Project Polar Bear Contest Themes

So you want to save polar bears? Choose one of these themes for your project.

Power Down
Make It Better or Do It Better
Buy Recycled
Increase the Green to Suck Up the CO₂

The examples shown for each theme are suggestions only. We encourage you to create projects of your own invention that apply to any of the themes.

POWER DOWN
Reduce fossil fuel consumption on a medium to large scale within your community

• This means at a level that involves more than your own home. Medium scale could be your school. Large scale could be your whole town! For example, you could:
• Install a solar or wind-power generator.
• Change out incandescent bulbs in town for LED and compact fluorescent bulbs.
• Conduct energy audits—and help people, schools, or businesses save energy and money.

The possibilities are as great as your imagination. Just be sure to figure out a way up front to measure the reduction in energy consumption.

MAKE IT BETTER or DO IT BETTER
Bring about an innovative change to an existing policy, process, or product that results in a reduction of CO₂ emissions or reduced use of resources.

This category is wide open. You could:

• Start a policy for a community-wide ride your bike to work or school day.
• Inspire a school-district-wide policy that encourages trash-free cafeterias by recycling or composting all waste.
• Figure out where recycling is not taking place in your community—and make it happen.
• Build a better CO₂ trap: Tinker with something that emits CO₂ and figure out a way reduce or capture the emissions.

Make sure you calculate a way to measure the changes you bring about!

BUY RECYCLED

Most of us recycle, but this only helps if people buy goods made from recycled materials. In this category, we're challenging you to close that loop.

This category is ideal for the shoppers and artists among you. You may wonder: what does this have to do with CO₂? By re-using plastic, paper, glass and even clothing items, we reduce the demand for oil, wood, and other resources—and decrease our impact on polar bear habitat. Here are some suggestions:

• Get your friends together and start a group that makes usable, fun stuff from old stuff—and then sell it at school or yard sales.
• Do whatever it is teenagers do to make it cool to buy recycled stuff.
• Convince local stores to stock merchandise made from recycled materials.
• Create a project that encourages people to buy products made from recycled materials. Maybe you could make a list of products made from recycled materials—and then create a website for all of your friends and family to use as a resource.

We can't wait to see what you come up with. But be sure to measure your impact!

INCREASE THE GREEN TO SUCK UP THE CO₂
By increasing our natural carbon-grabbers—those nice green things called plants and trees—communities around the world can help decrease CO₂ levels.

This category is for those groups with a green thumb. Possible projects include:

• Tree planting campaigns*
• Community gardens
• Workshops to teach little kids how to grow their own food
• Contests to see how long teens can keep a pet plant alive.

As with the other categories, make sure you figure out a way to measure the carbon reductions.

*If you choose a tree-planting project, please check with your state agriculture department or local university forestry department so that you choose trees and plants that are native to, or appropriate for, your local habitat.