National Geographic and Sun Chips are looking for people with ideas to help the planet.

The top 5 entries will recieve $20,000 for their endeavor, a profile in National Geographic and a trip to Washington DC to share their ideas with national environmental leaders.

To enter, you just have to write up a 100-250 word plan for your idea on improving the ecology of the planet.

Entries are due by June 8th, and 10 finalists will be announced on July 7th. Online viewers and a panel of judges will select the 5 winners from the 10 finalists.

For more info or to enter: http://greeneffect. nationalgeographic.com

http://greeneffect.nationalgeographic.com
www.idealbite.com

Save recyclables & actually recycle them- paper, cans, cardboard boxes, plastic bottles, magazines, etc. Toss them into the appropriate bins on your way to class - how long does that take?

• Switch to CFL lightbulbs - even if the only lightbulb you change is your desk lamp, you are still helping to save our limited resources. You can also help by turning off lights and electronics when you are not in the room.
• Use your printer wisely - print on both sides of the paper when ever possible and cut down on the documents that you print.
  
• Walk, bike & use public transportation whenever possible - the exercise is good for you, and the energy savings are good for the earth.
  
• Use reusable shopping bags - rather than paper or plastic bags, and use refillable water bottles and thermal cups for hot beverages.
  
• Limit the use of disposable cups and plates - use inexpensive cups and plates that you can wash. Conserve on the number of paper napkins you use also - one napkin will probably be enough.
  
• Buy recycled products (like paper & cleaning products) whenever possible.
  
• Pick up some litter - isn't trash the worst thing to look at? Next time you are on your way to class, pick up trash & toss it into a trash bin. If it's on your way, it won't take up much of your time and you will not only be doing a good thing, you will help make UAlbany a place to be proud of.
  

http://www.thegreenguide.com
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• "Biodynamic: organic crop cultivation that emphaiszes the interrelationship of soil, plants, and animals."
• "Carbon footprint: the amount of greenhouse gases emitted through the combustion of fossil fuels due to human activities."
• "Cradle-to-cradle: an efficient, waste-free production technique - all materials are recycled, reused, or composted."
• "Greenwash: to pretend you're green when you're not in order to impress potential customers or friends."
• "Light-green: making incremental, not drastic, life changes to help the planet."
• "Locavore: someone who prefers eating locally produced food."
• "Sustainable: capable of continued production with no long-term effect on the environment"
• "Xeriscape: landscaping that incorporates drought-resistant plants and doesn't require much watering."
• Ideal Bite [dailytip@idealbite.com] June 16, 2008 & July 17, 2008

Organics Defined:

• "100% organic" means the product must contain (excluding water and salt) only organicaly produced ingredients.
• "Organic" means it must consist of at least 95% organically produced ingredients.
• "Made with organic ingredients" means the product must contain at least 70% organic ingredients
• If products contain less than 70% organic ingredients, they cannot use the term organic on the display panel.
• An "All natural" term means nothing - there is no formal definition for "all natural".

• Help us go green!
• At the beginning of the school year, over the past two years, residential students received refillable mugs courtesy of UAS and our partners Chartwells, Barnes & Noble Bookstore, Coca-Cola, and SEFCU Bank.
  
  Some mugs were also given to transfer and commuter students, and mugs are available for purchase at Outtakes Store and the Commons Cafe in the Campus Center, as well as the East Campus Cafe, the Downtown Cafe and the Empire Commons Cafe.
• Students, Faculty, Staff and guests may bring this thermal mug, or any 16oz mug, for a refill and receive a self-serve 16oz hot beverage for the price of a 12oz hot beverage at these locations:
• The Corner Cafe, Campus Center
• Outtakes Store, Campus Center
• East Campus Cafe
• Downtown Cafe
• Empire Commons Cafe
• Save money! Reduce waste!
  
