DoSomething Team ENERGY STAR Challenge

Who's up for another contest? This one is for the kiddos, however, and doesn't have anything to do with luck. I've teamed up a group of bloggers for EPA's Energy Star program and am making a contest available to all the of kids in the GG community. The program is designed to recognize kids for what they are doing to save energy, as well as inspiring other kids and their families to get involved in energy efficiency.

The contest is pretty straightforward. Kids who submit an essay about saving energy to the Share Your Story page and then click on the DoSomething Team ENERGY STAR Challenge immediately become eligible for a number of prizes, including:

• The new Lorax DVD, which will go to the first 100 kids to submit essays
• 25 winners will receive ENERGY STAR qualified electronics products donated by LG Electronics, including computer monitors and televisions, smart phones, and mouse scanners
• Top winners will also be featured in New York's Times Square on the LG billboard
• Some of the winners may have a chance to participate in ENERGY STAR day in October with EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson 
• All kids who submit an essay will receive a certificate of appreciation from EPA Administrator Jackson

In addition to entering the contest, kids can join Team ENERGY STAR by visiting the website where they will get 

easy-to-download educational and interactive materials, such as a comprehensive Action Kit, the ENERGY STAR Home Check-Up, a Lorax activity booklet , Energy Efficiency Games, a Lorax mustache-making kit and more!

The Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Do Something (one of the largest organizations in the U.S. for teens and social change) have joined EPA in this effort by running their own Team ENERGY STAR Challenges. More than 150 Boys & Girls Clubs have signed on to participate and win prizes donated by Samsung Electronics. Prizes for Do Something’s Challenge have been donated by LG Electronics.

Change the World, Start with ENERGY STAR

Team ENERGY STAR is part of a multi-year EPA campaign, Change the World, Start with ENERGY STAR, developed to engage Americans of all ages in saving energy, money and protecting the environment with ENERGY STAR. Millions of people are getting involved, joining their neighbors in this grassroots movement to help protect the climate by saving energy. Visit the website and see how people and organizations all over are making a difference with ENERGY STAR by viewing EPA’s ENERGY STARs Across America map.

As far as the contest goes, this is a great opportunity for  parents to learn a lot about what your kids know (or don't know) based on what they produce. The "essay" can be a written story; a photo essay; a video, a slide show a drawing, or any other way they want to show what they have learned about energy efficiency, provided it can be uploaded to the ENERGY STAR story page here. Kids (or their parents for them) can submit the story any time between now and September 17. Prize winners will be announced by October 10.