There for tomorrow - preserving polar bears for tomorrow's generations.

This is our goal, to ensure the preservation of the world's polar bears for our children and our grandchildren. As we work toward this goal, we will also be preserving the planet for us all, fighting the effects of the most serious challenge we have ever had to face: climate change.

To achieve our goal, we have formed an action plan based in our hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. We will develop an energy use assessment kit, which we will take to local companies. We will work with companies on ways to lower their energy use, and thus their CO2 emissions, by helping them to implement changes in company policy. The changes we will discuss with them will be easy to put into action.

The options which we will offer to companies could include the following:

1. Shutting down computers and other office equipment at night
2. Programming computers to go on sleep mode while they are on and not being used
3. Using coffee mugs instead of styrofoam or paper cups
4. Using aluminum cans in drink machines instead of plastic bottles
5. Using recycled paper
6. Checking the tire pressure on company vehicles monthly, and keping them inflated at the proper pressure
7. Driving 55 mph on the highway in company vehicles
8. Adjusting thermostats seasonally
9. Recycling
10. Turning off company lights at night

As a part of our energy assessment, we will offer to help companies implement these changes however we can. We will offer to give talks to employees on the threat of climate change, using the plight of the polar bear as our impetus. We could set up booths at company events, or give information on climate change to the companies to relay to their staff.

The thrust of our message will be twofold: first, to reach people emotionally by showing them the threat to the polar bears and to the entire planet; second, to show them how much money they could ultimately save by making some of these changes. Our goal is to show these people that even these small changes can make the difference in stopping climate change.

As an adjuct to this project, we will be giving talks to the general public. In these talks, we will talk about our project and offer to come visit companies with our assessment. These are some of the places we already have scheduled a talk:

1. The 2009 Kentucky Association for Environmental Education Conference
2. Jefferson Memorial Forest, giving one talk to the volunteers, and one to the general public
3. Bernheim Forest, giving one talk to the staff, and one to the general public
4. Camps at the Lousiville Zoo
5. Girls Scout troops
6. Boy Scout troops
7. School groups

We will also develop a website where we will list the companies who are making policy changes and helping our environment.

All paper used in our project will be recycled, and at the end of our project, we will have trees planted to offset the paper used.

We can't imagine a world without polar bears. We dedicate ourselves to helping to save these magnificent creatures, and will do whatever it is we can to have them there for tomorrow.