LAKE OSWEGO GREEN TEENS

Our focus is to reduce our community’s emissions through a variety of product and habit changes. The goal of our project is to encompass all aspects of our community: homes, schools, and businesses. Our Project Category is Do It Better, Make It Better, with the Don’t Be Idle Campaign at the center. The Bright Idea (a great Power Down project) provides an innovative “green” funding source for the main project, as well as reducing CO2. Our Business and Community efforts are an additional plus.

HOMES

“A Bright Idea” – Power plants are listed as the #1 source of greenhouse gases. This means that every time you turn on a light, you are making a power plant make more electricity for you, and release more greenhouse gases. In fact, everything we do that uses electricity is indirectly contributing to the release of CO2. Therefore we have come up with our Bright Idea project. We will be going around our community providing people with 3 simple products and services to reduce their house’s energy use. First – compact fluorescent light bulbs (the “Bright” part), Second – hot water heater blankets to reduce heating energy, Third – under-house insulators to reduce winter heating costs. Additionally we will provide people with the option to have us install these items, along with a pamphlet of information on what more they can do. All products will be provided at cost, with services and donations going to help fund the Don’t Be Idle Campaign.

SCHOOLS

“Don’t Be Idle” – Cars are cited as the next largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Although we cannot drive yet, and cannot tell people what kind of car to drive, we can help them make better decisions when they’re driving. At each of the eleven primary and middle schools around our town, parents are waiting to pick up their kids each day. While they wait, most parents leave their cars running, giving off a pound of CO2 per car every minute. Our second project involves posting signs at the schools that mark “Idle Free Zones”. This along with announcements on the district-wide website and information in the weekly news bulletins, will lead to a heightened awareness of the impacts of simply idling your car. We will work with local media for additional education and awareness opportunities.

BUSINESSES

“Hybrid Only” – By placing parking signs in local businesses we will be supporting the use of these “green” cars. The more businesses we get to post these signs the greater impact they will have. Although not directly measurable, if we can record an increase in the use of these special parking places, we will be able to know that this project has made a difference.

COMMUNITY

“Movie Night” – Showing a special movie, An Inconvenient Meltdown to a public audience. This movie presents the hard facts of Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth along with some lighthearted cartoon clips from Ice Age 2 the Meltdown.. This would be part of our education project for the community and gets people of all ages interested and onboard with the need to change.