INDUSTRY/MARKETING NEWS: Which Canadian City is the Most Eco Friendly?

The Green Grouch, an Eco-Comedian, is challenging Canada's fifty largest cities in a contest starting on Earth Day to determine which city is the most environmentally friendly. This is a great way to shed light on "green" habits and get consumers thinking "green." Can you use this as a model for a smaller-scale initiative in your own store? Will you participate in this eco-challenge?

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Which Canadian City is the Most Eco Friendly?

"The Green Grouch" Challenges Canadians in Eco Contest


CALGARY, April 20 /CNW/ - Starting on Earth Day, The Green Grouch is challenging Canada's fifty largest cities in a contest to determine which is the most environmentally friendly. The contest consists of a simple ten-point weekly checklist that participants fill in to indicate what environmentally friendly activities they've participated in. Each item earns points for your city.

To help encourage the highest possible rate of participation, referring others to the contest earns the most points. "The greatest impact you can have is getting other people involved" says The Green Grouch. The site's software compiles results and Canadians can track where their city ranks.

The Green Grouch is an "Eco Comedian" who encourages people to do the simple things to help the environment. "People don't like being nagged, so we cleverly hide our nagging within our comical YouTube videos," says The GG. "I'm hoping people will embrace me because the world really needs someone like me to help us all focus on making changes."

After the Canadian contest, there are plans to host a similar one between the largest cities in several different countries, beginning with The United States. Other contests are also planned, for example, between Colleges & Universities, corporations, etc. Eventually, a contest between countries will take place.

While the Canadian contest officially starts on Earth day, there is no set end date. Organizers want to give it a good chance to spread across Canada before deciding on a closing date. They also want to run it long enough to change Canadians' habits. But, they want to stress that the weekly checklist takes, literally, less than one minute to complete. "We know people are busy, so our site isn't designed like a social networking site that aims to suck up your life. We want to give you a gentle kick in the right direction and get out of your way," says The GG. "And, if I can make you laugh along the way with my YouTube videos, that's a bonus!"

SOURCE: CNW Newswire Press Release