ACTerraGreenThis fun interactive program, formerly known as the Cool Campaign program, cuts through all the noise and confusion about what we should be doing to save the planet. It is a grass-roots, community-based approach to reducing our energy use based on simple, easy actions. By uniting communities in a shared effort to fight global warming, ACTerraGreen also helps people feel connected, energized and more positive about their ability to impact the future and support the environment.
"Joining my neighbors and friends in saving the planet just feels good, and knowing that others are meeting the challenge is motivational to me. The campaign is a wonderful way to unite the community."
- La Entrada School Participant, 2008
ACTerraGreen is a simple, effective program that helps people reduce their carbon footprint. The campaign invites everyone in a community to join in a group effort by pledging to change at least one energy use practice per month - although many will make numerous changes.
A Green Team, made up of community members who are passionate about the environment, manages the program. Acterra trains the team how to use our unique, off-the-shelf program and provides support throughout the campaign. The Green Team manages an online community, including a website and discussion groups, and provides action steps, helpful suggestions and feedback. Participants come together to share ideas and support each other.
Every month the community is encouraged to try various energy-saving "challenges". Members try out the suggestions at home and anonymously report back their successes. Everyone's results are counted up and shared at the end of each month, so everyone can see the group's progress and positive environmental impact of the campaign. Fun social and educational outreach events are also part of the program.
ACTerraGreen is tailored to every community who uses it. The website and other materials can only go so far in educating and motivating people, it is the energy of the Green Team, the interest of the community members, and the impact of engaging in this extended conversation on energy use that makes the critical difference.
ACTerraGreen has been run in local public and private schools and religious congregations. In one school, for example, 165 families-representing 75% of the households-participated in the Green Campaign and they performed over 1500 energy-reducing changes to their lifestyle habits. In another school, 260 families performed over 2500 changes. Not only did energy-reduction become an ongoing focus for these participants, they felt better about the future of the environment and their ability to make a positive difference in reducing global warming.