I grew up on Publisher’s Clearinghouse contests along with calling in to my favorite radio station to win things. Hey, back in the day, I won 10,000 Maniac tickets twice. The first concert was at the Greenwich Village institution The Bottom Line (RIP). (You know how they say video killed the radio star? Well, it seems my alma mater NYU killed The Bottom Line.) A few weeks later I went to see them again at the Beacon Theater on the Upper West Side. Guess I was ahead of the music curve then, in that I was likely the only New Yorker calling in to see Natalie Merchant and her then-band.
Anyway, these days I can’t help but notice how green has moved into the contest realm. Take the recent 2008 HGTV Dream House contest. Built with green in mind, it also included other green prizes (besides the house in South Carolina) like a hybrid GMC car. (Can’t help but be snarky about a hybrid Yukon. So, what, instead of getting 10 mpg, it gets 15 mpg?)
As you know I recently wrote about the Kroger “design a green bag” contest, and here are two other green-related contests that I thought readers of The Lean Green Family might find interesting and maybe would like to enter. Here are the details:
* Purex Natural Elements “Win a Smart” Car Contest
I discovered this contest when looking through the coupon insert in my Sunday paper. Right above two coupons for Purex laundry detergent was the picture of a Smart car, one of those nifty-looking European cars that are just making their way to this side of the pond. This contest asks you to create a green t-shirt idea and then you’ll be entered to win a Smart car. Find out details at PurexSavesGreen.com. Deadline: 6/1/08
* Whirlpool Mother of Invention Grant Contest
This annual contest is more about giving mom-preneurs seed money for their business or new product, but for the first year, it includes a “green” category for new inventions. Here’s some information from a press release I’d received on the contest: “To recognize moms who develop an environmentally friendly product/service or use natural/recycled materials to create their invention, the company has added a green category for the first time. Five winners will be announced in September and will receive grant money (up to $20,000), home appliance prizes and an invitation to a business boot camp at Whirlpool headquarters.” You can get more details on the Whirlpool website. Deadline: 7/31/08
READ LEAH ON HOME GOES STRONG
Ahhh… but the question is: How soon does the winner get said SmartCar? A friend just ordered his and it’s more than a year’s wait.