Several local agencies, including the City of Colorado Springs, the Sierra Club, Catamount Institute, Downtown Partnership Sustainability Committee, Earthseeds, Conservation Hardware Store, and the South Chapter of the US Green Building Council & Colorado AIA, are challenging the Colorado Springs community to use small changes to make a big difference. The partners are asking the community to participate in a Local Action Challenge set up by Sustainlane, a company that ranks green practices in the 50 largest cities. 

The Sustainlane Local Action Challenge asks people to upload their photos showing them making a difference in one of 10 challenge areas. Contest goals include picking up trash at a park, swapping a plastic bottle for a reusable one, or engaging in water conservation in your house, amongst other things. Colorado Springs will receive points for the challenges being completed as these pictures are uploaded to Sustainlane?s website (www.sustainlane.com). In 2008, Colorado Springs was ranked 43rd for sustainability practices by Sustainlane and the agencies issuing today?s challenge hope we can move up the ranks considerably this year by a strong showing in the Local Action Challenge.

"The partnership's hope is that by winning this challenge we will show that our community has come a long way since that 2008 ranking came out," said Nick Kittle, Fleet Finance and Sustainability Manager for the City of Colorado Springs.

?We also hope to demonstrate that sustainability can be fun, easy and beneficial to the region, and that all actions add up for the benefit of our community," said Eric Cefus of Catamount Institute.

The contest ends on November 30 and people who upload entries are automatically entered to win prizes from Sustainlane. If you would like to get involved, and help Colorado Springs move the needle, please visit Sustainlane?s website and click on the Local Action Challenge.