Greening the Crop

Are you One Central Upstate NY’s Greenest?
Enter the NY’s Creative Core Green of the Crop Contest!

In celebration of the 40^th anniversary of Earth Day, New York’s Creative Core is looking to highlight the Central Upstate New York region’s greenest endeavors. Are you secretly the greenest on your block? Do you know someone who is? Go to www.greenofthecrop.com to nominate yourself, a friend, your family, a business, your neighbor, your school/community organization, and you both could win!

Prizes:
First place winners in each category will receive $150.00, be profiled in the May 18^th issue of Green CNY magazine, and will receive an invitation to a recognition ceremony. Second and Third place awards will be given in each category, and will receive mention in Green CNY Magazine and an invitation to the recognition ceremony. Nominators are eligible for a random drawing to receive a gift certificate donated by local businesses.

Categories:

·         What business, large or small, has the most ingenious green idea, product, or service?

·         Does it produce an innovative green product or service?

·         Does it have a greener way of doing business (locally sourcing materials, reducing packaging, or waste, have a green production line, recycling programs, educating consumers)?

·         Does it have a greener way of running its business (car pooling programs for employees, energy efficiency at the workplace)?

Educational & Community Organization:

·         What school or community group is doing the most to "green the planet"? This category can include an entire school or an individual class, team or club, as well as any community organization.

·         Is the educational or community organization involved in an ongoing green project?

·         Has the organization developed a green way of conducting its activities?

Individuals or Households:

·         Which local person, family, or household is doing the most unique or coolest thing to be green?

·         Does the individual or household have a unique or cool green “passion” (extreme recycling, community composting or gardening, green volunteering)?

·         Does the individual or household have an innovative green lifestyle (reducing energy use at home, using clean and renewable energy, sustainable transportation options, eating and buying local products)?

Inventor, Innovator or Entrepreneur:

Know a green innovator or inventor? We’re looking for the next big green idea that could be coming out of a research lab , barn, garage, basement or warehouse in the Creative Core. Is there a green Einstein in our region?

·         Does this inventor, innovator or researcher have a bold new idea that can be the next green product or solution? 

·         What are the cool new technologies being developed in this region, and who are some of the green inventors and entrepreneurs behind them?       
     

PARTICIPATION

The competition is open to the public.  No purchase is necessary.  If you dream green, this is your opportunity to earn regional recognition.  All nominees must currently live in the Central Upstate New York region: Cayuga, Cortland, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego, Seneca, St. Lawrence, and Tompkins counties.

Nominators under 18 years of age must have a parent or legal guardian complete the "Nominator Information" section of the entry form, which acknowledges parent or guardian's consent for the child's contest entry.

Competition sponsors and partners may nominate others but they can't self-nominate and are not eligible to receive prizes. Judges are not eligible to participate.

SUBMISSIONS

All submissions to the competition are due by April 9^th, 2010, 5:00 p.m. EST.  Complete entries must include: the person, business, or school/community group’s full name and contact information, the contact information for the person who is nominating, and a brief description (200 words or less) on why the person is the Green of the Crop!  You may self-nominate or nominate another.

Once selected, finalists will be asked to supply a photograph of their Green of the Crop nominee and/or their innovative idea, project or initiative.  All photographs must be digital images submitted electronically in jpeg format, sized 6 x 4 inches at 300dpi resolution or larger.

TERMS & CONDITIONS

By nominating yourself or another person, company or organization, the person nominating as well as the person or entity being nominated is providing nonexclusive permission to the Creative Core, the Syracuse Post-Standard, and any affiliated organizations to interview, contact, and distribute information about that nominee for the purposes of this competition. This may include the full or excerpts of the description used in the nominating process.

All nominees will be reviewed by a panel of judges that include, but are not limited to: Syracuse Center of Excellence, Earthsense, Sustainable Business Partnership, The AMOS Project, SUNY ESF, National Grid, The Metropolitan Development Association, Greening USA, Syracuse First, The Clean Tech Center, and Alchemical Nursery. The Judges, their organizations and affiliated organizations, The Syracuse-Post Standard, as well as the Creative Core are not liable for any of the nominations or those being nominated and they assume no liability for any actions that may result from the oversight of this competition.

Any nominees, including those not selected as the “Green of the Crop” may or may not be further used or distributed by the Creative Core, its members and/or its partners. The Creative Core’s sole obligation is to include the name of the nominee in conjunction with the creative idea, person, or practice. Failure to meet this obligation will result in no damages of any kind. The nominee and nominator’s sole remedy is a good-faith correction of the Creative Core’s failure.

Those nominating a person, company, organization, or entity will be entered for a prize equal to or less than a gift certificate to a local company, the value of which is the sole determination of the Creative Core and the judging panel. Those nominating will be entered one time regardless of how many nominees they put forth. Prizes are subject to change.