Our team has made a pledge to help stop climate change, by focusing on the plight of the polar bears and species found in the arctic ecosystem. Our plan is to create a campaign to get people in the Kentucky and Southern Indiana area to power down, by getting pledges for personal reductions in CO2 emissions.

We will give people five options to choose from, listing different ways they can reduce their CO2 emissions. We will have the specific amounts of CO2 emissions saved per year listed so they can see what they are contributing. The options we are considering are:

1. A pledge to reduce showering time 5 minutes – this will save 300 lbs. per person per year
2. Switching to cold water for washing clothes – 2 loads per week will save 200 lbs. per house per year
3. Unplugging all electronics when not in use – this will save 600 lbs. per year
4. Lowering the speed you drive at to 55 mph (which could improve CO2 emissions by 30% - we are still working on how to calculate the exact numbers on this).
5. Lowering your thermostat in the winter and raising it in the summer (we are working with our local energy provider on how to calculate these numbers)

We will spread the word about our pledge campaign by doing the following:

1. Design a web page on the Louisville Zoo’s website, urging people to sign up and make their pledges. The webpage will have information on climate change, possibly with interactive activities, and what they can do to help save the polar bears.
2. Write a letter urging kids to go on the webpage and make a pledge. This letter will be in the Louisville Zoo’s “Backyard Action Heroes” booklet that will be distributed to 300,000 kids around the Kentucky and Southern Indiana area. (This program teaches kids how to be action heroes starting in their own backyard. It focuses on nature and the environment and what can be done to preserve them.)
3. Our team will be Backyard Action Heroes as we spread the word about the pledge campaign. We will do this by:

A. Giving talks to zoo camps
B. Setting up a table at zoo events this summer and fall
C. Working with our local school system on how to let students know about the program
D. Working with Kentucky and Southern Indiana scout troops
E. Sending the web page address to zoo members via the zoo’s e-newsletter
F. Sending word about the webpage across the internet

We will keep a running tally of the pledges to show the impact we are making. In December, one of the team members will be taking the pledges to House and Senate leaders in Washington, D.C. In addition, we will keep the campaign as paperless as possible.