Clean technologies and environmental policy WEBWATCH

Abstract

In the homepage of the Environmental Expert.com website it is claimed that this is the only global online marketplace and information resource to practitioners and professionals dealing with environmental questions. In fact the website has an extensive array of resources and services, including the profiles of thousands of companies and organizations from around the world, news, articles, reports, case studies, among others. At first glance the website looks confusing and overcrowded with advertising from different companies. However, after one gets used to the site structure it is quite easy to navigate through using the two main menu bars. The menu placed at the top of the page lists the resources according to subject, such as health & safety, environmental management, waste & recycling, water & wastewater, among others. It is possible to access specific information about events, press releases, articles, case studies, journals, books, software, training, consulting, etc., using scrolling menus. The other menu bar presents these resources available according to their type, such as software, training and education, publications, and others. Both menus are presented in all the pages of the website, allowing the visitor to go to different parts without the need of returning to the homepage. Because the site has a lot of information it is organized in a tree-like structure, i.e. in each page the current position is presented. A search facility is also available in all the web pages making it a very useful resource in such a really huge website. A free e-mail newsletter can be subscribed to directly in this website. It is possible to customize it according to the specific needs and interests of the subscriber. Although the newsletter has some publicity attached, it includes a lot of updated information about events, new technological or legislative developments in the environmental areas and other relevant issues. The site also includes a list of links to other websites with relevant information in the environmental area. Although aimed to the industrial and consulting practitioners, the wealth of information available and the way it is organized make the site also appealing to researchers and people interested in products and services in the environmental areas.