Branchez-Vous is branching out and going green. The Montreal-based Internet company officially launched a new online environmental networking and information portal this week, www.MaTerre.ca, developed with the help of Quebec City-based iXmédia.

‘Materre.ca positions itself as the first environment-focused commercial media in Quebec,’ says Patrick Pierra, CEO, Branchez-Vous.

The site aims to connect people that share a common interest in environmental matters, and after going live in a beta version for the past few months, MaTerre.ca attracted more than 200 individual members and nearly 100 organizations.

Members of the site, both individuals and environment professionals, can now participate in the community by posting their ideas, suggestions and projects on the site, as well as access a variety of resources including: a planification platform which allows the launch, organization and promotion of tangible actions for the environment; a daily blog dedicated to the environment; news coverage from Radio-Canada and Le Devoir among others.

To promote MaTerre.ca‘s launch, an event was held in downtown Montreal this week, which featured a solar-powered bus, courtesy of Société de transport de Montreal (STM), with a DJ set up inside. A print campaign also supports the site, and various local radio stations covered the launch.

Ad-funded MaTerre.ca already has the Toyota Quebec dealers on board. The site also collaborates with various partners including the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, Le Devoir, Greenpeace, Environment Jeunesse, Equiterre, le Jour de la Terre Québec, Radio-Canada.ca, Ethiquette.ca, the Regroupment des Eco-quartiers, the Sierra Club and STM. The site is expecting to amass 100,000 visitors by the end of the year.