Small Steps, BIG IMPACT Challenge

The GAEA Project is looking for your help.

We are committed to making the battle against climate change a battle we can win!  This means people need to practice climate saving activities on a daily basis and as part of everything they do.  

Most of us want to make a difference in the battle against climate change.  But if it costs time, money, or is inconvenient, we don’t change our behaviours.  

The typical approach to promote climate change is to unleash depressing news, daunting statistics and doomsday models to scare people into action. It is scary, and it is real. It also overwhelms us, making the problems seem insurmountable.  The result? Inaction and we don’t change our behaviours.

At the GAEA Project, we encourage small simple steps to get started. We celebrate every small step in the right direction

And this means we need to share simple climate-friendly ideas that everyone can use.

We are looking for 150 great environmental tips or hacks that are simple to do and can be done as part of your daily activities. 

These tips and ideas will be incorporated into our next book. You will retain ownership of your intellectual property, but we will be free to use your submission in any manner we choose in perpetuity.  All tips will be used with attribution.

We are saying Thank You for your support in 4 ways

1. Our community will vote on the tips and hacks. For the top 3 Upvoted tips or hacks we will donate $250 in your name to your favorite climate change non-profit.
2. For the three non-profits whose community contributes the greatest number of tips, we will donate $250 (as measured by tips with the non-profit as the benefactor)
3. Every tip you submit will be one entry into a draw.  Five random entries will be drawn and for each winner, we will contribute $100 in your name to your favorite climate change non-profit.
4. For each of the Top tips and hacks that we include in the book, you will receive a GAEA bracelet

Learn more about The GAEA Project here.

Your Submission

You can submit as many tips as you like by clicking on the orange button above. Each tip will become public for voting after the submission deadline.

You will need to complete the following for each tip:

1. Your Tip
   1. Provide a captivating title/headline for your tip (max 140 characters, including spaces)
   2. Description of your tip (max 1000 characters, including spaces)
   3. What category best describes your tip? Your tip doesn't need to fit perfectly in a category, just select which is most representative.
      • Home
      • Work
      • Leisure and Entertainment
      • Travel
      • Shopping
2. Your info
   1. Please provide the name we should use to attribute the tip to you? (First Name, Nickname, etc.)
   2. What country are you located in? We’ll also include this when we attribute the tip to you.
   3. What non-profit would you like your proceeds to go to should you win?
   4. Would you like to become a part of the Gaea Project community? If yes, please enter your email address.
   5. What are your social media handles? We'd love to tag you when we share your tip!
   6. Confirm you accept the Competitor Agreement (view here)

What makes a great Climate Tip?

• Specific and actionable
• Simple & Easy
• Able to be implemented on a regular basis in daily life
• Inexpensive
• Fun to read
• Quantify the impact, if possible
• Creative
• What could you do tomorrow?
• Include links to sources as appropriate

What kind of tips are we not looking for?

There are many ways to support our environment. In this project, we are looking specifically for tips and hacks that are simple and easy to implement in day to day life. The more unique the better. Here are a few examples of what we are not looking for because they are not a daily action:

• Add solar panels to your house
• Downsize your home
• Buy an electric car

Here's an example of a tip for the workplace:

Cut down on your paper waste!

No better place to start your climate change at work initiatives than by reducing paper.  Technology was supposed to offer us a paperless office.  Nope, didn’t happen. Big box stores still sell tons of filing cabinets every year.  And most paper that is printed actually gets thrown away. At a minimum, recycle that paper!

Here is the 2 step process to reducing your paper

1. Ask yourself, do I really need to print it? Then ask yourself one more time, why do I need to print?  This will probably cut your printing by one half.
2. If you do need to print after thinking about it twice, then feel comfortable in your decision. But don’t throw it away when done.  Flip it over and print on the other side! There, you have cut your paper waste by another half.

Bingo!  Your paper usage is cut by 75%!

And finally, when you do have to dispose of it, don’t throw it away.  Put it in the recycling.

Rules

Please review the Competitor Agreement here for complete rules.

Participation Eligibility:

If you’re under 13, you must have an adult submit the tip on your behalf using your parent's account. However, you can still include your name in the attribution.

Submissions must be in English; although we are looking forward to accepting other languages in the future. All challenge-related communication will be in English.

Intellectual Property Rights:

You will retain ownership of your tip and grant us a royalty-free license to use it in perpetuity. The tip will be attributed to you.

We might have similar tips already to what you submit, and those pre-existing tips will not be attributed to you if you submit something similar.

Additional Information

• By participating in the challenge, each competitor agrees to submit only their original idea. Any indication of "copying" amongst competitors is grounds for disqualification.
• All applications will go through a process of due diligence; any application found to be misrepresentative, plagiarized, or sharing an idea that is not their own will be automatically disqualified.
• All ineligible applicants will be automatically removed from the competition with no recourse or reimbursement.
• No purchase or payment of any kind is necessary to enter or win the competition.
• Void wherever restricted or prohibited by law.