Contact: Elenor Hodges, Executive Director
Telephone: (703) 228-6427
E-mail: elenor@arlingtonenvironment.org

ARLINGTON, VA, February 01, 2007 - Get your compact fluorescent lights and compost bins ready – the Green Living Challenge is here! Do you think you are the greenest house on the block? Would you like to save money, have fun, and make your neighborhood a healthier place to live? Enter the Green Living Challenge and start making changes today to benefit yourself and the environment.

The Green Living Challenge is a contest aimed at encouraging residents to take environmental actions to make Arlington a healthier, more sustainable community. Arlington County and Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment (ACE), a community-based non-profit organization working to improve the environment, are jointly hosting the Challenge. The contest, part of the County’s Fresh AIRE initiative, lists actions that individuals can accomplish with relative ease that will make a big difference in protecting our air, water, and natural resources.

"It is my hope that many Arlingtonians will participate in this Challenge," said County Board Chairman Paul Ferguson. "This is a fun, easy way for Arlingtonians to make a difference. Each of us can take steps every day that cost little or no money, but can help reduce waste, save energy, cut costs and make our County a better place to live." Residents are challenged to complete as many of 16 actions as they can before October 31, 2007. Each action taken earns points for the participant and their neighborhood. Actions include using a reusable coffee or tea mug, planting a tree, and not driving one day a week.

Participants who complete any actions and submit a challenge form by the October 31 deadline will be eligible for prizes, with a drawing to be held in November. Anyone who completes actions totaling at least 100 points will be awarded a Green Living Certificate.

There will also be a neighborhood challenge, modeled after ACE’s successful 2005 Wildlife Habitat Challenge, which focused on creating wildlife habitats. Arlington civic associations will tally points for Green Living Challenge actions completed by residents to identify Arlington's greenest neighborhoods.

Register Early
Participants are encouraged to register early since there will be a monthly prize drawing for everyone registered by the end of each month during the contest period. To register for the challenge and read the complete rules, click here or call 703-228-6427.