  

• 
  Grass-Fed Beef - raised on a local farm in Troy, New York

• Good for the Animals - animals live low stress, healthier lives
• Good for the Farmers - helps maintain small family farms
• Good for the Planet - less air, land and water pollution
• Good for YOU - raised without hormones, antibiotics or other drugs; the meat contains less fat, cholesterol & calories and has more vitamin E, C, beta-carotene and omega fatty acids.
• Look for the "NEW!" sticker when local, grass-fed beef is being served in your dining room.
  
• 100% Biodegradable Plastic Bags
• Now in use in all food outlets in the Campus Center
  
• Starbucks Coffee
• Fair Trade Coffee - Starbucks is the largest purchaser, roaster and distributor of Fair Trade Certified coffee in North America.
• Environmentally responsible - Have launched an emissions reduction strategy including the purchase of renewable energy certificates, energy conservation, and advocating collaborative action.
• Paper cups - Their cups contain 10 percent post-consumer recycled fiber and will save an estimated 78,000 trees and reduce about 3 million pounds of solid waste each year.
  
• Green Mountain Coffee
• Fair Trade Coffee - Fair Trade insures that the farmer receives a fair price for his crop and that you receive the finest quality product.
• Cold cups are made of naturally-based materials (natural corn starches) and are fully compostable (under ideal conditions the cup will fully break down in 50 days). Use of this cup will take more than 80,000 pounds of petrochemicals out of the supply chain and waste stream each year.
  
• Farmer's Markets On Campus
• Watch for more information on upcoming Farmer's Markets and your opportunities to buy farm fresh products again this year!
  
• Local Produce
• Chartwells purchases more than $300,000 worth of local produce. Local farms that supply Chartwells with produce and other products are Fox Creek, Woodview, Sugarbush, Longfield, Two Sap Syrups, Sap Bush Hollow and Barber Farms.
  
• All Shell Eggs Are Organic and HFAC Certified Cage-Free
• Used in all dining locations on campus.
  
• Antibiotic-Free Chicken and Anitbiotic-Free Meat
• Chartwells will no longer purchase chicken or meat "in which antibiotics that belong to classes of compounds approved for use in human medicine have been used for growth promotion purposes".
  
• Sustainable Seafood in Dining Locations
• Chartwells has partnered with the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program to assure that all seafood served complies with strict sustainability requirements. Many species have been over-fished, and Chartwells no longer serves any of the threatened species.
  
• Trans-Fats
• All oils used in our kitchens have been transitioned to Zero Trans-Fat oils.
• Also, Chartwells uses & provides only spreads with zero grams of trans fat per serving and will not use products containing saturated fats when unsaturated fats are available.
• Chartwells is working with local bakers to ensure that they have trans fat free products from them also.
• 
  We've Gone Tray-less in Dutch & Colonial Quad Dining Rooms
• Less food waste (We throw out almost 1 ton of food each day)
• Less water use (We use 1.6 million gallons of water for dishwashing in a year)
• Less energy use (We use 1 billion BTUs of energy each year to heat water for dishwishing)
  

• The UAlbany Bookstore carries a variety of environmentally friendly products. The Bookstore has tried to make it easy to identify these products by using green signage and labels.
• Used Textbooks
• The bookstore's largest recycling program revolves around used textbooks
• They buy back textbooks from students and resell them the next semester for 25% less than the cost of new textbooks
• Buying and selling used textbooks helps to cut down on the production of textbooks (saving paper and ink) and lessens the carbon footprint because textbooks do not need to be shipped into or out of the store.
• Edun Live
• Another huge program is Edun Live, which produces t-shirts form 100% African cotton and yarn
• Each purchase helps support trade and employment opportunities in impoverished regions of sub-Saharan Africa
• Edun Live works to ensure that everyone involved in the making of the t-shirts (from the farmer to the factory worker) is fairily compensated and works in a humane, ethical, and respectful environment
• Environmentally Friendly Products
• The Bookstore also carries organic food, environment friendly household cleaning products, recycled greeting cards, recycled or biodegradable school supplies, organic and other natural beauty products, as well as a large Go Green general reading section. The number of items available is growing daily, as they continue to expand their green product selection.