The first is the increase in popularity of social media sites including Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook.  Facebook alone has a population of more than 350 million users, that’s larger than the population of the United States!  Social media sites have become so popular that a Google search for “Social Networking Addiction” returns 86 pages of results.  It’s no surprise given that many of us are increasingly tethered to our mobile devices (iPhone anyone?) that social media is on the rise. Mobile devices make it easy to be connected no matter where we are.

The second is the strong emergence of the green movement — this movement calls for the reduction in everything that’s tied to climate change.

Both trends play an important role in society — social networking provides an outlet for us to connect to other like-minded individuals.  Let’s not forget they’re also an excellent way of killing time.  The green movement will undoubtedly improve the planet for generations to come.

Social networking sites provide an excellent means for the green movement to spread the good word.  Many companies use these sites as a platform to explain their views regarding environmental policies.  Organizations like the Sierra Club and the Alliance to Save Energy both have Facebook fan pages.  These pages are used to promote discussion amongst their followers, and provide a convenient place for the organization to post their messages.

There are other ways that social media is impacting the green movement.  Bloggers take advantage of the many different social media outlets to share their thoughts about a company’s newest technology, governmental policies, financials, and political stance.

At Orion, we experienced this firsthand earlier this week when popular finance blogger Todd Sullivan, posted a video blog about Orion on http://www.stocktwits.com. His positive comments helped generate discussion about Orion within the investment community.

At Orion we use Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube as a vehicle to spread our message that being energy efficient is the best way to benefit the environment while improving lighting conditions and saving money at the same time!

We think energy efficiency is the way to go, but it’s a new concept — just like using social media sites for many companies, including us at Orion.

So just as the idea of energy efficiency continues to grow, Orion continues to grow its presence on social media sites.

We’ll grow together