiarity with the web to instill an ethic of awareness and action into their daily lives."

A go-between for organizations and people interested in getting involved, ThinkPop's use of entertainment to motivate social action offers the site a unique positioning within the growing world of promoting sustainability online.

"We're not about dictating how people should participate in sustainability or on which cause they should focus their attention," says Kimberly Heismann, Founder and Executive Director of Pop Sustainability. "We simply want to spark something in young people to act upon issues that are meaningful to them. Furthermore, we want people to have fun while they make a difference. ThinkPop is designed to offer both."

Original And Compelling Content Helps Define An Online Community of Artists

Creating what promises to be the most interesting and exciting multi-cultural destination for the arts online, ThinkPop has recruited a talented editorial staff including Jessica Malter, a former producer for ABC News and Andrew Conn, a former publicist and contributing author at Film Comment Magazine. Found under the heading PopCulture, site visitors can enjoy original content on emerging artists from around the world, broken down into the following categories: PopMusic; PopMotion - film, theatre, dance and performance art; PopPodium - spoken and written word; PopArt - visual arts; and PopWeb - Web art. For artists, ThinkPop serves as a platform where they can express themselves, reach a global audience and be a part of a like-minded community. For users, the site is a venue in which to discover, learn, and interact with young talent.

"We plan on presenting artists whose work is not only interesting and cutting-edge, but also challenges the audience to think about and question its message," says Malter, ThinkPop's Website Producer. "Whether people visit our site for pure entertainment value or not, we want to leave them with an impression on a cultural or social issue that they may not have thought about before."

Malter believes ThinkPop's content will prompt site users to want to learn more and ultimately to get involved in worthy causes in some way. "Young people seem to respond to ideas presented in the context of a hip and entertaining approach." ThinkPop then provides the user with the tools for action.

Promoting A Sustainable Lifestyle

ThinkPop has created a special section, titled PopStyle, devoted to suggesting simple ways to incorporate sustainability into young people's everyday lives. In the spirit of the site's target audience, PopStyle will offer hip, fashionable alternatives for young people to factor into their daily decision-making process. Content will fall into such categories as: PopGear - anything wearable; PopDesign - ranging from product design to architecture; PopStreet - public spaces; PopShopper - product advice for concerned consumers; and PopLiving - Martha Stewart meets sustainability.

Taking the idea of promoting a sustainable lifestyle one step further, ThinkPop has also created PopThink!, an action guide that includes a step by step process to "think, connect, act" on specific concerns such as voting, protecting wildlife or helping the homeless. In an "Adopt a daily practice" initiative, ThinkPop will e-mail useful "daily practices" to members that help support sustainability. Within the PopThink! section, users can also expect to find concise guidelines on how to start a sustainability project in their own neighborhoods as well as extensive research material.

Pop-Focused Events Create Awareness For Sustainability

It is PopTalk, the community area of ThinkPop that has already created a buzz for the site. PopTalk will serve as a platform for Generation Y to share ideas on topics ranging from art, culture, social action and sustainability. In addition to discussion groups including "Conversations About Race," PopTalk will also host special events such as "Pop Party 2000" and "International Pop Slam!," the world's first cyberslam. "We have created a series of events, both on and offline, that will unite people in a fun and original way," says Heismann. "They'll also build awareness of sustainability, raise money for a variety of causes, and get young people excited about the site."

At ThinkPop, the medium and the message converge to provide Generation Y a point of access to the international movement towards sustainability.

For more information about ThinkPop.org, please contact Adam Juran at 646-638-3122 x26.

© 2002 POP SUSTAINABILITY